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liga

LEE-gah/ˈli.ɣa/

league

Also: alliance, association
NounfA2
A shiny, golden championship trophy standing on a pedestal, surrounded by several small, colorful team flags representing a sports league.

📝 In Action

Mi equipo favorito ganó la liga el año pasado.

A2

My favorite team won the league last year.

Los tres países formaron una liga defensiva.

B1

The three countries formed a defensive alliance.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • asociación (association)
  • campeonato (championship)

Common Collocations

  • liga de fútbol – soccer league
  • una liga mayor – a major league

rubber band

Also: garter, elastic band
NounfA1neutral/informal
Mexico, Colombia, VenezuelaSpain
A single, thick, coiled red rubber band resting on a plain background, slightly twisted to show its elasticity.

📝 In Action

Necesito una liga para atar estos cables.

A1

I need a rubber band to tie up these cables.

La novia llevaba una liga azul.

B1

The bride was wearing a blue garter.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • gomilla (rubber band (Spain))
  • banda elástica (elastic band)

Common Collocations

  • liga del pelo – hair tie/band

alloy

NounfB2formal/technical
Two streams of molten metal, one silver and one gold, swirling and blending together to form a new, unified metal mass.

📝 In Action

El bronce es una liga de cobre y estaño.

B2

Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • aleación (alloy)

Common Collocations

  • liga metálica – metal alloy

he/she/it connects

Also: he/she/it flirts/hooks up, you (formal) connect
VerbA2regular arneutral/informal
A blue square and a red circle are joined together by a thick, curved green line, symbolizing connection.
infinitiveligar
gerundligando
past Participleligado

📝 In Action

Mi hermano siempre liga cuando sale de noche.

A2

My brother always flirts successfully when he goes out at night.

Esa salsa liga bien con la carne.

B1

That sauce binds well with the meat.

Usted liga muy bien los colores en su pintura.

B2

You (formal) combine the colors very well in your painting.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • ligar cabos – to connect the dots

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedliga
yoligo
túligas
ellos/ellas/ustedesligan
nosotrosligamos
vosotrosligáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedligaba
yoligaba
túligabas
ellos/ellas/ustedesligaban
nosotrosligábamos
vosotrosligabais

preterite

él/ella/ustedligó
yoligué
túligaste
ellos/ellas/ustedesligaron
nosotrosligamos
vosotrosligasteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedligue
yoligue
túligues
ellos/ellas/ustedesliguen
nosotrosliguemos
vosotrosliguéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedligara
yoligara
túligaras
ellos/ellas/ustedesligaran
nosotrosligáramos
vosotrosligarais
View All Tenses & Moods →

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✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: liga

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence uses 'liga' to mean a physical object?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
ligar(to tie, to connect, to flirt) — Verb
ligazón(connection, link) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
migaamiga
📚 Etymology▼

The word 'liga' comes from the Latin verb *ligare*, meaning 'to bind' or 'to tie.' This origin explains all the modern meanings: a rubber band *binds* things, an alloy *binds* metals, and a sports *league* is a group *bound* together.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

Italian: legaFrench: ligue

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'liga' always feminine?

Yes, regardless of whether you are referring to the sports organization, the rubber band, or the alloy, 'liga' is always a feminine noun, requiring 'la liga'.

How do I know if 'liga' means 'flirts' or 'connects'?

Context is key! If you are talking about people at a social event, it usually means 'flirts' or 'hooks up.' If you are talking about ingredients, materials, or abstract ideas, it means 'connects' or 'binds.'