Spanish · Everyday Verbs
"to play" in Spanish: jugar
jugar
Note: an instrument: tocar; children playing: jugar
To play (a game or sport) in Spanish is jugar. Say yo juego and ¿juegas fútbol? For an instrument, use tocar.
Soccer
Yo juego fútbol los sábados.Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce jugar
Say it
hoo-GAHR / HWEH-goh / HWEH-gahs
/xu.ˈɣaɾ/
hoo-GAHR. Juego is HWEH-goh; juegas is HWEH-gahs.
"to play" in Spanish: quick reference
| Spanish | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| jugar | to play (games/sport) Dictionary form. | Dictionary form. |
| yo juego | I play First person (u → ue). | First person (u → ue). |
| ¿juegas…? | do you play…? Sports and games. | Sports and games. |
| jugamos | we play Group present. | Group present. |
| tocar | to play (an instrument) Guitar, piano, etc. | Guitar, piano, etc. |
How to use jugar in real life
- 1Soccer
Yo juego fútbol los sábados.
I play soccer on Saturdays.
Yo juego.
- 2Invite
¿Juegas tenis mañana?
Do you play tennis tomorrow?
Juegas.
- 3Kids
Jugamos en el parque después de la escuela.
We play in the park after school.
Jugamos.
Mistakes English speakers make with jugar
Incorrect: Yo jogo fútbol.
Correct: Yo juego fútbol.
Jugar is stem-changing: u → ue → juego.
Incorrect: Juego la guitarra.
Correct: Toco la guitarra.
Instruments use tocar, not jugar.
Good to know
Good to knowJugar a is common in Spain (juego al fútbol); many Latin American speakers say jugar fútbol without a. Kids’ free play still uses jugar.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Weekend sports
ChatPal
¿Juegas básquet el domingo?
Are you playing basketball Sunday?
You
Juego a las once.
I play at eleven.
ChatPal
Genial. Yo juego en el mismo equipo.
Great. I play on the same team.
You
Llevo agua extra entonces.
I’ll bring extra water then.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"to play" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "to play" in Spanish
I play?
Yo juego.
Why juego, not jogo?
Jugar changes u → ue: juego, juegas, juega.
Play guitar?
Tocar la guitarra — not jugar.
We play?
Jugamos.
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