jugar al voleibol
/xuɡaɾ al boleibol/from spelling rules
To play volleyball in Spanish is jugar al voleibol.
The phrase describes taking part in a game of volleyball. You may also encounter the term los saques to refer to the serves within the game.
Which one should you use?
While jugar al voleibol is the standard form, it is very common in many Spanish-speaking countries to shorten the word to vóley, resulting in the phrase jugar al vóley.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, you will frequently hear jugar al vóley or jugar vóley. In Colombia, the phrase practicar vóley is often used.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the preposition al (a contraction of a and el) because the verb jugar requires the preposition a when it is followed by a masculine noun such as voleibol.
Did you know?
- The verb jugar is the only verb in the Spanish language that features a 'u' to 'ue' vowel alternation.
- While English uses 'play' for both sports and instruments, Spanish uses jugar for sports like volleyball and tocar for instruments.
- In Argentina, it is common to drop the preposition al entirely and simply say jugar vóley.
Examples in context
- Vinimos aquí a jugar al voleibol.We came here to play volleyball.This sentence shows how to express the purpose of arriving at a location using jugar al voleibol.Tatoeba #9684628 by arh, translation #9684625 by CK
- Mis amigos y yo jugamos al voleibol en el parque.My friends and I play volleyball at the park.
- Necesito practicar más para poder jugar al voleibol en el equipo universitario.I need to practice more so I can play volleyball on the university team.
- Hoy vamos a jugar voley en la playa.Today we're going to play volleyball at the beach.
- Siempre que estamos en el parque, echamos voley con los vecinos.Whenever we are at the park, we play volleyball with the neighbors.
- Mañana queremos jugar al voleibol en la playa.Tomorrow we want to play volleyball on the beach.
- ¿Te gustaría jugar al voleibol con nosotros?Would you like to play volleyball with us?
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are at a sports club.
- LucíaDaniel, ¿quieres jugar al voleibol hoy?Daniel, do you want to play volleyball today?
- DanielSí, me encanta jugar al voleibol.Yes, I love playing volleyball.
- LucíaPerfecto, busquemos un balón.Perfect, let's look for a ball.
- Daniel¡Vamos!Let's go!
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries jugar, voleibol, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
