Using the Spanish Verb Jugar

Jugar is usually the equivalent of the English verb to play and is used in much the same way. Using Jugar With Games The most noticeable difference is that in standard Spanish the preposition a is used after jugar when jugar is used to refer to the playing of a specified game: Me gustarà ­a saber si en Belice juegan al fà ºtbol. (I would like to know if they play soccer in Belize.)Aprendemos a jugar al ajedrez. (We are learning to play chess.)Los estudiantes jugaron a la bolsa y no ganaron nada. (The students played the market and didnt earn anything.)El actor jugà ³ a la ruleta rusa con una pistola totalmente cargada. (The actor played Russian roulette with a fully loaded pistol.) In parts of Latin America, however, the a can be omitted when referring to athletic contests. The absence of the a is a regional variation and shouldnt be imitated in most areas. Jugar isnt used to refer to the playing of a musical instrument. For that, use tocar. Using Jugar With Con When followed by the preposition con, jugar sometimes carries a meaning similar to to manipulate or to play around with. The phrase sometimes suggests that someone isnt treating something (or someone) with due respect or diligence: Los chicos de cuatro aà ±os juegan con las palabras e inventan palabras e historias disparatadas. (Four-year-old children play with words and invent words and silly stories.)Jugaste con mis sentimientos, como juega el viento con la hoja. (You manipulated my feelings, like the wind toys with a leaf.)No voy a jugar con mi salud cuando lo que quiero es mejorarla. (Im not going to trifle with my health when what I want to do is make it better.)Chà ¡vez dijo que los banqueros privados jugaron con el dinero del pueblo. (Chà ¡vez said the private bankers gambled with the peoples money.) Standing by itself, jugar usually means simply to play: Jugaban todo el dà ­a. (They played all day.) The phrase jugar limpio is used to mean to play clean, that is, playing fairly, by the rules or otherwise in a commendable manner. The opposite, to play dirty, is jugar sucio. Using Jugar Reflexively In the reflexive form, if it doesnt mean to play together, jugarse usually suggests gambling or taking risks: Facebook y Twitter se juegan por lo mà ¡s popular. (Facebook and Twitter are competing to be the most popular.)Me juguà © la vida porque tenà ­a que triunfar. (I bet my life because I had to win.)Ellos se juegan mucho mà ¡s que nosotros. (Theyre risking a lot more than we are.) Remember that jugar is conjugated irregularly.