tirar el balón
/tiɾaɾ el balon/from spelling rules
To shoot the ball in Spanish is tirar el balón.
This phrase is used to describe the action of throwing or kicking a ball toward a goal or a basket during a game. In the specific context of basketball, you might use the more specific phrase tirar a canasta to mean shooting toward the basket.
Which one should you use?
While tirar el balón is a general way to say shoot the ball, lanzar el balón is used when you want to be more precise or formal about the act of throwing or launching the ball.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, people tend to use tirar el balón to say shoot the ball.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you are giving a command or an instruction to a friend or a peer, you can use the imperative form tira el balón.
Did you know?
- The word balón is actually a 'magnified' version of the word bala, which means 'bullet'. The suffix '-ón' acts as an augmentative, making the ball feel much larger than a single bullet.
- In a romantic context, tirar los tejos is a common idiom meaning 'to flirt' or 'to hit on someone', using the same verb as tirar el balón.
- The word balón differs from pelota in that it usually refers to larger, inflated balls like those in football or basketball, whereas pelota is for smaller balls.
Examples in context
- En la final del campeonato, el equipo lanzó el balón con precisión.In the championship final, the team shot the ball with accuracy.
- Encestar es mi especialidad, puedo disparar el balón desde cualquier ángulo.Scoring is my specialty, I can shoot the ball from any angle.
- Tienes que tirar el balón más rápido.You have to shoot the ball faster.
- Él no sabe cuándo tirar el balón.He doesn't know when to shoot the ball.
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are playing basketball in the park.
- JavierSofía, ¡tira el balón!Sofía, shoot the ball!
- SofíaNo puedo, el defensa me bloquea.I can't, the defender is blocking me.
- JavierIntenta tirar el balón de lejos.Try to shoot the ball from far away.
- SofíaVale, lo intentaré ahora.Okay, I will try it now.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries balón, el, tirar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
