Meaning
To complete assigned school tasks.
Cultural Background
The 'Jornada Partida' (split school day) often means kids finish school late, making 'hacer los deberes' a late-evening activity. While 'deberes' is understood, using 'tarea' is essential for sounding local. Similar to Mexico, 'la tarea' is the dominant term, often used with the verb 'terminar' (to finish).
Always use the article
Say 'hacer LOS deberes', not just 'hacer deberes'.
Watch the 'H'
Never pronounce the 'h' in 'hacer'. It is always silent.
Meaning
To complete assigned school tasks.
Always use the article
Say 'hacer LOS deberes', not just 'hacer deberes'.
Watch the 'H'
Never pronounce the 'h' in 'hacer'. It is always silent.
Regional Switch
If you travel to Latin America, switch to 'la tarea' to sound more natural.
Test Yourself
Fill in the correct form of the verb 'hacer'.
Yo siempre _______ los deberes por la tarde.
The first person singular of 'hacer' is 'hago'.
Which phrase is most common in Spain?
Para hablar de la escuela, decimos:
'Hacer los deberes' is the standard Peninsular Spanish term.
Match the Spanish to the English.
Match the following:
Correct matches for school and home tasks.
Complete the dialogue.
Madre: ¿Has hecho los deberes? Hijo: No, mamá. Los ______ después de cenar.
The son is talking about a future action (after dinner).
🎉 Score: /4
Visual Learning Aids
Spain vs. Latin America
School Vocabulary
Actions
- • Hacer los deberes
- • Estudiar
- • Escribir
Objects
- • Libro
- • Cuaderno
- • Mochila
Practice Bank
4 exercisesYo siempre _______ los deberes por la tarde.
The first person singular of 'hacer' is 'hago'.
Para hablar de la escuela, decimos:
'Hacer los deberes' is the standard Peninsular Spanish term.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Correct matches for school and home tasks.
Madre: ¿Has hecho los deberes? Hijo: No, mamá. Los ______ después de cenar.
The son is talking about a future action (after dinner).
🎉 Score: /4
Frequently Asked Questions
6 questionsRarely. 'Un deber' refers to a moral duty. For schoolwork, always use 'los deberes'.
Yes, but university students often use 'estudiar' or 'hacer trabajos' for longer essays.
In Spain, 'deberes' is schoolwork and 'tareas' is generic tasks. In LatAm, 'tarea' is schoolwork.
It is neutral. It's appropriate for both home and school.
You say: 'Me he olvidado los deberes' or 'Se me olvidaron los deberes'.
No, that would be 'hacer las tareas del hogar' or 'los quehaceres'.
Related Phrases
Hacer la tarea
synonymTo do homework (LatAm)
Hincar los codos
similarTo study very hard
Hacer los quehaceres
contrastTo do household chores
Tener deberes
builds onTo have homework
