juego al voleibol
/xweɡo al boleibol/from spelling rules
The English phrase "I play volleyball" is translated into Spanish as juego al voleibol.
This phrase is used to state that you participate in the sport of volleyball.
Which one should you use?
In English, you use the verb "play" directly with the sport, but in Spanish, you must use the construction jugar a followed by the definite article. This results in juego al voleibol.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American dialects, the preposition a is frequently omitted, which results in the form juego voleibol.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form juego is the first-person singular present indicative of the verb jugar. The subject pronoun yo (I) is typically omitted because the verb ending alone is enough to indicate that the subject is "I". The phrase uses the contraction al (a + el) because the verb jugar requires the preposition a when it is followed by a masculine sport.
Did you know?
- The word juego is a distant relative of the English word 'joke', as both evolved from the Latin root jocus.
- In Spanish, the verb jugar can be used to describe not just sports, but also gambling or risking money, as in jugar a la lotería.
- While voleibol is the formal name, the shortened version vóley is so common that it is often used as a standalone noun in casual conversation throughout the Spanish-speaking world.
Examples in context
- Juego al voleibol a menudo.I play volleyball often.This sentence is useful for expressing how frequently you play with juego al voleibol.Tatoeba #853756 by japegon, translation #852605 by ignacy130
- Soy un atleta y juego al voleibol en el equipo de mi escuela.I am an athlete, and I play volleyball on my school's team.
- Mis amigos y yo jugamos voleibol en la playa todos los fines de semana.My friends and I play volleyball at the beach every weekend.
- Juego al voleibol en el club.I play volleyball at the club.
- No juego al voleibol, pero me gusta.I don't play volleyball, but I like it.
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are talking about their hobbies at a cafe.
- Javier¿Qué haces en tu tiempo libre?What do you do in your free time?
- LucíaYo juego al voleibol los sábados.I play volleyball on Saturdays.
- Javier¡Qué bien! Yo también juego al voleibol.That's great! I play volleyball too.
- LucíaEntonces, deberíamos jugar un partido juntos.Then we should play a match together.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries juego, voleibol, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
