gioco
/ˈd͡ʒɔ.ko/
The Italian phrase for "I play" is gioco.
gioco is a statement used to indicate that the speaker is engaging in a game or playing a musical instrument.
Which one should you use?
The form gioco specifically refers to the first-person singular "I play", whereas gioca would mean "he/she plays".
How does it change in a sentence?
When playing a sport or a game, the verb is followed by the preposition a. The present tense form gioco can be used to express both a habitual action (I play) and an action happening right now (I am playing).
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈdʒɔ.ko/. The word has two syllables, with the stress on the first syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use gioco a when talking about musical instruments. Instead, you should use suono for instruments.
Did you know?
- While gioco refers to playing a game, the Italian word for 'play' in a theatrical sense is recitare, which literally means 'to recite'.
- The word gioco is a distant linguistic cousin to the English word 'joke'. Both share a common ancestor in the Latin 'iocus', which referred to something lighthearted or playful.
- The noun form of the verb, il gioco, is used in the common expression è gioco fatto, which means 'it is a done deal' or 'it is in the bag'.
Examples in context
- Io gioco a golf.I play golf.This sentence shows how to use gioco with the sport of golf.Tatoeba #13568059 by Guybrush88, translation #8820875 by CK
- Io gioco a rugby.I play rugby.This sentence shows how to use gioco with the sport of rugby.Tatoeba #13272785 by Guybrush88, translation #5839930 by CK
- Io gioco a poker.I play poker.This sentence shows how to use gioco with the game of poker.Tatoeba #13716524 by Guybrush88, translation #11902641 by Amastan
- Domani giocherò a calcio con i colleghi di lavoro.Tomorrow, I will play soccer with my coworkers.
- Vieni, giochiamo una partita di pallavolo domani al parco.Come on, let's play a volleyball match tomorrow in the park.
- 100 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Francesco and Sofia are talking about their hobbies.
- FrancescoCosa fai nel tempo libero, Sofia?What do you do in your free time, Sofia?
- SofiaIo suono il piano, e tu?I play the piano, and you?
- FrancescoIo gioco a calcio ogni sabato.I play soccer every Saturday.
- SofiaÈ un gioco molto divertente!It is a very fun game!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry gioco, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gioco, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
