Conozco este juego.
I know this game.
Juego covers more than sports. When someone is playing mind games with you, this is the word you reach for.
From Hobbs & Shaw · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "game" in Spanish
el juego
nounmasculineplural: los juegosa match: el partido
"Game" in Spanish is el juego. When the game is a match of a team sport, like soccer or basketball, Spanish uses el partido: un partido de fútbol. A video game is un videojuego, written as one word.
Hear "juego" in a real movie scene
One scene where someone says it. The video starts and stops on that line.
Juego, partido, partida: which game?
English says game for all of these. Spanish picks the word by the kind of game.
| Spanish | English | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| el juego | game | The general word for the activity and its rules: un juego de mesa (a board game). |
| el partido | game, match | One match of a team sport: un partido de fútbol (a soccer game). |
| la partida | game, round | One round of cards, chess or a video game: una partida de ajedrez (a game of chess). |
| el videojuego | video game | One word. Plural: los videojuegos. |
| los Juegos Olímpicos | the Olympic Games | Capital letters, because it's the name of the event. |
| el juguete | toy | The object a child plays with, never the game itself. |
Tip: To find out when a soccer or basketball game starts, ask ¿A qué hora es el partido?
Grammar: el juego, los juegos
Four points that keep your games straight.
Masculine, regular plural
el juego, un juego, los juegos. Adjectives agree with it: un juego nuevo, los juegos divertidos.Juego or partido
A sports fixture with two teams and a score is el partido. Games with rules you learn and play, like cards or hide-and-seek, are juegos.The kind of game goes after de
un juego de mesa (board game), un juego de cartas (card game), un juego de palabras (a pun).Same spelling, two jobs
el juego is the game, and yo juego means I play. The article or the subject tells you which one you're reading.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
Esto no es un juego.
This isn't a game.
Solo un juego más.
Just one more game.
Conozco este juego.
I know this game.
El partido es el domingo.
The game is on Sunday.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗un juego de fútbol (a soccer match)
✓un partido de fútbol
One match of a team sport is a partido. Juego is the broader word.
✗el juguete (meaning game)
✓el juego
A juguete is a toy you hold in your hands. The game you play with it is the juego.
✗un video juego
✓un videojuego
Spanish writes video game as a single word, and the plural is videojuegos.
Practice: 3 quick exercises
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1 of 3 · Watch and choose
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How to remember it
Juego sounds a bit like "way go". Picture your team winning the game and the whole bench shouting "Way to go!"
Questions about "game" in Spanish
How do you say game in Spanish?
El juego. For a soccer or basketball match, say el partido, and for a video game, el videojuego.
What's the difference between juego and partido?
Juego is a game in general, the activity and its rules. Partido is one match between two teams: el partido de esta noche.
How do you say video game in Spanish?
El videojuego, one word. A single round of a video game is una partida.
How do you say board game in Spanish?
Un juego de mesa, literally a table game. A card game is un juego de cartas.
