# Συνώνυμο για "προπαρασκευαστικό σχολείο"



## elena2

Hi, I'm trying to translate "prep school" into Greek and the closest I've found is προπαρασκευαστικό σχολείο, but it's quite a mouthful so I'm hoping by asking here to find a shorter alternative ^-^

This is the context it's in:
"My daily schedule as a 31-year-old is to wake up at 8:00 and get to prep school by 9:00."


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## Perseas

Hi and welcome,

I think "προπαρασκευαστικό σχολείο" is fine for "prep school", though there is no such school type in Greece.

(a small correction: it is "συνώνυμο")


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## elena2

Really? I'm surprised to hear that... I thought prep schools were pretty widespread in Europe.

Thanks for the correction XD


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## shawnee

How about νηπιαγωγείο = kindergarten.


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## elena2

How about "προκαταρκτικό σχολείο"? Does that work as well as "προπαρασκευαστικό σχολείο"?


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## shawnee

I take it we are not talking about 'pre school'. By 'prep school' do you mean one that prepares students for university or some such entrance?


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## elena2

Yeah, that's right.


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## shawnee

In that case I would recommend term φροντιστήριο. It may need to be qualified.


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## Perseas

From the 4 options in this wikipedia site, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preparatory_school, I think the only one that fits the Greek reality is the 3rd one, "Gymnasium".


> _Preparatory school or prep school may refer to:
> 
> _
> 
> _University-preparatory school, a school in North America that is a private secondary school, typically charging high fees, designed to prepare students aged 14–18 for higher education at a university or college_
> 
> 
> _Preparatory school (United Kingdom), an independent school preparing children up to the age of 11 or 13 for entry into fee-paying secondary independent schools_
> 
> 
> *Gymnasium (school), the European equivalent of a North American university-preparatory school*
> 
> 
> _Classe préparatoire aux grandes écoles_


 elena2, in my previous post I thought you referred to the 2nd option "Preparatory school (United Kingdom)" which is not in Greece.
Γυμνάσιο (12-15), Λύκειο (15-18).


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## ireney

We can't use Γυμνάσιο since it has a specific meaning in Greek. We can't use φροντιστήριο either for the same reason. The thing is, they are more or less specialized high-schools and we really don't have such a thing here (theoretically none of our schools should act as prep schools for uni but all of our Λύκεια do, esp the last two years). I think προπαρασκευαστικά σχολεία with some extra explanation will have to do.


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## elena2

Sorry, it looks like I should have clarified myself in the first post. The definition of prep school that I'm looking for in Greek is the type of schooling someone enters after/instead of high school. So gymnasio/γυμνάσιο and lyceum/λύκειο aren't right because they're the North American equivalent of middle school and high school respectively.

Although the last two school years of lyceum/λύκειο do act more like a prep school in Greece, it doesn't work in the short story I'm translating because its school system is whatever the direct translation of prep school is, not a lyceum/λύκειο.



ireney said:


> We can't use Γυμνάσιο since it has a specific meaning in Greek. We can't use φροντιστήριο either for the same reason. The thing is, they are more or less specialized high-schools and we really don't have such a thing here (theoretically none of our schools should act as prep schools for uni but all of our Λύκεια do, esp the last two years). I think προπαρασκευαστικά σχολεία with some extra explanation will have to do.



It looks like it. If I remember correctly, φροντιστήριo is after-school supplementary lessons usually taken in middle & high school years, I think? However, I'm more inclined to use it instead of προπαρασκευαστικό σχολείο because it's more widely spoken and understood.

Also, does προκαταρκτικό σχολείο definitely *not* work as a translation for prep school?


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## shawnee

I agree with all the above I just thought φροντιστήριo could be tailored as it is in the instance of φροντιστήρια ξενών γλωσσών.


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## elena2

Ah, you're right, that works when you look at it that way. Looks like I'll go for φροντιστήριο.


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## Eltheza

Hi elena2!

The problem with φροντιστήριο (I used to teach in Athens at two φροντιστήρια ξενών γλωσσών) is that these establishments are not the main school. Pupils attend them after normal school hours, usually in the evenings, like 'night schools' in the UK. That's not the case with prep school, is it?

I tend to agree with Ireney in post #10 above.

Good luck with it!


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## elena2

*sigh* it looks like I have no choice seeing as an expert has spoken lol. It's so awkward to use, but the upside is that once it's spoken I can just use "σχολείο" in subsequent translations and only occasionally use the full term.

Thank you all for your suggestions


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