A Vocabulary Guide to Archery in Spanish

The translation to archery in Spanish is el tiro con arco. But, what else do you know about archery in Spanish? 

When thinking about this sport, Robin Hood, Oliver Queen (the star in the Arrow series), or even Cupid might come to your mind. There are also a few celebrities who enjoy practicing archery: Avril Lavigne, Shaquille O’Neal, Eva Longoria, and Jennifer Lawrence.   

If you want to expand your Spanish vocabulary, or simply learn a little bit about this amazing sport, this post is for you. Here we are going to cover:

• The Archer ‘s Kit – El equipamiento del arquero. 
• The tools that archers use – Las herramientas que los arqueros usan.
• The different types of archery – Los distintos tipos de tiro con arco. 

and more. So lay back, get comfortable, and get ready to start learning about archery in Spanish.

FUN FACT: Contrary to what logic might say, the word arquería in Spanish means “a series of arches supported over columns.” Check this blog post if you want to learn more about architecture in Spanish.

Shooting Conjugation

We all know that archers shoot arrows, so how do you say that in Spanish? Disparar flechas. In this next section we are going to learn the conjugation of disparar in 5 different tenses.

Simple Present – El presente del indicativo

Simple Past – El pretérito del indicativo

Simple Future – El futuro del indicativo

Simple Past – El imperfecto del indicativo

Present Perfect – El pretérito perfecto

PRO TIP: A common synonym for the word disparar is tirar. So you can say disparo flechas o (yo) tiro con arco. 

FUN FACT: When someone has a crush on someone else, we say Cupido te flechó which literally means Cupid has “arrowed” you.

Types of Archery in Spanish

Archery is a sport that has different types of practicing it, these are them:

Practice Sentences

Soy muy tradicional y me gusta el tiro con arco con diana al aire libre.
I am very traditional and I like (practicing) target archery.

¿En qué consiste el papingo?
What is popinjay about?

Podemos intentar practicar tiro con arco de larga distancia.
We can try practicing long-range archery.

The Archer’s Kit in Spanish

Archers have a kit that basically consists of 9 basic things.

Practice Sentences

No creo necesario usar el protector de antebrazo.
I do not think it is necessary to wear a bracer.

Puedo llevar 25 flechas en mi carcaj.
I can carry 25 arrows in my quiver.

No puedo disparar con tu arco, es incómodo.
I cannot shoot with your bow, it is uncomfortable.

¡Mi flecha dió en el blanco!
My arrow hit the bullseye!

Types of Bows

Practice Sentences

Me gusta tirar con ballesta.
I like to shoot with a crossbow.

¿Qué diferencia hay entre un arco compuesto y un arco de poleas?
What is the difference between a composite bow and a compound bow?

Mi padre es bueno usando el arco largo.
My father is good at using the longbow.

Parts of an Arrow

This section can be a bit more technical. Here we are going to learn about the 5 parts of an arrow.

Practice sentences

Se rompió el culatín.
The nock broke.

El impacto partió el astil.
The impact broke the shat.

La remera no está bien puesta.
The fletching is not well placed.

Point System in the Target

When you talk about archery, you know that the arrow has to hit la diana (the target.) The colors that the target has are:

Some archers refer to these colors in slang like this:

PRO TIP: When your arrow hits the tiny golden circle in the center you have hit the bullseye! In Spanish we say dió en el blanco. This also means “it has hit the white (section)” which can lead to confusion if you are not seeing. If we change the sentence, dio en EL blanco for dió en LO blanco it is going to be clear that it has hit the white spot and not bullseye. 

The Technique to Practice Archery

Before disparar una flecha (shooting an arrow) it is important to do it with great technique and to follow these steps:

Adquirir una posición adecuada.
Take a proper stance.

Poner la flecha en el arco.
Put the arrow in the bow

Agarrar la cuerda tensora.
Grip the tensing string.

Sacar el arco.
Draw the bow.

Apuntar.
Aim.

Soltar o disparar.
Release or shoot.

The Olympic Rules of Archery

The Olympic Committee removed archery as an Olympic sport in 1920 but it came back in the Olympics of 1972 in Munich, Germany. In this little section, we are going to learn the Olympic rules of archery in Spanish, the individual setting.

The Qualification Process

El proceso de clasificación (the qualification process) gives the archer 72 flechas (arrows) to shoot 230 ft (70 m) away from the diana (target) and this establishes a ranking.

The Elimination Process

After the ranking has been made, archers start competing between themselves. They have tres flechas (three arrows) to shoot and this makes up a set. Whoever scores more points with the three arrows wins the set and gets dos puntos (two points). If there is a draw, each tirador (archer) wins 1 point.

Whoever gets 6 points first wins. But if both archers tie with five points there is a desempate (they break the tie) by shooting one single arrow. The one closest to the center is the winner and advances to the next round.

FUN FACT: South Korea, the U.S., and Belgium are the most decorated countries in archery with 34, 33, and 21 medals respectively. Spain is the only Spanish-speaking country with a gold medal in archery.

Hispanic Archers

Archery might not be the most popular sport in the world, such as soccer, but that does not mean that Latin America cannot provide some top archers to the world. In this section, we can see the top 10 male and female Hispanic archers in the world today, according to World Archery, as they were on November 15th 2021.

Hispanic Female Archers

Hispanic Male Archers

Archery in Spanish Slang

Before we finish checking out some archery slang in Spanish will close this post greatly.

FUN FACT: The word el arquero in Spanish can be confused with the word “goalkeeper,” because portero and arquero are synonyms. This person guards the arco or portería in soccer.

Take Your Archery Skills in Spanish to the Next Level!

Archery and other Olympic Sports can give us a lot to talk about! Adding vocabulary is always great and necessary, but it means very little if you don’t know how to build a phrase or conjugate verbs to speak fluently.

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Javier Grazioso

Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy

Italo-Guatemalan, born and raised in Guatemala City, where I got a B.A. in Communication and Journalism. Currently, I'm living in Spain where I'm studying for a master's degree. I'm a language and travel enthusiast who speaks Spanish, English, Italian, and a bit of Hungarian. I love watching sports, practicing boxing, writing, and gaming.

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