How to Say “Playing Video Games” in Spanish

jugar a los videojuegos
/xuɡaɾ a los bideoxweɡos/from spelling rules
In Spanish, playing video games is expressed as jugar a los videojuegos.
The phrase describes the activity of playing video games. Related terms you might encounter include multijugador for multiplayer, subir de nivel for to level up and vencer a un jefe for to beat a boss.

How does it change in a sentence?

The phrase uses the preposition 'a' after the verb 'jugar' to indicate the activity being played.

How do you pronounce it?

/xuɡaɾ a los bideoxweɡos/

What mistakes should you avoid?

Avoid saying jugar los videojuegos. English speakers often mistakenly omit the preposition a and say jugar los videojuegos instead of the correct jugar a los videojuegos.

Did you know?

  • In Spanish, the word for 'to play' jugar is used for games and sports, but a different verb tocar is used for playing a musical instrument.
  • The word jugar comes from the Latin word 'iocus', which means a 'joke' or a 'jest'.
  • While jugar a los videojuegos is standard, gamers in some regions use the Anglicism gamear to describe the act of playing.

Examples in context

  • El niño está jugando videojuegos en su habitación.
    The child is playing video games in his room.
  • ¿Habéis jugado videojuegos alguna vez?
    Have you ever played video games?
  • Mañana podemos echarnos unas partidas de videojuegos.
    Tomorrow we can play some video game rounds.
  • ¡Vamos a echarnos unas partiditas de Fortnite!
    Let's play some rounds of Fortnite!
  • Estuve viciando toda la noche con mis amigos.
    I was gaming all night with my friends.
  • Él pasa demasiado tiempo viciando en su consola.
    He spends too much time gaming on his console.
  • Estuve jugando a videojuegos hasta tarde.
    I was playing video games until late.
  • ¡Vamos a jugar a videojuegos en línea!
    Let's play video games online!
  • Me encanta jugar a los videojuegos los fines de semana.
    I love playing video games on weekends.
  • ¿Te gusta jugar a los videojuegos con tus amigos?
    Do you like playing video games with your friends?

Example conversation

Two friends are talking about their hobbies at a cafe.

  1. Javier

    ¿Qué haces para divertirte, Lucía?
    What do you do for fun, Lucía?
  2. Lucía

    A veces me gusta jugar a los videojuegos.
    Sometimes I like playing video games.
  3. Javier

    ¡Qué bien! Yo también suelo jugar a los videojuegos.
    That's great! I usually play video games too.
  4. Lucía

    Entonces deberíamos jugar juntos algún día.
    Then we should play together sometime.

Sources

  • IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
  • Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, jugar, los, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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Jeffrey Eddie
Jeffrey EddieHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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