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"to play (a game)" in seven languages

Meaningto play (a game)

Spanish

jugar

/xuˈgaɾ/

inherited

An instrument is tocado: tocar la guitarra.

French

jouer

/ʒwe/

inherited

Instruments take de: jouer du piano.

Italian

giocare

/dʒoˈkare/

inherited

An instrument is suonato: suonare il piano.

Portuguese

jogar

/ʒoˈgah/

inherited

Children's play is brincar; jogar is for games and sports.

Romanian

juca

/ʒuˈka/

inherited

Catalan

jugar

/ʒuˈga/

inherited

English

play

/pleɪ/

native English · Old English plegian

English → Italianto play (a game)giocareNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: joke, jocular, juggler.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

IOCĀRĪ‘to joke, jest’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

Latin's joking became the sisters' playing; Latin I- became x in Spanish, ʒ in French and dʒ in Italian. Music is played differently in each: tocar, jouer de, suonare.

English relatives: joke, jocular, juggler

Sound laws at work

Initial I- (J-) and G before E, I

Learn it

Practice the Core verbs deckQuiz a friend on it

In a sentence

  • esLos niños juegan en el parque.
  • frLes enfants jouent dans le parc.
  • itI bambini giocano al parco.
  • ptAs crianças estão brincando no parque.
  • roCopiii se joacă în parc.
  • caEls nens juguen al parc.
  • enThe children are playing in the park.

More in Core verbs

All Core verbs words