Today’s Spanish word of the day is “jugar”.
It’s a verb meaning “to play”.
It’s important to note that when referring to playing musical instruments, the verb “tocar” is used instead of “jugar”. For example, you would say “tocar el piano” (“play the piano”), not “jugar el piano”.
The word “jugar” comes from the Latin word iocari, meaning “to joke” or “to jest”. This is also the root of the English words “joke” and “jocular”.
“Jugar” is an irregular verb. Here’s how it is conjugated in the present tense:
- Yo juego – I play
- Tú juegas – You play (informal singular)
- Él/Ella/Usted juega – He/She plays, You play (formal singular)
- Nosotros/Nosotras jugamos – We play
- Vosotros/Vosotras jugáis – You play (informal plural, only used in Spain)
- Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes juegan – They play, You play (plural)
Example sentences
Me gusta jugar al fútbol con mis amigos.
I like to play soccer with my friends.
Ella siempre juega al ajedrez los domingos.
She always plays chess on Sundays.
Mi perro juega con su pelota en el jardín.
My dog plays with his ball in the garden.
Me encanta jugar con mis sobrinos durante las vacaciones.
I love playing with my nephews during the holidays.
Juega con cuidado; no quiero que te lastimes.
Play carefully; I don’t want you to get hurt.
