Introduction
Jugar means “to play (a game, sport)”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Jugar is the verb for playing a sport: football, tennis, basketball. It takes the preposition a before the sport: jugar al fútbol, jugar al tenis. Jugar is also the verb for playing a game: cards, chess, video games. With a game, the same structure applies: jugar a las cartas, jugar al ajedrez. This page shows jugar in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo juego al fútbol los sábados.” — I play football on Saturdays.
Jugar in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how jugar is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use jugar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Yo juego al fútbol los sábados.” — I play football on Saturdays.
“¿Tú juegas al tenis?” — Do you play tennis?
“Ella juega al baloncesto muy bien.” — She plays basketball very well.
“Nosotros jugamos a las cartas por la noche.” — We play cards at night.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show jugar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer yo jugué al fútbol con mis amigos.” — Yesterday I played football with my friends. (preterite)
“Nosotros jugábamos al tenis cuando éramos jóvenes.” — We used to play tennis when we were young. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of jugar stays the same.
“Ellos jugarán al baloncesto mañana.” — They will play basketball tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has jugado alguna vez al ajedrez?” — Have you ever played chess? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros jugáis al ajedrez en el club.” — You play chess at the club.
“Ellos juegan al fútbol en el parque.” — They play football in the park.
“Yo juego con mi hijo todos los días.” — I play with my son every day.
“El niño juega con su perro en el parque.” — The boy plays with his dog in the park.
Jugar in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how jugar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú juegas al tenis?” — Do you play tennis?
Pedro: “Sí, yo juego al tenis los domingos.” — Yes, I play tennis on Sundays.
Marta: “Nosotros jugamos a las cartas por la noche.” — We play cards at night.
Pedro: “Y ellos juegan al fútbol en el parque.” — And they play football in the park.
Marta: “El niño juega con su perro todos los días.” — The boy plays with his dog every day.
Pedro: “Sí, yo juego con mi hijo también.” — Yes, I play with my son too.
A short paragraph
Los sábados, yo juego al fútbol con mis amigos, y mi hermana juega al tenis. Nosotros jugamos a las cartas por la noche, y los niños juegan con su perro en el parque. Vosotros jugáis al ajedrez en el club, y ellos juegan al baloncesto los domingos. Jugar fills the weekend in this family, because playing a sport, playing a game and playing with someone are all part of the same verb.
Common mistakes with jugar
These are the errors learners actually make with jugar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo juego fútbol.” Right: “Yo juego al fútbol.” Why: Jugar takes the preposition a before a sport or a game, and a + el contracts to al: jugar al fútbol, jugar al tenis. Dropping the a is the most common mistake with this verb.
Wrong: “Nosotros juegan a las cartas.” Right: “Nosotros jugamos a las cartas.” Why: Nosotros keeps the original stem: jugamos, not juegan. The u → ue change appears only in yo, tú, él and ellos, so the nosotros and vosotros forms stay unchanged.
Wrong: “Yo juego a mi hijo.” Right: “Yo juego con mi hijo.” Why: Playing with someone takes con, not a: jugar con mi hijo. The a is for sports and games, while con is for the person or animal you play with.
Wrong: “Ellos juego al fútbol.” Right: “Ellos juegan al fútbol.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form juegan. The yo form juego belongs with yo, and using it with ellos breaks agreement and loses the stem change at the same time.
Wrong: “Ellos juego todos los días.” Right: “Ellos juegan todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form juegan, not the yo form juego. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.
Quiz: jugar in use
Ten questions on jugar in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ al ajedrez en el club.” (You play chess at the club.)
- (a) juegas
- (b) jugáis
- (c) juego
Answer: jugáis — The vosotros/as form of jugar in the present tense is jugáis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ al fútbol en el parque.” (They play football in the park.)
- (a) juegan
- (b) juego
- (c) juegas
Answer: juegan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of jugar in the present tense is juegan.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ al fútbol con mis amigos.” (Yesterday I played football with my friends.)
- (a) jugaste
- (b) jugó
- (c) jugué
Answer: jugué — In the preterite, the yo form of jugar is jugué.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Nosotros ______ al tenis cuando éramos jóvenes.” (We used to play tennis when we were young.)
- (a) jugabas
- (b) jugábamos
- (c) jugaba
Answer: jugábamos — In the imperfect, the nosotros/as form of jugar is jugábamos.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Ellos ______ al baloncesto mañana.” (They will play basketball tomorrow.)
- (a) jugarán
- (b) jugaré
- (c) jugarás
Answer: jugarán — In the future, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of jugar is jugarán.
6. What does jugar mean in English?
- (a) to finish, to end
- (b) to serve
- (c) to play (a game, sport)
Answer: to play (a game, sport) — Jugar means “to play (a game, sport)”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo juego al fútbol.
- (b) Yo juego fútbol.
- (c) Nosotros juegan a las cartas.
Answer: Yo juego al fútbol. — “Yo juego al fútbol.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I play with my son every day.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo juegan con mi hijo todos los días.
- (b) Yo juego con mi hijo todos los días.
- (c) El niño juega con su perro en el parque.
Answer: Yo juego con mi hijo todos los días. — “Yo juego con mi hijo todos los días.” is the correct translation. The second option means something different, and the third uses the wrong person's form.
9. What is the nosotros form of jugar in the present tense?
- (a) juego
- (b) juegas
- (c) jugamos
Answer: jugamos — The nosotros form is jugamos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer yo jugué al fútbol con mis amigos.
- (b) Ellos jugarán al baloncesto mañana.
- (c) Yo juego al fútbol los sábados.
Answer: Yo juego al fútbol los sábados. — “Yo juego al fútbol los sábados.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I play football' in Spanish?
Say 'Juego al fútbol'. Remember the a: jugar al fútbol, never jugar fútbol. For other sports, the pattern is the same: juego al tenis, juego al baloncesto.
How do you say 'to play cards' in Spanish?
Say 'jugar a las cartas'. The a appears before the game, just as it does before a sport. In the present: 'Nosotros jugamos a las cartas por la noche'.
Can jugar be used for playing an instrument?
No. For instruments, Spanish uses tocar: 'Toco la guitarra' means I play the guitar. Jugar is only for games and sports, so keep the two verbs separate.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of jugar — every tense of jugar in one place.
- Jugar in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on jugar and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of jugar until they are automatic.