Use 'juego' for the general concept of a game ('juego de cartas' - card game). Use 'partido' when talking about a specific competitive match between two teams, like in soccer or tennis.

Game vs. Match

Extremely common. One of the first nouns you'll learn and use.

Whenever you see a group of items that are meant to be used together (keys, sheets, tools, dishes), 'juego' is a great word to describe them as a single unit.

Thinking in Sets

Very common, especially in contexts like shopping or home goods.

This meaning is very specific. You'll almost always see it with words like 'dinero' (money), 'adicción' (addiction), or 'apostar' (to bet) nearby, which helps you know it means 'gambling'.

Context is Key

Common in specific contexts like news reports, social discussions, or casinos.

Forgetting the 'a'

The base verb 'jugar' is a 'stem-changing' verb. Notice how the 'u' changes to 'ue' for most forms (juego, juegas) but not for 'nosotros' (jugamos) or 'vosotros' (jugáis). This creates a shape like a boot in the conjugation chart!

The 'Boot' Verb

When you say you play a specific sport or game, you need to add 'a' after the verb. For example, 'Juego al fútbol' (I play soccer) or 'Juego a las cartas' (I play cards).

Playing a Sport: Use 'a'

To keep the hard 'g' sound in the 'yo' form of the simple past, the spelling changes from 'g' to 'gu'. So, 'I played' is 'jugué', not 'jugé'.

Spelling Change in the Past

Extremely common. This is the 'I' form of 'jugar', one of the most essential verbs.

Learn the complete meaning of 'juego' in Spanish. See definitions for 'game', 'set', and 'I play', view full conjugations of 'jugar', and understand usage with examples.

juego

Complete Conjugation Tables

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

preterite

imperfect

future

conditional

subjunctive

present

imperfect

imperative

affirmative

negative

Practice Conjugations