C.GASKIN 2014
Jugar vs Practicar
The verb ‘jugar’ is used with sports which include a ball.
JUGAR- TO PLAY
Yo juego- I play
Tú juegas- You play
Él/ ella / usted juega- He/she/you (formal) play
Nosotros jugamos
Ellos/ ellas/ ustedes juegan- They/ you play
Me gusta jugar (a+el= al) fútbol.
CORRECT RESPONSE: Me gusta jugar al fútbol. – I like to play football.
Refer to the power point “deportes” for more vocabulary on different types of sport.
There exists another verb when talking about playing sports which is called “practicar”.
However, unlike “jugar” which is used for ball sports, practicar is used for sports without a
ball. E.g “la natación” – swimming.
PRACTICAR- TO PRACTISE
Yo practico- I practice
Tú practicas- You practice
Él/ ella/ usted practica- He/ she /you (formal)- He/ she/ you practise
Nosotros practicamos- We practice
Ellos/ ellas/ustedes practican- They/ you practise
C.GASKIN 2014
Practico (I practice)
la natación- swimming.
la vela- sailing.
la equitación- horse riding.
la gimnasia- gymnastics.
el atletismo- athletics.
el ciclismo- cycling.
FACTS ABOUT JUGAR VS PRACTICAR
Jugar is a radical changing verb with the stem change of “ue”. Eg- yo juego, tú juegas….
On the other hand, “practicar” is NOT a radical changing verb. It follows the usual rule of
taking off the AR and adding the endings. Eg- yo practico, tú practicas….