jugar a las traes
/xuɡaɾ a las tɾaes/from spelling rules
To play tag in Spanish is to jugar a las traes.
This phrase refers to the children's game where one player chases others to touch them and make them the chaser. When a player successfully touches another during the game, they might say ¡Las traes! to mean "You're it!"
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, jugar a las traes is a common way to say "play tag". In Spain, you may use the regional variation jugar al pillapilla.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the phrase jugar a las traes, the verb jugar (to play) requires the preposition a before the noun phrase las traes.
How do you pronounce it?
/xuɡaɾ a las tɾaes/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, the game of tag is called la mancha, which means 'the stain'. This implies that the person who is 'it' leaves a mark on the person they touch.
- The word jugar shares a distant-cousin relationship with the English word 'joke', both tracing back to the Latin 'iocus' meaning 'jest' or 'play'.
- In some variations of the game, players use 'safe zones' called casitas or 'little houses', where the chaser cannot tag them.
Examples in context
- ¡Vamos a jugar al juego del pilla-pilla!Let's play tag!
- ¿Quieres jugar al pilla-pilla con nosotros?Do you want to play tag with us?
- ¡Te atrapé! Ahora te toca a ti perseguir y atrapar.I caught you! Now it's your turn to chase and catch.
- Los niños quieren jugar a las traes.The children want to play tag.
- ¿Quieres jugar a las traes en el parque?Do you want to play tag in the park?
- No podemos jugar a las traes aquí.We cannot play tag here.
Example conversation
Two children are deciding what to do in the garden.
- MateoLucía, ¿vamos a jugar a las traes?Lucía, shall we play tag?
- Lucía¡Sí! Mateo, tú empiezas.Yes! Mateo, you start.
- Mateo¡Prepárate, que te voy a atrapar!Get ready, I'm going to catch you!
- Lucía¡No me vas a alcanzar!You won't catch me!
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, jugar, las, CC BY-SA 4.0.
