futbolista
/futbolista/from spelling rules
The English phrase "soccer player" is translated into Spanish as futbolista.
The term is used to describe a person who plays the sport of soccer.
What does it mean word for word?
The word futbolista is a compound formed from fútbol (soccer) and the suffix -ista, which denotes someone who practices or is associated with a specific profession.
Which one should you use?
While futbolista is a standard term, you can also use the phrase jugador de fútbol to mean soccer player.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word futbolista is gender-neutral, meaning it can be used to refer to either a male or a female soccer player.
How do you pronounce it?
/futbolista/
Did you know?
- If you are watching a match in South America, a commentator might call a player a crack instead of a futbolista to signal they are a superstar.
- The term futbolista blends an English loanword fútbol with a suffix -ista that traveled from Ancient Greek through Latin into Spanish.
- Although futbolista is gender-neutral, the alternative phrase jugador de fútbol is not. To refer to a female player using that phrase, you must change the word to jugadora.
Examples in context
- Alí es un futbolista muy agresivo.Ali is a really aggressive soccer player.This sentence uses futbolista to describe a player's playing style.Tatoeba #10290748 by Shishir, translation #10461449 by DJ_Saidez
- Cristiano Ronaldo es un futbolista.Cristiano Ronaldo is a soccer player.This sentence uses futbolista to identify a famous person's profession.Tatoeba #523712 by cueyayotl, translation #7683475 by Ricardo14
- Tom algún día se convertirá en un buen futbolista.Tom will become a good soccer player some day.This sentence uses futbolista to describe a person's future career goal.Tatoeba #1298003 by marcelostockle, translation #37317 by CK
- El jugador de fútbol realiza un pase impresionanteThe soccer player performs an impressive pass
- El futbolista muestra gran destreza en el campoThe soccer player shows great skill on the field
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and María are watching a game on TV.
- DanielMira ese futbolista, es increíble.Look at that soccer player, he is incredible.
- MaríaSí, es el mejor futbolista del equipo.Yes, he is the best soccer player on the team.
- Daniel¿Crees que sea un futbolista profesional?Do you think he is a professional soccer player?
- MaríaClaro, Daniel, juega en la liga nacional.Of course, Daniel, he plays in the national league.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries futbolista, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
