juego al tenis
/xweɡo al tenis/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for "I play tennis" is juego al tenis.
This is a statement used to say that someone knows how to play tennis or plays it regularly.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase means "I play at the tennis". This occurs because the verb jugar (to play) is followed by the preposition a and the definite article el (which contract to al) when referring to sports.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word juego is the first-person singular present indicative form of the verb jugar, which means "to play". You can change the subject of the phrase by changing the verb: use juegas to say "you play tennis" (informal) and jugamos to say "we play tennis".
How do you pronounce it?
/xweɡo al tenis/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying juego tenis. While English speakers often omit the preposition and article, standard Spanish requires the construction jugar al [sport].
Did you know?
- If you want to say you play a musical instrument instead of a sport, you cannot use jugar and must use tocar, which literally means 'to touch'.
- Using the word tenis to describe 'tennis shoes' is considered a linguistic error in Spanish known as a pseudo-anglicism.
- The word juego is versatile, serving both as the verb 'I play' and as the noun for a 'set' within a tennis match.
Examples in context
- Juego al tenis todos los días.I play tennis every day.This sentence is useful for describing the frequency of your tennis playing using juego al tenis.Tatoeba #2125293 by Shishir, translation #473883 by blay_paul
- Juego al tenis todos los domingos.I play tennis every Sunday.This sentence is useful for describing which specific day of the week you play tennis using juego al tenis.Tatoeba #2337790 by Shishir, translation #261789 by CK
- Juego al tenis, al golf y al voleibol.I play tennis, golf and volleyball.This sentence is useful for listing multiple sports you play using juego al tenis.Tatoeba #10199192 by manufrutos, translation #10198219 by CK
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing their hobbies at a cafe.
- María¿Practicas algún deporte, Mateo?Do you practice any sport, Mateo?
- MateoSí, yo juego al tenis.Yes, I play tennis.
- María¡Qué bien! Yo también juego al tenis a veces.That's great! I also play tennis sometimes.
- MateoDeberíamos jugar un partido algún día.We should play a match someday.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries juego, tenis, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
