jugando
“jugando” means “playing” in Spanish. It has 3 different meanings depending on context:
playing
Also: having fun, performing
📝 In Action
Los niños están jugando en el parque con una pelota.
A1The children are playing in the park with a ball.
¿Estás jugando al ajedrez o estás estudiando?
A2Are you playing chess or are you studying?
Mi equipo estuvo jugando muy bien hasta el final del partido.
B1My team was playing very well until the end of the game.
gambling, staking
Also: wagering
📝 In Action
Él estaba jugando todo su sueldo en la lotería.
B1He was gambling his entire paycheck on the lottery.
La policía intervino el casino donde estaban jugando ilegalmente.
C1The police raided the casino where they were gambling illegally.
messing around, joking
Also: fooling around
📝 In Action
Estás jugando con mis sentimientos, ¿no?
B2You're messing around with my feelings, aren't you?
¡Deja de estar jugando y concéntrate en tu trabajo!
B2Stop messing around and concentrate on your work!
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
Translate to Spanish
Words that translate to "jugando" in Spanish:
fooling around→gambling→having fun→joking→messing around→performing→playing→staking→✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: jugando
Question 1 of 2
Which Spanish construction is the most common way to translate 'They are playing right now'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin verb *iocari*, meaning 'to joke' or 'to jest.' Over time, the meaning shifted in Spanish to primarily mean 'to play' games or sports.
First recorded: Around the 10th-11th century (Old Spanish forms)
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does 'jugando' ever function as an adjective?
Not usually. Unlike in English where 'playing' can modify a noun (e.g., 'playing field'), 'jugando' almost always functions as part of a verb phrase (like 'estoy jugando') or describes how an action is being done ('Salió corriendo y jugando').
Why does the base verb 'jugar' change from 'u' to 'ue' in the present tense, but 'jugando' does not?
The 'u' to 'ue' change (Yo *jue*go) is a pattern that only occurs when the stress falls directly on the verb root. Since the stress in 'jug**a**ndo' falls on the second syllable, the root stays simple ('jug').