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Today, not only men like sports and spend hours and hours watching sports games.
It became a part of women’s lives, too. Women too like to watch sports, comment, and grieve when their favorite sports club loses.
It is especially seen in Spanish-speaking countries.
When talking about sports, Hispanic countries are true leaders, not only by talented players but also by fascinating sports vocabulary.
Summer is somehow connected to watching sports games with your friends, hanging in some air-conditioned place, drinking some cold beverage.
That’s why this time of the year is ideal for improving your Spanish vocabulary and no more or less, but Spanish sports vocabulary.
Even your friends, who aren’t Spanish learners, will be amused by the following words and phrases that they will also want to participate in. Perhaps some of them start learning Spanish with Spanish tutors.
Who knows?
But for now, let’s stick to the Spanish sports vocabulary and learn Spanish on our own.
Why Should You Learn Spanish Sports Vocabulary?
The entire Hispanic world considers sports to be inevitable and one of the most important things in life.
The significance of the 'futbol' in Spanish-speaking countries, for example, is unmeasurable.
It means that if you want to make friends among native Spanish speakers, you have to know which words to use, which verbs to describe a particular action, or to ask 'who's winning?'
Sports became a part of the Hispanic culture, popular among both men and women, so not only will you enrich your vocabulary with many new, useful words and expressions, but you will always be prepared to talk about sports.
And that's something all Spaniards highly appreciate.
How to Learn Spanish Sports Vocabulary?
When you learn a language, you learn a lot of things about it.
You can also learn about the things you like in your target language.
Learning sports vocabulary is even more fun if you are a sports fan. This way, you will easily memorize words and expressions, especially because fans have many possibilities.
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If you want to combine something fun, pleasant and has to do with sports, we suggest you find ‘Club de Cuertos,’ in English ‘Club of Crows,’ which is the first Spanish series on Netflix. You will be delighted and you will slowly start searching for other Spanish series on Netflix so not only will you start boosting your sports topic but other ones, as well.
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If you want to be up-to-date with all the latest events and happenings in the sports world, check out the ‘Univision Deportes.’ New videos and posts are uploaded daily. Besides all the newest things you will hear, this service will allow you to learn a lot about sports in Spain and Latin America.
Spanish Sports Vocabulary
And now it’s the time for a little training.
Let’s start warming up with the generic names of the sports, then go a little intense learning which verbs to use, and when we are warm enough, to spice up our vocabulary with some useful phrases and commonly asked questions about sports.
Names of The Sports Games
While ‘el futbol’ is one of the main things in the Hispanic world, baseball and basketball are considered American sports.
However, they also have a very important role in the sports culture and sometimes Spaniards are even better than the Americans.
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El baloncesto- Basketball
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El béisbol- Baseball
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El fútbol- Soccer
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El fútbol americano- Football
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El golf- Golf
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El hockey- Hockey
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El tenis- Tennis
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El voleibol- Volleyball
And...Action! Sports- related Verbs
No vocabulary is useful if you don't know at least ten verbs to describe the action.
Here are commonly used verbs about sports.
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Agarrar- To catch
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Balancear- To swing
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Correr- To run
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Driblar / Regatear- To dribble
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Esquiar- To ski
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Lanzar- To throw
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Luchar- To wrestle/To fight
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Nadar- To swim
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Parar- To stop/To block
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Patear- To kick
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Pegar- To hit
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Rematar / Remachar- To spike
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Saltar- To jump
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Servir- To serve
In The Playfield
Now that we know the names of the sports and how to take action, we should also learn where we play those sports.
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La cancha- Field/Court
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La pista- Track/Rink
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La piscina- Pool
You can swim in 'la piscina’ interior (indoors) or al aire libre (outdoors).
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El campo de golf- Golf course
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El estadio- Stadium
El gimnasio- Gym
Position in Sports
Do you want to talk about that fabulous player with your friends?
Or to explain how did the defender manage to help the whole team win the game?
Then you have to know the words about the positions in sports.
Here are some of them.
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El ala-pívot- Power forward
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El alero- Small forward
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El árbitro- Referee
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El base- Point guard
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El campocorto- Shortstop
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El centrocampista- Midfielder
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El defensa- Defender
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El delantero- Forward
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El entrenador- Coach
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El escolta- Shooting guard
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El jardinero- Outfielder
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El jugador- Player
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El pícher / El lanzador- Pitcher
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El pívot- Center
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El portero- Goalie
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El pícher / El lanzador- Pitcher
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El primera base- First baseman
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El receptor- Catcher
Sports Equipment
If you want you can go to a football game in your evening gala suit or dress but some equipment is just necessary if you want to go play games. Or at least you have to know them when you talk about your friends.
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El arco- Goal
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El bate- Bat
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El casco- Helmet
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El disco- Puck/Disc
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El guante de béisbol- Baseball glove
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La pelota- Ball
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La raqueta- Racket
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La red- Net
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Las espinilleras- Shin guards
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Los zapatos de fútbol- Soccer cleats
Sports Phrases to Spice Up the Conversation
Besides body language, which is an inevitable part especially if you are watching a sports game, some phrases about sports are also essential to list here.
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¡Gané!- I won
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¡Mal perdedor!- Sore loser
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¿Por qué no jugamos…?- Why don’t we play this?
This phrase is usually used when you talk with your friends about a particular sport and suggest playing it.
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¡Vamos! ¡Sí se puede!- Let's go! You can do it!
The phrase is a kind of encouragement to a teammate or your favorite player.
Commonly Asked Questions About Sports
Sports is one of the favorite topics because you always have to talk about your favorite team, give your arguments why it will win this year, or just get the latest info of who's currently winning.
In the following lines, you can find some commonly asked questions about sports.
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¿Con qué equipo vas?- Which team are you rooting for?
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¿Cómo van?- What’s the score?
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¿Quién va ganando?- Who’s winning?
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¿Cuál es tu deporte favorito?- What is your favorite sport?
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¿Quieres jugar baloncesto/ tenis?- Do you want to play basketball/ tennis?
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¿Quién es ese jugador?- Who is that player?
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¿Cómo se llama ese deporte?- What do you call that sport?
Final Thoughts
Learning Spanish is the same as sports.
The more you practice, the better you will be and your condition will be more and more impressive.
Besides your coaches, Spanish tutors, who will help you with your training, you can use our List of Spanish Sports Vocabulary in PDF File for free to stay in a good shape.
