¿puedo jugar videojuegos?
To say "can I play games" in Spanish, use ¿puedo jugar videojuegos?
This phrase is used as a request for permission to play video games.
Which one should you use?
If the context of playing video games is already established, you can use the shorter and more natural phrase ¿Puedo jugar? to mean "Can I play?"
How does it change in a sentence?
The word puedo is the first-person singular present indicative of the verb poder, which expresses the speaker's ability or permission. The verb jugar remains in its infinitive form because it follows the conjugated auxiliary verb puedo.
Did you know?
- If you are playing a sport rather than a video game, you might use the verb jugar, but if you are playing a musical instrument, you must use the verb tocar instead.
- The verb jugar shares a distant ancestor with the English word 'joke', as both stem from the Latin word iocus, meaning a jest or a playful act.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, a child asking ¿Puedo jugar? might be told Después de hacer los deberes, meaning 'after doing the homework'.
Examples in context
- Si termino la tarea, ¿puedo jugar videojuegos?If I finish my homework, can I play video games?
Example conversation
Alejandro asks his sister Lucía for permission to use the console.
- AlejandroLucía, ¿puedo jugar videojuegos?Lucía, can I play video games?
- LucíaPrimero tienes que limpiar tu cuarto.First you have to clean your room.
- AlejandroEstá bien, lo haré rápido.Okay, I will do it quickly.
- LucíaEntonces podrás jugar después.Then you can play later.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries jugar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
