polideportivo
/polidepoɾˈtibo/
The Spanish word for sports hall is polideportivo.
polideportivo refers to a building or room for indoor sports. While it can mean a single room, it most commonly refers to a larger municipal building or complex containing various sports facilities.
Meaning: building or room for indoor sports (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, polideportivo translates to a 'multi-sport' facility.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Latin America, you may use coliseo deportivo (sports coliseum) or estadio cubierto (covered stadium) to mean sports hall.
How does it change in a sentence?
polideportivo is a masculine noun and uses the definite article el to say 'the sports hall' (el polideportivo). To make the noun plural, add '-s' to the end to get polideportivos.
How do you pronounce it?
/polidepoɾˈtibo/
Did you know?
- In Spain, el polideportivo is often the social heart of a neighborhood, serving as a community center for youth programs and elderly fitness rather than just a place for competitive games.
- While an English speaker might call a large indoor arena a 'stadium', using estadio in Spanish often implies an open-air venue. For a covered sports hall, pabellón is a very common term used in countries like Spain.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, the term polideportivo implies a public or municipal facility rather than a private gym. If you are looking for a commercial fitness center, you would more likely ask for a gimnasio.
Examples in context
- Vamos a jugar baloncesto en el gimnasioWe're going to play basketball in the sports hall
- El polideportivo es muy grande.The sports hall is very big.
- Nos vemos en el polideportivo.See you at the sports hall.
- Mañana hay partido en el polideportivo.There is a match at the sports hall tomorrow.
Example conversation
María and Daniel are meeting to practice basketball.
- María¿A qué polideportivo vamos, Daniel?Which sports hall are we going to, Daniel?
- DanielVamos al polideportivo del centro.We are going to the downtown sports hall.
- MaríaVale, te espero allí.Okay, I'll wait for you there.
- DanielPerfecto, allí nos vemos.Perfect, see you there.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry polideportivo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
