The preterite of jugar is used to express when you played something at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “I played soccer yesterday” – “Jugué al fútbol ayer.”
This verb follows the -gar spelling-changing pattern in the preterite. When conjugating, the ‘g’ changes to ‘gu’ before ‘e’ to maintain the same sound, which happens in the yo form (jugué).
Conjugations
Conjugations of Jugar (to play) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | jugué |
| Tú | jugaste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | jugó |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | jugamos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | jugasteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | jugaron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Jugar (to play) in the Preterite (Past) Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Jugar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of jugar describes completed instances of playing or gaming.
To play (specific instance): Describes a completed game or play session, for example Jugué fútbol ayer (I played soccer yesterday), or Jugaron cartas toda la noche (They played cards all night).
To gamble/bet: In certain contexts, refers to gambling, for example Jugó todo su dinero en el casino (He gambled all his money at the casino).
Examples
Examples of Jugar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Los niños jugaron en el parque toda la tarde. (The children played in the park all afternoon.)
Jugué al tenis con mis amigos ayer. (I played tennis with my friends yesterday.)
¿Jugaste al fútbol en la escuela? (Did you play soccer at school?)
El equipo jugó muy bien en el partido final. (The team played very well in the final game.)
Jugamos cartas hasta la medianoche. (We played cards until midnight.)
Ellos jugaron ajedrez durante horas. (They played chess for hours.)
¿Por qué no jugaste con nosotros? (Why didn’t you play with us?)
Mi hermano jugó videojuegos toda la noche. (My brother played video games all night.)
Jugamos un partido amistoso el domingo. (We played a friendly match on Sunday.)
Los músicos jugaron con diferentes ritmos. (The musicians played with different rhythms.)
Jugué con mi perro en el jardín. (I played with my dog in the garden.)
El niño jugó con sus nuevos juguetes. (The child played with his new toys.)
Jugamos un papel importante en el proyecto. (We played an important role in the project.)
Ella jugó muy bien su papel en la obra. (She played her role in the play very well.)
Los actores jugaron sus roles perfectamente. (The actors played their roles perfectly.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Jugar (to play) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo jugué | I played |
| Tú jugaste | You played |
| Él / Ella / Usted jugó | He / She / You (formal) played |
| Nosotros / Nosotras jugamos | We played |
| Vosotros / Vosotras jugasteis | You all played |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes jugaron | They / You all (formal) played |
This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here
Synonyms
The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.