ejercicio
/exeɾˈθiθjo/masculine
The English phrase 'exercise' can be translated into Spanish as ejercicio. Wiktionary also lists ejercitación.
Meaning: physical activity intended to improve strength and fitness (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ejercicio | /exeɾˈθiθjo/ /exeɾˈsisjo/ |
masculine |
| ejercitación | /exeɾθitaˈθjon/ /exeɾsitaˈsjon/ |
feminine |
The word refers to physical activity intended to improve strength and fitness. You can also use the verb ejercitar to mean exert for the sake of training, or the phrase hacer ejercicio to mean perform physical activity.
Which one should you use?
While ejercicio can refer to a specific task or drill (like a math exercise), hacer ejercicio specifically refers to physical fitness activity.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine noun ejercitación refers more to the systematic process or the act of training rather than the physical activity itself.
How do you pronounce it?
/exeɾˈθiθjo/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the word ejercicio is also used for the 'fiscal year' in a financial context, such as ejercicio económico.
- The word ejército, meaning 'army', shares the same linguistic root as ejercicio because it originally referred to the act of training troops.
- In a religious context, specifically in Catholicism, ejercicios can refer to the ejercicios espirituales, which are a series of guided meditations and prayers.
Examples in context
- Nadar es buen ejercicio.Swimming is good exercise.This sentence is useful for discussing how swimming functions as ejercicio.Tatoeba #3152768 by cueyayotl, translation #270878 by CK
- El ejercicio te viene bien.Exercise is good for you.This sentence shows how ejercicio can be described as being good for you.Tatoeba #7008691 by arh, translation #7003296 by CK
- Haz ejercicio al aire libre.Exercise outdoors.This sentence provides an instruction to perform ejercicio outdoors.Tatoeba #4557150 by swyter, translation #1293081 by CK
- Debes hacer ejercicio regularmente para mantenerte saludableYou should exercise regularly to stay healthy
- Necesito realizar más actividad física para mantenerme en formaI need to engage in more physical activity to stay fit
- Voy al gimnasio para hacer mi rutina de entrenamientoI go to the gym to do my training routine
- ¿Hiciste ejercicio hoy?Did you exercise today?
- Quiero comenzar a hacer ejercicio para ponerme en formaI want to start exercising to get fit
- Practico gimnasia todas las mañanasI do exercise every morning
- 93 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Daniel are talking about their new healthy habits.
- MaríaNecesito hacer más ejercicio este año.I need to do more exercise this year.
- DanielYo también, ¿quieres ir al gimnasio?Me too, do you want to go to the gym?
- MaríaSí, el ejercicio diario es muy importante.Yes, daily exercise is very important.
- DanielPerfecto, vamos mañana por la tarde.Perfect, let's go tomorrow afternoon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “exercise” translations and entries ejercicio, ejercitación, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
