Inklingo
Dictionary

jugaba

hoo-GAH-bahxuˈɣa.βa

“jugaba” means “used to play” in Spanish (past habit).

used to play, was playingAlso: would play

VerbA2regular in this tense ar
A child in a sunlit field happily playing with a wooden toy train, captured in a nostalgic style.
infinitivejugar
past Participlejugado
gerundjugando

📝 In Action

Cuando era niño, yo jugaba en el parque todas las tardes.

A2

When I was a child, I used to play in the park every afternoon.

Ella jugaba con el perro cuando empezó a llover.

A2

She was playing with the dog when it started to rain.

Usted jugaba muy bien al tenis hace años.

B1

You used to play tennis very well years ago.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • divertirse (to have fun)
  • entretenirse (to entertain oneself)

Antonyms

  • trabajar (to work)
  • aburrirse (to get bored)

Common Collocations

  • jugaba al escondite – used to play hide and seek
  • jugaba con fuego – was playing with fire

Idioms & Expressions

  • jugar con fuego – to take unnecessary risks

Subjunctive

Present Subjunctive

yojuegue
tújuegues
él/ella/ustedjuegue
nosotrosjuguemos
vosotrosjuguéis
ellos/ellas/ustedesjueguen

Imperfect Subjunctive

yojugara
tújugaras
él/ella/ustedjugara
nosotrosjugáramos
vosotrosjugarais
ellos/ellas/ustedesjugaran

Indicative

Present

yojuego
tújuegas
él/ella/ustedjuega
nosotrosjugamos
vosotrosjugáis
ellos/ellas/ustedesjuegan

Imperfect

yojugaba
tújugabas
él/ella/ustedjugaba
nosotrosjugábamos
vosotrosjugabais
ellos/ellas/ustedesjugaban

Preterite

yojugué
tújugaste
él/ella/ustedjugó
nosotrosjugamos
vosotrosjugasteis
ellos/ellas/ustedesjugaron
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "jugaba" in Spanish:

was playingwould play

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: jugaba

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence means 'I used to play soccer every Friday'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family
jugar(to play) — Verb
juego(game) — Noun
jugador(player) — Noun
juguete(toy) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes
trabajabaestudiaba
📚 Etymology

From the Latin word 'jocari', which means to joke or to play. It is the root of many English words like 'jocular' and 'joke'.

First recorded: 12th century

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: jogavaItalian: giocava

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'jugaba' mean 'I played' or 'She played'?

It can mean both! You have to look at the rest of the sentence to know if the speaker is talking about themselves or someone else.

Can I use 'jugaba' for playing an instrument?

No. In Spanish, you use 'tocar' for instruments. 'Jugaba' is only for games, sports, or playing with toys.