jugar videojuegos
/xuɡaɾ bideoxweɡos/from spelling rules
The English phrase "play video games" is translated into Spanish as jugar videojuegos.
Which one should you use?
Another standard way to express this is jugar a los videojuegos. The latter follows a common pattern where the verb jugar is paired with the preposition a and a definite article when discussing games or sports.
How does it change in a sentence?
In many Spanish-speaking regions, when referring to games or sports, the verb jugar is used with the preposition a followed by a definite article, as seen in the form jugar a los videojuegos.
How do you pronounce it?
/xuɡaɾ bideoxweɡos/
Did you know?
- In some Latin American countries, you might hear people say playear instead of jugar, a Spanglish hybrid of the English word 'play'.
- The word jugar comes from the Latin word iocus, which meant 'joke' or 'jest'.
- While you use jugar for video games, you would use the verb tocar if you were 'playing' a musical instrument, even though both translate to 'play' in English.
Examples in context
- Jugar videojuegos no paga.It doesn't pay to play video games.This sentence shows how to express that playing video games is not profitable.Tatoeba #1277943 by marcelostockle, translation #34754 by AlanF_US
- A él le gusta sentarse y jugar videojuegos todo el día.He likes to just sit around and play video games all day.This sentence describes someone's habit of playing video games all day.Tatoeba #4132132 by Leono, translation #1305739 by Legion
- Me gusta jugar a videojuegos en mi tiempo libre.I like to play video games in my free time.
- Él prefiere jugar a los videojuegos educativos.He prefers to play educational video games.
- El equipo pasa horas practicando videojuegos antes del torneo.The team spends hours practicing video games before the tournament.
- ¿Quieres jugar videojuegos conmigo?Do you want to play video games with me?
- Nos juntamos para echarnos unas partidas de videojuegos durante el fin de semana.We get together to play some video game matches during the weekend.
- Nosotros jugamos a videojuegos en el salón.We play video games in the living room.
- No quiero jugar videojuegos ahora.I don't want to play video games now.
Example conversation
Two friends are deciding what to do on a Saturday afternoon.
- Sofía¿Quieres jugar videojuegos conmigo, Daniel?Do you want to play video games with me, Daniel?
- DanielSí, me encantaría jugar videojuegos.Yes, I would love to play video games.
- SofíaPerfecto, yo traeré el control.Perfect, I will bring the controller.
- Daniel¡Genial, Sofía, nos vemos pronto!Great, Sofia, see you soon!
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries jugar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
