Spanish Sports Vocabulary and Conversation: A Beginner’s Guide

¿Te gustan los deportes? Are you a sports fan? Today, let’s explore some Spanish sports vocabulary. Expand your knowledge and impress your fellow sports aficionados with some interesting words and phrases about this popular topic. Let’s get started!

Popular Sports in Latin America

First, let’s learn how to say the most popular sports in Spanish.

*It’s important to know the difference between fútbol and fútbol americano. Fútbol refers to soccer (like FIFA), while fútbol americano refers to football (like the NFL).

Soccer is King

The most popular sport in Latin America is soccer. Life revolves around this sport. Kids in schools play it, high school boys are part of independent teams, people keep playing it during college (some even earn scholarships because of it), and adults play it on the weekends. Of course, lots of girls and women play soccer, but it’s more common to see guys being passionate about it. 

Did you know that the most popular sporting event in Latin America is the World Cup? In most Latin American countries, people gather in restaurants and houses to watch World Cup games. Everybody turns the radio on in their cars, and some schools even stop classes to watch the games. It’s incredible to witness the soccer fever during this event every four years.

Fun Facts About Soccer in Latin America

Because soccer is super popular in Latin America, I’ve collected some interesting facts that will help you learn a little bit more about the history of this amazing sport. Check them out! 

• The World Cup with the most goals in history was that of Switzerland in 1954, with a record of 5.4 goals per game. 
• The top professional soccer scorer is the Brazilian Pelé, with 1,259 goals scored in 1,363 games. Also, he’s the only player in World Cup history to have won the World Cup three times. 
• The final of the 2022 World Cup will be in a city that doesn’t exist. There is still a long way to go before the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar; however, everything has been planned for its development. One of the most curious things is that the host city of what will be the final is already planned: the city of Lusail, which doesn’t exist yet! 
• Brazil is the only country in the world that has been present at all the World Cups that have been held. 
• The international game with the most goals in the history of soccer was played by Australia and American Samoa in 2001, with a final result of 31 to 0, respectively. 
• The soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo has an entire museum dedicated to him. 
• The Brazilian Ronaldinho Gaúcho, one of the most important players in the history of soccer, made himself known at the age of 13 because he scored 23 goals in a single game. 
• The first contract that the famous player Lionel Messi signed with the Azulgrana team was on a napkin. 

Spanish Sports Verbs

Now that you know the basic sports vocabulary in Spanish and some history of the most popular sport in Latin America, let’s check out some sporty verbs to use in your Spanish conversations!

Examples

• Usain Bolt puede correr muy rápido. – Usain Bolt can run very fast.
• Cristiano Ronaldo tiene la técnica perfecta para patear una pelota de fútbol. – Cristiano Ronaldo has the perfect technique to kick a soccer ball.
• Para ganar la competencia, debes saltar lo más alto que puedas. – To win the competition, you must jump as high as you can.
• Debes aprender a lanzar duro la pelota para que él no la pueda batear. – You must learn to throw the ball hard so that he can’t hit it.
• Debe de ser difícil agarrar la pelota cuando eres catcher en bésibol. – It must be hard to catch the ball when you’re a catcher in baseball.
• Driblar la pelota rápido es clave para que tu oponente no pueda quitártela. – Dribbling the ball fast is key so that your opponent can’t take it from you.
• Lo mejor de rematar la pelota es que normalmente el otro equipo no logra pegarle de regreso. – The best thing about spiking the ball is that the other team doesn’t usually hit the ball back.

If you’d like to see the conjugations for some of these verbs, read our Verbs in Spanish blog posts! 

Spanish Sports Nouns 

In order to have a meaningful conversation, you also must know the nouns of the topic you’re interested in. Next, you’ll find a list of the most common nouns regarding Spanish sports vocabulary. 

Examples

• ¡Pásame la pelota! – Pass me the ball!
• Es impresionante cómo los basquetbolistas alcanzan la canasta cuando saltan. – It’s amazing how basketball players reach the basket when they jump. 
• Nunca pensé que un bate de béisbol fuera tan pesado. – I never thought a baseball bat was that heavy. 
• ¡Está robando base! – He’s stealing base! 
• Ella rompió su raqueta por pegarle tan duro a la pelota. – She broke her racket by hitting the ball so hard. 
• Un corredor debe tener buenos tenis que resistan maratones. – A runner must have good tennis shoes for marathons. 
• La cancha de tenis tiene que estar bien pintada antes del juego. – The tennis court needs to be well painted before the game. 
• Antes del partido, los jugadores cantan sus himnos nacionales en el campo de fútbol.  – Before the game, the players sing their national anthems on the soccer field. 
• En los partidos de voleibol, la red debe estar bien tensada. – In volleyball matches the net must be tight. 
• Los cascos de los jugadores de fútbol americano son muy duros. – Football players’ helmets are very hard. 
• Un boxeador siempre debe usar guantes para no lastimarse. – A boxer should always wear gloves to avoid injuries. 
• Es importante que un jugador de fútbol use espinilleras. – It’s important for a soccer player to use shin guards. 
• Debes elegir bien el tamaño de tu palo de hockey. – You must choose the size of your hockey stick well. 
• Las piscinas olímpicas miden 50 metros de largo. – Olympic pools are 50 meters long. 
• Debes escoger una buena bicicleta para hacer triatlón. – You must choose a good bike to do a triathlon. 

Spanish Sports Adjectives 

We’ve seen some verbs and nouns about Spanish sports vocabulary, but we can’t leave the adjectives behind! Check the following list for some adjectives that describe sports. 

Examples

• El boxeo es un deporte de interior. – Boxing is an indoor sport. 
• Los partidos de fútbol son al aire libre. – Soccer games are outdoors.
• El fútbol americano es un deporte violento. – Football is a violent sport. 
• La natación es un deporte muy agotador. – Swimming is a very exhausting sport. 
• Muchas personas creen que el fútbol es un deporte varonil, pero realmente muchas mujeres lo juegan también. – Many people believe that soccer is a manly sport, but actually many women play it, too. 
• Todos los deportes son muy competitivos. – All sports are very competitive. 
• El deporte más popular en Latinoamérica es el fútbol. – The most popular sport in Latin America is soccer. 
• El tenis puede ser aburrido si no lo entiendes. – Tennis can be a little boring if you don’t understand it. 
• ¡Los partidos de fútbol son muy alegres! – Soccer games are so much fun!
• El boxeo puede ser peligroso si no entrenas bien. – Boxing can be dangerous if you don’t train well. 
• Los jugadores profesionales de béisbol juegan de una manera asombrosa. – Professional baseball players play in an amazing way. 
• El baloncesto es muy entretenido. – Basketball is so entertaining. 
• Casi todos los deportes son olímpicos. – Almost all sports are Olympic. 

Learn for Sport!

I hope this basic guide to Spanish sports vocabulary will help you engage in conversations about sports. If you want to improve your fluency, comprehension, and speaking skills, sign up for a free class at Homeschool Spanish Academy! ¡Los deportes son divertidos!

Want to learn more about Latin American culture and customs? Check out these posts!

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Mariana Gómez

Freelance writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy

Native Spanish speaker and Industrial Psychology student in Guatemala, I love studying the nuances of Latin culture, its family values, and the Spanish language. Writing is my passion; it's my avenue for connecting ideas and sharing important information with readers. My goal is to make of this world a better place with far more multilingual people!

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