Jugar Conjugation: Free Spanish Lesson, Exercises, and PDF

Some of my fondest memories from childhood involved playing ball with my dad. Nowadays, I play dolls with my daughters and nothing makes me happier. Playing games and sports are enjoyable activities.

Are you ready to learn about the Spanish verb jugar, or “to play”? Keep reading, then take the opportunity to test yourself with a few exercises at the end of the article. 

The Spanish Verb Jugar

We have played games since we were little kids. You played with toys, friends, and teammates. The Spanish verb jugar means “to play,” exclusively when referring to playing a game or sport. (If you are talking about playing an instrument, there’s another verb for that in Spanish: tocar.)

Jugar: An Irregular Verb

Irregular verb conjugations in Spanish are a tricky subject for new learners of the language, as they don’t follow the most common pattern of conjugations. Irregular verbs like jugar have their own unique conjugation set.

The main change in the jugar conjugation set is on the suffix jug-, which sometimes becomes jueg-. It also has an orthographic variation. If e comes after g, the latter becomes gu. In practice, this means that you should never say juege but rather juegue. 

Jugar Conjugation

Allthough the jugar conjugation set is unique because it’s an irregular verb, it’s not hard to master. The conjugation variations are minimal and specific to the present tense. When learning these Spanish conjugation sets, you need to memorize them at first, but as you practice more and more, they will come naturally. 

Jugar Verbals

The three verbals in Spanish are the same as in English, infinitive, gerund, and participle. Verbals always need to be paired with another conjugated verb in a sentence. 

Jugar Verbals

Jugar Conjugation: Indicative Mood

To start the jugar conjugation set, we’ll look at the indicative mood tenses. For clarity, they are divided into simple and compound tenses.

Jugar Conjugation: Simple Tenses of the Indicative Mood

Jugar Conjugation: Compound Tenses of the Indicative Mood

Jugar Conjugation: Subjunctive Mood

The next mood of the jugar conjugation set is the subjunctive, a mood used to express hopes, wishes, and desires.

Jugar Conjugation: Simple Tenses of the Subjunctive Mood

Jugar Conjugation: Compound Tenses of the Subjunctive Mood

Jugar Conjugation : Imperative Mood

In Spanish, the imperative mood is used to give orders and commands. The commands can be affirmative or negative. Since you can’t give an order to yourself or to a third person, the imperative mood has fewer subjects to conjugate. 

Jugar Conjugation: Imperative Mood

Jugar Conjugation: Exercises

Fill in the blank using the right conjugation of jugar: 

1. Cuando era niño, yo ____________ fútbol todos los días. – When I was a child, I used to play football every day. 

2. Él _____________ si se lo pidieras. – He would play if you ask him. 

3. _______________ tú, yo no tengo ganas. – You play, I don’t want to.

4. Espero que mañana ____________ LeBron. – I hope LeBron plays tomorrow.

5. Ayer _________________ muy bien los Yankees. – Yesterday, the Yankees played very well.

6. Si ________________ habríamos ganado. – If you had played, we would have won.

7. ________________ mi último partido. – I’ve played my last game.

8. ¿Tú _______________ videojuegos? – Do you play videogames?

9. Espero que ________________ Monopoly antes. – I hope you had played Monopoly before.

10. ¿Ella _____________ con ustedes?. – Did she play with you?

Click here to see the answer key.

Now that you know how to conjugate the Spanish verb jugar, keep practicing at home!

Want to learn more about Spanish grammar? Check out these posts!

• Connecting the Dots: Why Spanish Conjunctions Are Essential for Fluency
• Llegar vs Llevar in Spanish: What’s the Difference?
• 10 Essential Ways to Use “Que” in Spanish
• Solo vs Solamente: What’s the Difference?
• What Is an Infinitive in Spanish?
• How To Use the Spanish Verb ‘Parecer’
• Having Fun in Spanish Using the Verb ‘Divertirse’
• How to Use the ‘Personal A’ in Spanish: Do’s and Don’ts

Answer Key: 

1. jugaba
2. jugaría
3. Juega 
4. juegue
5. jugaron
6. hubieras jugado
7. He jugado
8. juegas
9. hayan jugado
10. jugó

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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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