juego
/ˈxweɡo/
The Spanish phrase for "I play" is juego.
You use juego to state that you are engaging in a game or a sport. When you want to specify which sport or activity you are playing, you can use the structure Juego a followed by the name of the activity, such as Juego al fútbol.
Which one should you use?
While juego is used for games and sports, it is not used for musical instruments. For playing an instrument, Spanish uses the verb toco instead.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form juego is the first-person singular present indicative of the verb jugar.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈxweɡo/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using juego when you mean you are playing a musical instrument. English speakers frequently make this mistake, but you must use toco for instruments instead.
Did you know?
- The Spanish word juego is a distant cousin of the English word 'joke'. Both descend from the Latin jocus, which originally referred to a pastime or a joke.
- While juego describes playing a game, the verb tocar used for instruments literally means 'to touch'. In Spanish, you do not play an instrument so much as you touch it.
- While juego is used for sports, the verb tocar can be used to describe playing a specific role in a lottery or a turn in a game, as in me toca a mí meaning 'it is my turn'.
Examples in context
- Juego en el campo.I play outfield.This sentence shows how to use juego to describe playing a position in a field.Tatoeba #8377959 by arh, translation #6890441 by Eccles17
- Juego mucho al voleibol.I play volleyball a lot.This sentence shows how to use juego when talking about playing volleyball.Tatoeba #1431937 by Shishir, translation #34990 by CK
- Juego baloncesto con ella.I play basketball with her.This sentence shows how to use juego when playing basketball with someone.Tatoeba #9145563 by rafaeldejesus8199, translation #3904155 by CH
- Yo juego al fútbol los fines de semana.I play soccer on weekends.
- Juego al tenis todas las tardes.I play tennis every afternoon.
- Juego a los videojuegos los fines de semana.I play video games on weekends.
- Juego fútbol con mis amigos.I play soccer with my friends.
- 38 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are talking about their hobbies.
- DanielYo juego al ajedrez los domingos.I play chess on Sundays.
- Sofía¿De verdad? Yo no sé jugar.Really? I don't know how to play.
- DanielTambién juego la guitarra en una banda.I also play the guitar in a band.
- Sofía¡Qué bien, Daniel! Me encanta la música.That's great, Daniel! I love music.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry juego, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries juego, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
