elementary school
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elementary school
The first, basic school that children in Germany normally attend between the ages of six and ten.
Mein Sohn kommt nach dem Sommer in die Grundschule.
My son is starting elementary school after the summer.
The word is made up of 'Grund' and 'Schule'. 'Grund' here means 'basis' or 'foundation'. So 'die Grundschule' (elementary school) is the basic, first school for children.
In der Grundschule lernen die Kinder die Grundlagen des Lesens und Schreibens.
In elementary school, children learn the basics of reading and writing.
Pay attention to the preposition 'in' and the correct case. For movement to a place, you use the accusative ('in die Grundschule' (to elementary school)); for being at a place, you use the dative ('in der Grundschule' (in elementary school)).
Morgen geht meine Tochter zum ersten Mal in die Grundschule.
Tomorrow my daughter is going to elementary school for the first time.
Common verbs in connection with 'die Grundschule' (elementary school) are 'die Grundschule besuchen' (to attend elementary school) or 'in die Grundschule gehen/kommen' (to go/start elementary school).
Alle Kinder in diesem Viertel besuchen dieselbe Grundschule.
All the children in this neighborhood attend the same elementary school.
The term 'Grundschule' (elementary school) is common in Germany. In Austria, this type of school is called 'Volksschule', and in Switzerland 'Primarschule'.
In Österreich dauert die Volksschule vier Jahre.
In Austria, Volksschule lasts four years.
Hauptschule
'Grundschule' and 'Hauptschule' are both types of school, but they belong to different stages. 'Grundschule' is the first school for children, usually starting at around age six. 'Hauptschule' comes only after that and focuses more on preparing students for later vocational training. Learners may confuse the words because both contain the word 'Schule' (school) and both are part of general education. The order is important: first comes 'Grundschule', and after that, depending on the school system, 'Hauptschule' may come, for example.
Meine Tochter kommt im Sommer in die Grundschule.
My daughter is starting elementary school in the summer.
Nach der Grundschule wechselte Paul auf die Hauptschule.
After elementary school, Paul transferred to the Hauptschule.