Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| игра́ть | igrátʹ | imperfective | |
| играться | igratʹsja | [ɪˈɡrat͡sːə] (narrow) | |
| поигра́ть | poigrátʹ | perfective |
The primary meaning of these forms is to act in a manner such that one has fun.
Which one should you use?
The imperfective form игра́ть is used when playing a musical instrument, a sport or a role. The perfective form поигра́ть implies playing for a limited duration or completing a short session of play. The reflexive form игра́ться is used for children playing or for the sense of 'playing around' with something, often implying a lack of seriousness or a sense of fooling around.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb changes aspect and reflexivity to change the meaning: игра́ть is imperfective, поигра́ть is perfective and игра́ться is the reflexive form.
How do you pronounce it?
igrátʹ
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use игра́ться when they mean to say someone is playing a musical instrument. For instruments, you must use the non-reflexive игра́ть.
Did you know?
- Russian has a specific term игра́ть на нервах, which literally means 'to play on the nerves' to describe someone who is annoying or irritating another person.
- The word игра́ть is used to describe the 'play' or 'action' of light and shadow on a surface, such as sunlight on water.
- In Russian, the word for a theatrical 'play' is пьеса, but the act of playing a role in that play uses the verb игра́ть.
Examples in context
- Вам лучше не играться с его великодушием.You had better not play on his generous nature.This sentence is useful for illustrating the use of играться in the sense of playing around with someone's nature.Tatoeba #13341501 by amanshi, translation #15823 by Zifre
- Мы собираемся поиграть в футбол сегодня.We are going to play football today.
- Она играет в театре уже несколько лет.She has been acting in the theater for several years.
- Он выступает на международном фестивале.He is performing at an international festival.
- Давайте поиграем в настольный теннис.Let's play table tennis.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “play” translations and entries играться, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
