21 December 2025
How do you say school in German?
The German word for school is die Schule.Schule refers to schools such as elementary, secondary, and vocational schools. In Germany, kindergarten is normally Kindergarten or Kita, rather than Schule. It’s one of the first words most German learners encounter and one of the most useful when talking about daily life, children, or personal history.
It’s also one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German (and available in our free illustrated PDF).
Gender and Pronunciation
It’s a feminine noun: die Schule.Want to remember gender the easy way? This video lesson shows you tricks that stick.
Pronunciation:Schule is pronounced [SHOO-luh]
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“SHOO” like “shoe”
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The final -e is unstressed, roughly like the a in sofa.Two syllables: SHOO-luh
Example sentences
Die Schule beginnt um acht Uhr.
School starts at eight o’clock.
Mein Sohn geht noch zur Schule.
My son is still in school.
Ich habe viele Freunde in der Schule gefunden.
I made many friends at school.
How does this word come up in real conversations?
“Welche Schule besucht deine Tochter?”
What school does your daughter go to?
“Ich fand Mathe in der Schule schrecklich.”
I hated math in school.
“Die Schule ist heute wegen Schnee geschlossen.”
School is closed today because of snow.
Sample Dialogue (Beginner Level)
Tina: Wann fängt deine Schule morgen an?Lukas: Um acht, aber ich muss um sieben los.Tina: Hast du Hausaufgaben gemacht?Lukas: Fast… ich muss noch Englisch machen.
Translation:Tina: When does your school start tomorrow?Lukas: At eight, but I have to leave at seven.Tina: Did you do your homework?Lukas: Almost… I still have English to do.
Grammatical case examples
Nominative:Die Schule ist alt, aber schön.
The school is old, but nice.
Accusative:Ich besuche die Schule seit drei Jahren.
I’ve been attending the school for three years.
Dative:Ich helfe der Schule bei einem Projekt.
I’m helping the school with a project.
Genitive:Die Fenster der Schule sind neu.
The school’s windows are new.
Other ways to say school in German
While Schule is the main word for school in German, others include Grundschule (elementary school), Gymnasium (academic secondary school), and Berufsschule (vocational school). If you mean “school” as in a group, like a school of fish, that would be Schwarm. But when it comes to education, Schule is the word you need.
Word variations and tidbits
You’ll often see Schule in words like Schulkind (schoolchild), Schulzeit (school years), Schulranzen (school backpack), and Schulferien (school vacation). Real idioms include Schule machen (to catch on and be copied by others), aus der Schule plaudern (to spill inside information - literally “to chat out of school”), and die Schule des Lebens (the school of life). Germans often distinguish between öffentliche Schulen (public schools) and Privatschulen (private schools). A Gymnasium is an academic secondary school, not a gym (Fitnessstudio or, at school, Turnhalle). University is normally Universität or Uni; Hochschule is a broader term for an institution of higher education.
📘 Duden entry for Schule🎥 Want to go back to Schule for German? Our free video course teaches the top 1000 nouns - with examples, grammar, and a downloadable PDF.
Ready for more German Words of the Day?Do you know what Schüler means? You’ll find one in every Schule.And what about Schuh? You’ll want a good one to walk to Schule.
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