The List of School Supplies in Spanish That Needs to Go Back to School

It’s back to school time! During my school years, I remember that the list of school supplies and books was long. My mom’s favorite place to get everything at the best prices was in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico. Today the dynamic has changed a little and we have mega stores in Puerto Rico that open for extended hours and carry everything.

Last week, I visited my beautiful island during the height of back-to-school shopping (classes start in early August). I stopped at this major pharmacy that was ready for the season with an expanded section of office and school supplies. They also prepared a handout with a check list of basic school supplies materials just in case you might forget something. Excellent sales strategy!

But I was a bit shocked with this list of school supplies in Spanish put together by this store; it had too many mistakes! I know that nobody is perfect, and a typo or an accent mark here and there can be easily forgiven. But it seems that the person who wrote this list must go “back to school.” On the other hand, despite the misspellings, it is also a good example that reflects the Puerto Rican Spanish vocabulary that locals use colloquially. Here is the list:

So… What Exactly Is Wrong With It? 

Looking at this list of school supplies in Spanish you might be thinking that everything looks fine – but that’s not the case. There are several things that should be fixed and I’ll go through them one by one. 

The Use of Spanglish and Brand Names

The list provides a series of typical examples of Spanglish in Puerto Rico (I circled them blue). I can’t be that harsh about the extensive use of Spanglish because if they were to use the real Spanish terms, nobody would know what they were saying. The same happens with a couple of brand names that are used as the generic word for a product.

1. shampoo: This word has been adapted to Spanish as champú.
2. compass: compás.
3. construction paper: You may hear the translation papel de construcción or, in other countries cartulina and cartoncillo, but construction papel definitely not.
4. matre: It is the common word for “mattress” in Puerto Rico. In Spanish, it is colchón.
5. liquid paper: This is an example of a brand name that is used to identify the product. In Spanish it is corrector líquido.
6. hand sanitizer: In Puerto Rico, if you use the phrase desinfectante para manos, nobody will understand you.
7. index card: Don’t even try to use the Spanish word ficha to ask for an index card in Puerto Rico.
8. almohada “travel size”: I think almohada pequeña sounds better in Spanish. Almohada is the word for pillow.
9. tape: If you use cinta adhesiva I guarantee that you will receive a weird look from any Puerto Rican.

All Accent Marks Are Missing

Ok, where did the accent marks go? The words lápices, témpera, sábana, bolígrafos, and plásticos need their accent marks.

Misspellings

There are two words that are misspelled. The first one, plastisina instead of plasticina, is a common spelling challenge for native Spanish speakers because the sounds ci and si are exactly the same. That pronunciation characteristic is common in many Latin American countries, and it is called seseo.

The second one, delantar instead of delantal, does not follow the Puerto Rican pronunciation. Typically, in Puerto Rico, we change the R for an L in particular cases.

Other School Supplies in Spanish 

While this list of school supplies in Spanish has several useful vocabulary, these are not all school supplies you can purchase when going back to school. So, here are some additional words you might find very useful when talking about this topic. 

SCHOOL SUPPLIES IN SPANISH	SCHOOL SUPPLIES IN ENGLISH
El libro	Book
El libro de texto	Textbook
El cuaderno / La libreta	Notebook
La carpeta	Folder / Binder
La regla	Ruler
El pincel	Paint brush
La pintura	Paint
El portaminas	Mechanical pencil
La mochila / El morral	Backpack
El resaltador	Highlighter
Las tijeras	Scissors
La lonchera	Lunchbox
El globo terráqueo	Globe
Las sujetapapeles	Clips
El cuaderno de ejercicios	Workbook

If you want to have everything in one place, here is a printable list of school supplies in Spanish and English that you might find useful.

Other School-Related Vocabulary 

Now that you know the school supplies in Spanish, let’s focus a little on other school-related vocabulary. 

SPANISH	ENGLISH
El salón de clase	Classroom
La mesa / El escritorio	Desk
El tablero / El pizarrón / La pizarra	Blackboard
La silla	Chair
El mapa	Map
La ventana	Window
El cartel / El poster	Poster
La pizarra blanca	Whiteboard
Las materias escolares	School subjects
El arte	Art
La geografía	Geography
La historia	History
Las matemáticas	Math
La literatura	Literature
La música	Music
La educación física	Physical education
La ciencia	Science
Las tarjetas didácticas	Flashcards
El libro de actividades	Activity book
Trabajo en equipo	Teamwork
El uniforme	Uniform

The Bottom Line 

Sometimes, even native speakers can get it wrong – as you can see in the example I provided. That’s why you shouldn’t worry if something is harder for you to grasp. Languages are hard, so there’s no need to force yourself to learn everything perfectly – especially considering that the Spanish language differs from country to country, as you could see with Puerto Rico. 

School supplies is just one aspect in which you can see the differences in vocabulary – there’s much more, and some countries also have their specific words that you’re not likely to hear anywhere else. 

Want to learn more? Check out these other Puerto Rican Spanish Slang articles.