toco el violín
/toko el bjolin/from spelling rules
The English phrase "I play the violin" is translated into Spanish as toco el violín.
You use toco el violín to express that you know how to play the violin or that you are currently playing it. Alternatively, you can say soy violinista to express "I am a violinist" as a way of stating that you play the instrument. If you wish to be more specific about your ability, Yo sé tocar el violín means "I know how to play the violin". In certain contexts, the verb interpretar can be used as a synonym for tocar when referring to performing or interpreting music.
What does it mean word for word?
The word toco comes from the verb tocar, which literally means "to touch" but is the standard verb used for playing musical instruments. El violín is the masculine noun for "the violin".
How does it change in a sentence?
In the word toco, the subject yo (I) is often omitted because the verb ending -o already indicates the first-person singular present tense. Additionally, unlike in English where you might say "I play violin", in Spanish you must always include the definite article el before the instrument.
How do you pronounce it?
/toko el bjolin/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use juego to mean "I play" in the context of music. While it translates to "I play" in English, jugar is used for sports or games, whereas tocar is the correct verb for musical instruments.
Did you know?
- The verb tocar used in toco el violín can also mean 'to ring' when referring to a bell or 'to knock' when referring to a door.
- In Spanish, if you want to say you are playing a piece of music, you might use the word pieza which means both 'piece' and 'room'.
- The term interpretar can be used instead of tocar to imply a much higher level of artistic performance or a formal recital.
Examples in context
- Toco el violín.I play the violin.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase toco el violín.Tatoeba #507141 by Shishir, translation #362737 by blay_paul
- Cada tarde, toco el violín en mi cuarto.Every afternoon, I play the violin in my room.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Sofía are talking about their hobbies.
- AlejandroToco el violín en una orquesta.I play the violin in an orchestra.
- Sofía¡Qué bien! Yo no sé tocar nada.That's great! I don't know how to play anything.
- AlejandroPuedo enseñarte si quieres.I can teach you if you want.
- SofíaMe encantaría aprender contigo, Alejandro.I would love to learn with you, Alejandro.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
