jugar con
/xuɡaɾ kon/from spelling rules
To say "play with" in Spanish, use jugar con.
Meaning: literally (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
When using this phrase, the verb jugar must be conjugated to match the subject of your sentence, while the preposition con remains unchanged. For example, you would use juegas con for "you play with", jugamos con for "we play with" and jugaron con for "they played with".
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the preposition de after the verb when you mean "play with" a person or an object. English speakers often mistakenly say jugar de instead of the correct jugar con.
Did you know?
- While jugar con is used for toys and friends, Spanish uses a different verb, tocar, to say you 'play' a musical instrument.
- In Spanish, jugar con can be used metaphorically to mean 'to toy with' or 'to manipulate' someone's emotions, rather than just playing a game.
- Although it means 'to play', the Spanish word jugar is actually a distant relative of the English word 'joke'.
Examples in context
- Vete a jugar con Tom.Go play with Tom.This sentence is useful for giving a command to go play with someone using jugar con.Tatoeba #3265741 by Shishir, translation #2050549 by CK
- ¿Quieres jugar con nosotros?Would you like to play with us?This sentence is useful for asking if someone wants to play with a group using jugar con.Tatoeba #686877 by Shishir, translation #682289 by Source_VOA
- Nadie quiere jugar con ella.Nobody wants to play with her.This sentence is useful for stating that no one wants to play with a specific person using jugar con.Tatoeba #5137912 by don_ramon, translation #4111818 by Hybrid
- Juego con mi hermanoI play with my brother
- Juego con mis amigosI play with my friends
- Juego con tu perroI play with your dog
- Juego con sus hijosI play with their children
- Juego con mis primos todos los fines de semana.I play with my cousins every weekend.
- Los niños juegan con sus juguetes nuevos.The children play with their new toys.
- Mi hermana juega con su gato en el jardín.My sister plays with her cat in the garden.
- El equipo de fútbol juega con los campeones.The soccer team plays with the champions.
- 37 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Lucía are at a park with their children.
- LucíaEl niño quiere jugar con el perro.The boy wants to play with the dog.
- DanielEs muy divertido jugar con él.It is a lot of fun to play with him.
- LucíaDaniel, ¿puedes ir a jugar con él?Daniel, can you go play with him?
- DanielSí, iré ahora mismo.Yes, I will go right now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “play with” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries con, jugar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
