"Can we tidy up?"
Hello,I am a teacher and my last class finishes at 2pm. When it's 1:55pm, my students usually want to pack up all their stuff (pencilcase, notebook, laptop) and go home. They want to know how to say that in English.Is "Can we tidy up" correct? For those who speak Spanish, they say "podemos recoger?". I am not sure how to translate that.

Question

Answer

Sort of depends how old the kids are :)
I guess if it takes 5 minutes, then they are young.

Can we tidy up now?
Can we pack up now?
Can we tidy up?
Can we pack up?
Can we finish up now?

Answer

Pack up - arrange your things together when you're finished/to finish.

There is a very very similar phrase we also use: "pack away". It encapsulates the meaning of pack up and adds the slightest thing more.

As an example: I often say to my daughter which is "Can you pack your things 'away' now", meaning to not only gather the things she's been using but to also put them in her room or wherever they belong (i.e cupboard, drawer). If I were using the phrase "pack you're things up", I tend always to add "and put them away".

Answer

As Nanren says, there are many ways. 
My school was similar and we used to ask (or beg) the teacher if we could pack up our stuff.
"Can we pack up?"

Answers · 4

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