Which one should you use?
There are several ways to phrase this depending on your dialect and preference. While Juego a videojuegos is a standard way to express the activity, you might also see Juego a los videojuegos, which includes the definite article los and is a more common and natural way to express this activity in many Spanish-speaking regions. Additionally, in many dialects, particularly in Latin America, the preposition a is omitted, resulting in Juego videojuegos.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The version without the preposition a, Juego videojuegos, is particularly common in many dialects of Latin America.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase Juego, the subject pronoun Yo (I) is often omitted because the verb conjugation itself already indicates that the subject is I.
How do you pronounce it?
/xweɡo a bideoxweɡos/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers may mistakenly write the term as two separate words, video juegos. However, in Spanish, it is typically written as one word: videojuegos.
Did you know?
- In some regions, gamers use the slang term vicio or the verb viciar instead of jugar to describe playing video games obsessively.
- In Spanish, the verb jugar is used for games and sports, but not for musical instruments. To say 'I play the guitar', a speaker must switch to the verb tocar, which means 'to touch'.
- The word juego shares the same Latin root as the English word 'joke', meaning that, at its heart, the verb is connected to the idea of playfulness or jesting.
Examples in context
- Los fines de semana suelo quedar con mis amigos para jugar a los videojuegos.I usually meet up with my friends on weekends to play video games.
- Juego a videojuegos todas las noches.I play video games every night.
- No estudio porque juego a videojuegos.I don't study because I play video games.
- Juego a videojuegos con mis amigos.I play video games with my friends.
Example conversation
Sofía and Daniel are talking about their hobbies at a cafe.
- Sofía¿Qué haces en tu tiempo libre, Daniel?What do you do in your free time, Daniel?
- DanielYo juego a videojuegos habitualmente.I play video games habitually.
- Sofía¡Qué divertido! Yo también juego a videojuegos.How fun! I play video games too.
- DanielEntonces podemos jugar juntos algún día.Then we can play together someday.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, juego, CC BY-SA 4.0.
