en qué grado estás
/en ke ɡɾado estas/from spelling rules
The English phrase "what grade you're in" is expressed in Spanish as en qué grado estás.
This phrase is a question used to ask someone which year of school they are currently attending.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase en qué grado estás literally translates to "in which grade are you".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In many Spanish-speaking countries, it is more common to use en qué año estás (what year you're in) instead of using the word for grade, grado.
How does it change in a sentence?
Use en qué grado está when speaking to someone you do not know well or to show respect, and use en qué grado están if you are asking a group of students which grade they are in.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying qué grado estás. English speakers often forget to include the preposition en (in) at the beginning of the sentence, but en qué grado estás is the correct way to phrase it.
Did you know?
- In Mexico, the term grado is very common, but in Spain, people are far more likely to use curso when asking which year of school someone is in.
- The word grado comes from the Latin gradus, which originally meant a 'step' or 'pace'. This is why the word shares a connection with the idea of climbing a staircase to reach higher levels of education.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, students may answer estoy en quinto without mentioning 'grade' or 'year' at all. The context of the conversation makes the meaning clear.
Examples in context
- Estoy en sexto grado.I am in sixth grade.
- Estoy cursando el décimo grado.I am enrolled in the tenth grade.
- Soy estudiante de tercer grado.I am a student of the third grade.
- Me encuentro en séptimo grado.I am in seventh grade.
- Estoy en quinto grado.I am in fifth grade.
- Voy en noveno grado.I am in ninth grade.
- No sé en qué grado estás.I don't know what grade you're in.
- ¿Me dices en qué grado estás?Can you tell me what grade you're in?
- Dime en qué grado estás este año.Tell me what grade you're in this year.
Example conversation
Two students are talking in the school hallway.
- ElenaHola, ¿en qué grado estás?Hi, what grade are you in?
- MateoEstoy en noveno grado.I am in ninth grade.
- Elena¡Qué bien! Yo estoy en décimo.That's great! I am in tenth.
- MateoNos vemos en la clase de arte.See you in art class.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries en, grado, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
