tenis
/ˈtenis/masculine
The English word 'tennis' is translated into Spanish as tenis.
tenis refers to the sport played by two or four players using strung racquets. It is the most common and widely used term for tennis in Spanish. Related terms you might encounter include raqueta (racket), pista (court), saque (serve) and partido (game or match).
Meaning: sport played by two or four players with strung racquets (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The word tenis is a masculine noun. When referring to the sport in a general sense, the masculine article el is typically used, forming el tenis. Additionally, in many Spanish-speaking regions, the verb jugar is followed by the preposition al (a combination of a + el) when talking about playing a sport, such as in the phrase jugar al tenis.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈtenis/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly spell the word with a double 'n' as 'tennis'. However, the correct Spanish spelling is tenis.
Did you know?
- If you see someone wearing 'tenis' in a Latin American country, they are likely wearing sneakers, not playing the sport.
- In Spanish, the score 'love' in tennis is not translated as 'love' but as cero, meaning 'zero'.
- Tennis is often grouped with pádel in Spanish sporting culture, a related racket sport that is immensely popular in Spain and Argentina.
Examples in context
- Sé jugar al tenis.I can play tennis.This sentence shows how to use tenis with the phrase 'jugar al tenis'.Tatoeba #491070 by Shishir, translation #255078 by CK
- Me gusta el tenis.I like tennis.This sentence shows how to use tenis with the article 'el'.Tatoeba #523729 by Shishir, translation #255080 by CK
- Voy a jugar tenis.I am going to play tennis.This sentence shows a common way to express the intent to play tenis.Tatoeba #578582 by Leono, translation #255099 by CK
- 342 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are talking about their weekend plans.
- Sofía¿Quieres jugar al tenis el sábado?Do you want to play tennis on Saturday?
- MateoSí, me encanta el tenis.Yes, I love tennis.
- SofíaPerfecto, yo llevaré las pelotas.Perfect, I will bring the balls.
- MateoMuy bien, nos vemos en la cancha.Very well, see you at the court.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tennis” translations and entries tenis, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
