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June 15, 2021 by Luis F. Dominguez Spanish Vocabulary 0 comments

All You Need to Know About Volleyball in Spanish

Do you like to play or watch volleyball and want to learn words about volleyball in Spanish? Good news! Today, I’m providing you with the ultimate guide to volleyball in Spanish.

Keep reading to learn about the origins of volleyball and discover plenty of Spanish volleyball terms. In this post, you’ll learn all about the court and equipment, the players and referees, game terms, and rules. Plus, we’ll explore some common phrases about volleyball in Spanish. So, let’s get straight to it and discover everything there’s to know about this spectacular sport in Spanish. 

A Brief History of Volleyball

Originally known as “mintonette,” volleyball was invented by the physical director of Holyoke, Massachusetts’ Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), William G. Morgan, in 1895. It wasn’t until 1916 that its first set of rules were published jointly by the YMCA and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

In the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, volleyball was introduced as an Olympic sport for the first time and, since 1969, a World Cup championship is played every four years. Nowadays, the Federation Internationale de Volley Ball (FIVB) has 220 affiliated national federations, making this game one of the most popular team sports in the world. 

Volleyball in Spanish

Why You Should Learn Vocabulary About Volleyball in Spanish

It’s helpful to learn about volleyball in Spanish for two main reasons: 

1. Because you’re a volleyball fan, you love the game, and you want to be able to talk about it in Spanish or any other language you may speak. You don’t want to be in Spanish-speaking countries wanting to play or watch your favorite game and not be able to communicate about it. 

2. Because it’s part of your language learning process, which implies learning Spanish vocabulary about many different areas of life, including sports and even volleyball terms. In this sense, learning volleyball terms in Spanish expands your vocabulary, just as learning about basketball, golf, or music in Spanish does. 

Volleyball in Spanish: Vocabulary Guide

If you want to play volleyball in Spanish, you need to learn the basic volleyball rules, the meaning of terms such as “volleyball court” or “volleyball setter,” and even some popular slang about this beautiful game.   

Before going further, it’s important to mention that although the terms vóleibol, voleibol, and vólibol are accepted and used in Spanish, you may find many sites and documents in Spanish that refer to this game with its English name of “volleyball.” For clarity, I’m using el voleibol as the Spanish name of the sport throughout this article. 

I’ve divided this vocabulary guide into four categories to make it more accessible and easy-to-learn for you: court and equipment; players and referees; the game and rules; and volleyball phrases. I think I’ve covered most areas of volleyball in Spanish, but if I’ve missed anything you can always let me know in a comment.  

Volleyball in Spanish

All About the Court and Equipment

Let’s start with physical items and facilities needed to play volleyball in Spanish. Find the volleyball term in Spanish in the right column, and what it means in English in the left column. 

SpanishEnglish
la canchacourt
la rednet
la pelota, el balónball
la banca bench
la mesa de anotacionesreferees’ desk
la línea lateral side line
la línea de fondoback line
la zona de ataqueattack zone
la zona zagueraback zone
el postepost
la tarjeta amarillayellow card
la tarjeta rojared card
la zona del entrenadorcoach’s area
la zona de sustituciónsubstitution area
el silbatowhistle
el partido, el juegomatch

Volleyball Players and Referees

While it’s a fact that without a volleyball net, court, and ball you can’t play the game, it’s also true that the volleyball player is the heart and soul of the sport. Let’s learn a bit about the different players, positions, and referees involved in a volleyball match.

SpanishEnglish
el defensadefender
el centralmiddle blocker
el atacante, el rematadoroutside hitter
el colocadorsetter
el recibidorreceiver
el pasadorpasser
el líberolibero
el opuestoopposite
el delanteroforward player
el zagueroback court player
el titularstarter
el suplentesubstitute
el árbitroreferee
el árbitro auxiliarassistant referee
el juez de línealine judge
el árbitro de mesadesk referee
el aficionadofan

The Game and Rules

These are some of the most common volleyball terms and volleyball that you can use in a sentence in Spanish. Here, I’m also including a few beach volleyball terms.

SpanishEnglish
el setset
el puntopoint
el errorerror
el servicioserve
el ataqueatack
el bloqueoblock
el rematespike
la levantada, la recepcióndig
la defensadefense
la colocaciónset
el pasepass
la fintafake
la faltafoul
la formaciónformation
el equipoteam
la rotaciónrotation
el desempatetie break
la bola muerta dead ball
el orden al saqueserve order
el uniformeuniform

Volleyball-Related Phrases in Spanish

Finally, I want to include some important phrases about volleyball in Spanish for you to learn and practice at home. 

Yo juego voleibol.
I play volleyball.  

Me gusta jugar voleibol. 
I like to play volleyball. 

Mi deporte favorito es el voleibol.
My favorite sport is volleyball. 

Ellos están jugando voleibol. 
They are playing volleyball. 

Voy a la práctica de voleibol. 
I’m going to volleyball practice. 

¿Quieres jugar voleibol?
Do you want to play volleyball?

Volleyball in Spanish

Play Volleyball and Practice Your Spanish!

Volleyball is a beautiful game and talking about volleyball in Spanish should now be easier for you after going through all these specialized terms in Spanish. Remember to practice them at home or in real-life conversations with native Spanish speakers, so you can introduce them slowly into your Spanish vocabulary.

To take your Spanish to the next level, sign up for a free trial class with one of our certified, native Spanish-speaking teachers from Guatemala. They provide one-on-one Spanish instructions in real-time and teach over 24,000 different students each month. The schedules are flexible and the lessons can be tailored to your needs. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to take your Spanish abilities to the next level!

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Luis F. Dominguez
Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy
Luis F. Domínguez is a freelance writer and independent journalist interested in travel, languages, art, books, history, philosophy, politics and sports. He has written for Fodor’s, Yahoo!, Sports Illustrated, Telemundo, and Villa Experience, among other brands of print and digital media in Europe and North America.
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