jugar
“jugar” means “to play” in Spanish. It has 3 different meanings depending on context:
to play
Also: to have fun
📝 In Action
Los niños juegan en el parque todas las tardes.
A1The children play in the park every afternoon.
¿Quieres jugar al tenis conmigo este fin de semana?
A1Do you want to play tennis with me this weekend?
Ayer jugamos a las cartas hasta muy tarde.
A2Yesterday we played cards until very late.
to bet
Also: to gamble, to stake
📝 In Action
Mi abuelo juega a la lotería todas las semanas.
B1My grandfather plays the lottery every week.
No me gusta jugar dinero en las máquinas tragamonedas.
B1I don't like to bet money on the slot machines.
Se jugó todos sus ahorros en una mala inversión.
B2He gambled away all his savings on a bad investment.
to play a role
Also: to toy with, to mess with
📝 In Action
La tecnología juega un papel fundamental en la educación moderna.
B2Technology plays a fundamental role in modern education.
Por favor, no juegues con mis sentimientos.
B1Please, don't play with my feelings.
Varios factores jugaron en su contra durante el juicio.
C1Several factors played against him during the trial.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
🔀 Commonly Confused With
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✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: jugar
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'jugar' to mean 'to bet' or 'to gamble'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin word 'iocārī', which meant 'to joke' or 'to jest'. Over time, the meaning shifted from telling jokes to the more general idea of having fun and playing games.
First recorded: Around the 10th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why do you say 'jugar al fútbol' but 'tocar el piano'? They both mean 'to play' in English!
That's a great question because it's a very common point of confusion. In Spanish, you use 'jugar' for sports and games, but for musical instruments, you must use the verb 'tocar'. Think of 'tocar' as meaning 'to touch', which is what you do to an instrument's keys or strings.
I'm confused about the spelling changes, like 'juego' but also 'jugué'. Why?
This happens with many Spanish verbs! 'Jugar' is a 'stem-changing' verb, so the 'u' becomes 'ue' in most present tense forms (yo juego, tú juegas...). Then, in the past tense 'yo' form, it changes to 'jugué' to keep the hard 'g' sound. If it were 'jugé', it would sound like 'hoo-hey'. It takes a little practice, but you'll get the hang of these patterns!