Time to talk about sports! In this lesson, you'll learn vocabulary for popular Colombian sports — especially fútbol (soccer) and ciclismo (cycling). You'll also master two tricky verbs: 'jugar' with its stem change (u→ue) and 'salir' with its irregular yo form (salgo). Plus, you'll learn when to use 'también' and 'tampoco' to agree with others.
Learning tips
- 'Jugar' changes its stem in all forms except nosotros: juego, juegas, juega, jugamos, juegan. The 'u' becomes 'ue' when stressed.
- 'Salir' is only irregular in the yo form: salgo. All other forms are regular: sales, sale, salimos, salen.
- Use 'también' for positive agreement ('Me too') and 'tampoco' for negative agreement ('Me neither').
- In Colombia, 'fútbol' always means soccer. To talk about American football, say 'fútbol americano.'
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| bailar | to dance |
| cantar | to sing |
| pintar | to paint |
| leer | to read |
| correr | to run |
| nadar | to swim |
| jugar | to play |
| escuchar | to listen |
| la música | music |
| el deporte | sport |
Dialog
Andrés and Valentina talk about Colombian sports. Notice how Andrés uses 'jugar' with its stem change — 'yo juego fútbol.' They also practice agreement: when Valentina says she also likes something, she uses 'a mí también me gusta.' When she agrees with a negative statement, she uses 'a mí tampoco.' The verb 'montar en bicicleta' means 'to ride a bicycle' — very common in Bogotá, a cycling-obsessed city.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| el fútbol | /el ˈfut.bol/ | soccer, football | The most popular sport in Colombia. Millonarios and Santa Fe are Bogotá's main teams. |
| el ciclismo | /el siˈklis.mo/ | cycling | Colombia is a cycling powerhouse — the sport is a national passion. |
| el equipo | /el eˈki.po/ | team | Used for sports teams: 'mi equipo favorito.' |
| ganar | /ɡaˈnaɾ/ | to win | Regular -ar verb. |
| perder | /peɾˈðeɾ/ | to lose | Stem-changing: e→ie (pierdo, pierdes, pierde). |
| el partido | /el paɾˈti.ðo/ | match, game | Used for a specific game/match: 'el partido de fútbol.' |
| el jugador | /el xu.ɣaˈðoɾ/ | player | Feminine form: 'la jugadora.' |
| la bicicleta | /la bi.siˈkle.ta/ | bicycle, bike | Often shortened to 'la bici' in casual speech. |
| montar | /monˈtaɾ/ | to ride, to mount | Used with 'en bicicleta': montar en bicicleta = to ride a bike. |
| entrenar | /en.tɾeˈnaɾ/ | to train, to practice | Regular -ar verb. |
Passive words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| el estadio | /el esˈta.ðjo/ | stadium | |
| el gol | /el ˈɡol/ | goal | As in scoring a goal. |
| el campeonato | /el kam.pe.oˈna.to/ | championship | |
| la carrera | /la kaˈre.ɾa/ | race | Used for cycling or running races. |
| el campeón | /el kam.peˈon/ | champion | |
| la hinchada | /la inˈtʃa.ða/ | fans, supporter crowd | Colombian term for the fan base of a team. |
Useful chunks
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| montar en bicicleta | to ride a bicycle |
| a mí también / a mí tampoco | me too / me neither |
Grammar: Present tense of 'jugar' (u→ue) and 'salir' (irregular yo: salgo)
| Subject | jugar (u→ue) | salir (yo irreg.) |
|---|---|---|
| yo | juego | salgo |
| tú | juegas | sales |
| usted/él/ella | juega | sale |
| nosotros | jugamos | salimos |
| ellos/ellas | juegan | salen |
también (also/too) — used in affirmative agreement: A mí también me gusta.
tampoco (neither/either) — used in negative agreement: A mí tampoco me gusta.
Jugar (u→ue) is a stem-changing verb. The 'u' in the stem becomes 'ue' in all forms except nosotros:
- yo juego, tú juegas, él/ella juega, nosotros jugamos, ellos juegan
'Jugar' is used for games and sports: 'Juego fútbol' (I play soccer).
Salir has an irregular yo form: salgo. All other forms are regular:
- yo salgo, tú sales, él/ella sale, nosotros salimos, ellos salen
'Salir' means 'to go out' or 'to leave': 'Salgo a las ocho' (I leave at eight).
También vs. Tampoco:
- También = also/too (positive): — Me gusta el fútbol. — A mí también me gusta.
- Tampoco = neither/either (negative): — No me gusta perder. — A mí tampoco me gusta perder.
Note the structure with 'a mí' for emphasis — it mirrors the 'gustar' construction.
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the correct word.
- Yo fútbol con mis amigos los sábados.(first person of 'jugar' — stem change u→ue)
- El de Millonarios fue emocionante.(a specific game or match)
- Andrés va a en bicicleta el fin de semana.(to ride — used with 'en bicicleta')
- El marcó un gol increíble.(a person who plays on a team)
- Valentina todos los días para estar en forma.(to practice/train — regular -ar verb, 3rd person)
Grammar Application
Conjugate the verb or complete with 'también' / 'tampoco'.
- yo / jugar → (jugar — yo form, stem change u→ue)
- nosotros / jugar → (jugar — nosotros form, no stem change)
- yo / salir → (salir — yo form, irregular)
- — Me gusta el fútbol. — A mí me gusta.(positive agreement — 'me too')
- — No me gusta perder. — A mí me gusta perder.(negative agreement — 'me neither')
Translation (English → Spanish)
Translate each sentence into Spanish.
- I like soccer and cycling.
- The team won the match.
- I play soccer on Saturdays.
- Let's ride bikes.
- The player trains every day.
Creative Construction
Write 1-2 sentences about sports you enjoy or a match/game you want to watch, using at least 3 words from this lesson.
Takeaway
Remember that 'jugar' changes its stem (juego, juegas, juega) and 'salir' has an irregular yo form (salgo). Use 'también' for positive agreement and 'tampoco' for negative agreement.