A veces es un ejercicio útil.
Sometimes it's a useful exercise.
Even a job interview can be an ejercicio worth going through, because you come out of it knowing more.
From Hermanastros · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "exercise" in Spanish
el ejercicio
nounmasculineplural: los ejercicios
"Exercise" in Spanish is el ejercicio. It means a workout and also a task you practice with, like a grammar exercise. To say you work out, use hacer ejercicio: Hago ejercicio todos los días.
Hear "ejercicio" in real movie scenes
A job interview and an office break. Each video starts and stops on that line.
¿Durante el ejercicio de relajación?
During the relaxation exercise?
The word isn't only for school or the gym. A relaxation session at the office is an ejercicio de relajación, with the type after de.
From The Office · Spanish audio
Ways to use ejercicio
From the gym to the classroom, one word does both jobs.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| hacer ejercicio | to exercise, to work out |
| el ejercicio físico | physical exercise |
| un ejercicio de respiración | a breathing exercise |
| un ejercicio de gramática | a grammar exercise |
| hacer los ejercicios | to do the exercises (homework or practice) |
Tip: In Spain you'll also hear hacer deporte for any regular workout, from running to the gym.
Grammar: el ejercicio, hacer ejercicio
Four points, from the article to the spelling.
Masculine
el ejercicio, los ejercicios. Adjectives follow and agree: un ejercicio útil, ejercicios fáciles.Working out: no article
Hago ejercicio. I exercise. With the article you mean specific tasks: Hago los ejercicios.The kind goes after de
un ejercicio de relajación, un ejercicio de gramática. The topic or type always follows de.Spell it with j and c
English exercise has an x. Spanish writes ejercicio: a j, then a c before each i.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
¿Hay un ejercicio?
Is there an exercise?
Es el ejercicio de hoy.
It's today's exercise.
Hago ejercicio todos los días.
I exercise every day.
Los ejercicios son fáciles.
The exercises are easy.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗exercicio
✓ejercicio
There's no x in the Spanish word. Write a j where English has the x.
✗Ejercicio mucho (meaning I work out a lot)
✓Hago mucho ejercicio
Ejercicio is a noun, so it needs a verb. Use hacer.
✗Hago un ejercicio (meaning I work out)
✓Hago ejercicio
For working out in general, drop un. With un it means one single task.
Real conversation: a break in photo class
A short dialog during a photography course.
During a break in a photography course, you run into Fernando, a photographer you know. He's typing a message to the group.
¡Qué casualidad! ¿Qué haces hoy?
What a coincidence! What are you doing today?
Bueno, lo primero es el ejercicio.
Well, the exercise comes first.
Ah, ya. ¿Y con la cámara?
Oh, I see. And with the camera?
Your turn to answer
In the app you reply in Spanish for the last 2 lines.
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What do you hear in the video?
The other 27 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Swap the x in exercise for a j and you're close to ejercicio. Picture the j as a jumping jack in the middle of your workout.
Questions about "exercise" in Spanish
How do you say exercise in Spanish?
El ejercicio, for a workout or a practice task. To exercise is hacer ejercicio.
How do you say "I exercise every day" in Spanish?
Hago ejercicio todos los días. The verb is hacer, and there's no article before ejercicio.
How do you say "work out" in Spanish?
Hacer ejercicio, or hacer deporte in Spain. For training at the gym, many people say entrenar.
How do you spell ejercicio?
E-j-e-r-c-i-c-i-o. It has a j where English has an x, and a c before each i.
