giocare
play
In Italian, 'giocare' is the translation for 'play'. It is mainly used when referring to playing games or a sport. However, when 'play' is used to refer to playing an instrument, the Italian verb 'suonare' is used instead.
Example sentences using: giocare
Mi piace giocare a calcio nel tempo libero.
I like to play football in my free time.
This phrase shows the use of 'giocare' in expressing a liked activity in Italian. The constraction 'giocare a' is used when referring to a game or a sport.
Dopo scuola, i bambini vanno al parco a giocare.
After school, children go to the park to play.
In this sentence, 'giocare' is used to express an action in a specific place. Here the act of playing is not associated with a particular game or sport, so 'a' does not follow 'giocare'.
Non posso giocare alla consolle stasera, ho troppo lavoro da fare.
I can't play on the console tonight, I have too much work to do.
In this phrase, 'giocare' is used when referring to playing a video game, with the console as the implied object of the verb. The term 'alla' is a contraction of 'a' and 'la', which translates to 'on the'.