jugó
/xuɡo/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'played' is translated into Spanish as jugó.
When you want to say that someone played a specific sport, you should use the construction jugar al followed by the name of the sport.
Which one should you use?
The form jugó refers to a completed action in the past (preterite), whereas jugaba would refer to a habitual or ongoing action in the past (imperfect).
Is it said differently in some regions?
The expression Se echó una partida is commonly used in Spain to mean 'to play a game'. In Latin America, especially in Mexico, Se la pasó jugando is used to express 'played' in the sense of spending time playing.
How does it change in a sentence?
jugó is the third-person singular preterite indicative of the verb 'jugar', meaning 'he/she/it played'. To say 'I played', change the ending to jugué and to say 'they played', use the plural form jugaron.
How do you pronounce it?
/xuɡo/
Did you know?
- While English uses 'play' for both musical instruments and sports, in Spanish you must distinguish between the verb jugar, used for games, and tocar, used for music.
- Unlike English, which uses 'play' for both sports and acting in a theater, Spanish uses actuar for performing a role.
- The word juego can mean both 'a game' and 'a set' of items, such as un juego de llaves for 'a set of keys'.
Examples in context
- Ayer jugó al tenis.He played tennis yesterday.This example shows how to use jugó to talk about playing tennis.Tatoeba #1055464 by Shishir, translation #296879 by CK
- Tom jugó con el bebé.Tom played with the baby.This example shows how to use jugó to describe playing with someone.Tatoeba #1174934 by marcelostockle, translation #1164322 by CK
- Ella jugó al baloncesto.She played basketball.This example shows how to use jugó when talking about basketball.Tatoeba #6628077 by Schuager, translation #311965 by CK
- Él jugó al fútbolHe played soccer
- El pianista tocó una gran melodíaThe pianist played a great melody
- Nos echamos una partida de cartasWe played a card game
- Se la pasó jugando videojuegos toda la tardeHe spent the whole afternoon playing video games
- Jugué al tenisI played tennis
- 31 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Alejandro are talking about their brother's soccer match.
- Elena¿Él jugó muy bien hoy?Did he play very well today?
- AlejandroSí, él jugó de maravilla.Yes, he played wonderfully.
- Elena¡Qué bueno que jugó tanto!It is great that he played so much!
- AlejandroÉl se divirtió mucho.He had a lot of fun.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
