⚽ Sports

⏱ 15 min read

In this lesson you will learn useful English vocabulary and everyday expressions for talking about sports, exercise, teams, players, games, scores, winning and losing, and your favorite sports. Each English word or phrase includes a simple meaning plus translations in several languages.

🟢 Basic Sports Vocabulary

⚽ Soccer
a team sport played with a round ball
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Fútbol
🇫🇷 French: Football
🇩🇪 German: Fußball
🇮🇹 Italian: Calcio
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Futebol
🏀 Basketball
a sport where players throw a ball into a hoop
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Baloncesto
🇫🇷 French: Basketball
🇩🇪 German: Basketball
🇮🇹 Italian: Pallacanestro
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Basquete
⚾ Baseball
a bat-and-ball sport with bases
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Béisbol
🇫🇷 French: Baseball
🇩🇪 German: Baseball
🇮🇹 Italian: Baseball
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Beisebol
🎾 Tennis
a sport played with rackets and a small ball
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Tenis
🇫🇷 French: Tennis
🇩🇪 German: Tennis
🇮🇹 Italian: Tennis
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Tênis
🏈 American football
a team sport with an oval ball
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Fútbol americano
🇫🇷 French: Football américain
🇩🇪 German: American Football
🇮🇹 Italian: Football americano
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Futebol americano
🏐 Volleyball
a sport where teams hit a ball over a net
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Voleibol
🇫🇷 French: Volleyball
🇩🇪 German: Volleyball
🇮🇹 Italian: Pallavolo
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Vôlei

🟡 Sports & Fitness Vocabulary

🏃 To run
to move quickly on your feet
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Correr
🇫🇷 French: Courir
🇩🇪 German: Laufen
🇮🇹 Italian: Correre
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Correr
🏊 Swimming
moving through water using your arms and legs
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Natación
🇫🇷 French: Natation
🇩🇪 German: Schwimmen
🇮🇹 Italian: Nuoto
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Natação
🚴 Cycling
riding a bicycle for sport or exercise
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Ciclismo
🇫🇷 French: Cyclisme
🇩🇪 German: Radfahren / Radsport
🇮🇹 Italian: Ciclismo
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Ciclismo
🥇 Team
a group of players who compete together
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Equipo
🇫🇷 French: Équipe
🇩🇪 German: Team / Mannschaft
🇮🇹 Italian: Squadra / Team
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Equipe / Time
🏆 Game / Match
one contest between two teams or players
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Partido
🇫🇷 French: Match
🇩🇪 German: Spiel / Match
🇮🇹 Italian: Partita
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Jogo / Partida
🏅 Player
a person who takes part in a sport
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Jugador / Jugadora
🇫🇷 French: Joueur / Joueuse
🇩🇪 German: Spieler / Spielerin
🇮🇹 Italian: Giocatore / Giocatrice
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Jogador / Jogadora
⚽ Goal
a point scored by putting the ball in the net
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Gol
🇫🇷 French: But
🇩🇪 German: Tor
🇮🇹 Italian: Gol
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Gol
🎯 Point
one unit on the score
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Punto
🇫🇷 French: Point
🇩🇪 German: Punkt
🇮🇹 Italian: Punto
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Ponto

🏃 Sports Actions

▶️ To play
to take part in a sport or game
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Jugar
🇫🇷 French: Jouer
🇩🇪 German: Spielen
🇮🇹 Italian: Giocare
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Jogar
🏋️ To exercise
to move your body to stay healthy
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Hacer ejercicio
🇫🇷 French: Faire de l'exercice
🇩🇪 German: Sport treiben / Trainieren
🇮🇹 Italian: Fare esercizio
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Fazer exercício
🏆 To win
to finish first or score more points
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Ganar
🇫🇷 French: Gagner
🇩🇪 German: Gewinnen
🇮🇹 Italian: Vincere
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Ganhar / Vencer
😞 To lose
to score fewer points than the other side
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Perder
🇫🇷 French: Perdre
🇩🇪 German: Verlieren
🇮🇹 Italian: Perdere
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Perder
📺 To watch
to look at a game on TV or in person
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Ver
🇫🇷 French: Regarder
🇩🇪 German: Schauen / Ansehen
🇮🇹 Italian: Guardare
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Assistir / Ver
🏃 To train
to practice so you get better
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Entrenar
🇫🇷 French: S'entraîner
🇩🇪 German: Trainieren
🇮🇹 Italian: Allenarsi
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Treinar

🧠 Talking About Sports

💡 Use play + sport to talk about playing many sports.
I play soccer.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Juego al fútbol.
🇫🇷 Je joue au football.
🇩🇪 Ich spiele Fußball.
🇮🇹 Gioco a calcio.
🇵🇹 Eu jogo futebol.
We play tennis on Saturdays.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Jugamos al tenis los sábados.
🇫🇷 Nous jouons au tennis le samedi.
🇩🇪 Wir spielen samstags Tennis.
🇮🇹 Giochiamo a tennis il sabato.
🇵🇹 Nós jogamos tênis aos sábados.
💡 Use do / go + activity with certain sports and physical activities.
I exercise every day.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Hago ejercicio todos los días.
🇫🇷 Je fais de l'exercice tous les jours.
🇩🇪 Ich treibe jeden Tag Sport.
🇮🇹 Faccio esercizio ogni giorno.
🇵🇹 Eu faço exercício todos os dias.
I go swimming twice a week.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Hago natación dos veces por semana.
🇫🇷 Je vais nager deux fois par semaine.
🇩🇪 Ich gehe zweimal pro Woche schwimmen.
🇮🇹 Vado a nuotare due volte a settimana.
🇵🇹 Eu practico natação duas vezes por semana.
💡 Use win for winning and lose for losing.
Our team won the game.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Nuestro equipo ganó el partido.
🇫🇷 Notre équipe a gagné le match.
🇩🇪 Unser Team hat das Spiel gewonnen.
🇮🇹 La nostra squadra ha vinto la partita.
🇵🇹 A nossa equipe ganhou o jogo.
My team lost yesterday.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Mi equipo perdió ayer.
🇫🇷 Mon équipe a perdu hier.
🇩🇪 Mein Team hat gestern verloren.
🇮🇹 La mia squadra ha perso ieri.
🇵🇹 A minha equipe perdeu ontem.

📺 Watching Sports

📺 I am watching the game.
you are looking at the match now
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Estoy viendo el partido.
🇫🇷 French: Je regarde le match.
🇩🇪 German: Ich schaue mir das Spiel an.
🇮🇹 Italian: Sto guardando la partita.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Estou assistindo ao jogo.
🥇 What is your favorite team?
asking which team you support
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Cuál es tu equipo favorito?
🇫🇷 French: Quelle est ton équipe préférée ?
🇩🇪 German: Was ist dein Lieblingsteam?
🇮🇹 Italian: Qual è la tua squadra preferita?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Qual é o seu time favorito?
📊 What is the score?
asking how many points each side has
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Cuál es el marcador?
🇫🇷 French: Quel est le score ?
🇩🇪 German: Wie ist der Spielstand?
🇮🇹 Italian: Qual è il punteggio?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Qual é o placar?
🏆 Who won the game?
asking which side finished first
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Quién ganó el partido?
🇫🇷 French: Qui a gagné le match ?
🇩🇪 German: Wer hat das Spiel gewonnen?
🇮🇹 Italian: Chi ha vinto la partita?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Quem ganhou o jogo?
⚽ What a great goal!
you are excited about a good goal
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¡Qué buen gol!
🇫🇷 French: Quel beau but !
🇩🇪 German: Was für ein tolles Tor!
🇮🇹 Italian: Che bel gol!
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Que golaço!
🎉 We won!
your team finished with more points
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¡Ganamos!
🇫🇷 French: On a gagné !
🇩🇪 German: Wir haben gewonnen!
🇮🇹 Italian: Abbiamo vinto!
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Nós ganhamos!

❓ Useful Questions About Sports

⚽ What is your favorite sport?
asking which sport you enjoy most
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Cuál es tu deporte favorito?
🇫🇷 French: Quel est ton sport préféré ?
🇩🇪 German: Was ist dein Lieblingssport?
🇮🇹 Italian: Qual è il tuo sport preferito?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Qual é o seu esporte favorito?
🏀 Do you play any sports?
asking if you take part in a sport
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Practicas algún deporte?
🇫🇷 French: Pratiques-tu un sport ?
🇩🇪 German: Treibst du Sport?
🇮🇹 Italian: Pratici qualche sport?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Você pratica algum esporte?
🎾 Do you play tennis?
asking if tennis is one of your sports
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Juegas al tenis?
🇫🇷 French: Joues-tu au tennis ?
🇩🇪 German: Spielst du Tennis?
🇮🇹 Italian: Giochi a tennis?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Você joga tênis?
📺 Do you like watching sports?
asking if you enjoy games as a fan
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Te gusta ver deportes?
🇫🇷 French: Aimes-tu regarder le sport ?
🇩🇪 German: Schaust du gerne Sport?
🇮🇹 Italian: Ti piace guardare lo sport?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Você gosta de assistir esportes?
📅 When is the next game?
asking the date of the following match
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Cuándo es el próximo partido?
🇫🇷 French: Quand est le prochain match ?
🇩🇪 German: Wann ist das nächste Spiel?
🇮🇹 Italian: Quando è la prossima partita?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Quando é o próximo jogo?
🏆 Who is winning?
asking which side is ahead right now
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Quién está ganando?
🇫🇷 French: Qui est en train de gagner ?
🇩🇪 German: Wer gewinnt gerade?
🇮🇹 Italian: Chi sta vincendo?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Quem está ganhando?

💬 Common Sports Phrases

⚽ I really like soccer.
soccer is a sport you enjoy a lot
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Me gusta mucho el fútbol.
🇫🇷 French: J'aime beaucoup le football.
🇩🇪 German: Ich mag Fußball sehr.
🇮🇹 Italian: Mi piace molto il calcio.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Eu gosto muito de futebol.
🏆 My favorite team won the game.
the team you support finished first
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Mi equipo favorito ganó el partido.
🇫🇷 French: Mon équipe préférée a gagné le match.
🇩🇪 German: Mein Lieblingsteam hat das Spiel gewonnen.
🇮🇹 Italian: La mia squadra preferita ha vinto la partita.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: O meu time favorito ganhou o jogo.
🏃 I run in the park in the mornings.
your morning exercise is a run outdoors
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Corro por las mañanas en el parque.
🇫🇷 French: Je cours le matin dans le parc.
🇩🇪 German: Ich laufe morgens im Park.
🇮🇹 Italian: Corro al mattino nel parco.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Eu corro de manhã no parque.
🎾 We play tennis on weekends.
Saturday or Sunday is tennis time
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Jugamos al tenis los fines de semana.
🇫🇷 French: Nous jouons au tennis le week-end.
🇩🇪 German: Wir spielen am Wochenende Tennis.
🇮🇹 Italian: Giochiamo a tennis nel fine settimana.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Nós jogamos tênis nos fins de semana.

💬 Everyday Conversations

Talking about favorite sports
sharing which sport you like and when you play
A: What is your favorite sport?
B: My favorite sport is soccer.
A: Do you play soccer?
B: Yes, I play on weekends.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 A: ¿Cuál es tu deporte favorito?
🇪🇸 B: Mi deporte favorito es el fútbol.
🇪🇸 A: ¿Juegas al fútbol?
🇪🇸 B: Sí, juego los fines de semana.

🇫🇷 A: Quel est ton sport préféré ?
🇫🇷 B: Mon sport préféré est le football.
🇫🇷 A: Joues-tu au football ?
🇫🇷 B: Oui, je joue le week-end.

🇩🇪 A: Was ist dein Lieblingssport?
🇩🇪 B: Mein Lieblingssport ist Fußball.
🇩🇪 A: Spielst du Fußball?
🇩🇪 B: Ja, ich spiele am Wochenende.

🇮🇹 A: Qual è il tuo sport preferito?
🇮🇹 B: Il mio sport preferito è il calcio.
🇮🇹 A: Giochi a calcio?
🇮🇹 B: Sì, gioco nel fine settimana.

🇵🇹 A: Qual é o seu esporte favorito?
🇵🇹 B: O meu esporte favorito é o futebol.
🇵🇹 A: Você joga futebol?
🇵🇹 B: Sim, eu jogo nos fins de semana.
Watching a game
talking about a live match and the score
A: Are you watching the game?
B: Yes. My team is playing.
A: What is the score?
B: We are winning two to one.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 A: ¿Estás viendo el partido?
🇪🇸 B: Sí. Mi equipo está jugando.
🇪🇸 A: ¿Cuál es el marcador?
🇪🇸 B: Estamos ganando dos a uno.

🇫🇷 A: Est-ce que tu regardes le match ?
🇫🇷 B: Oui. Mon équipe joue.
🇫🇷 A: Quel est le score ?
🇫🇷 B: On mène deux à un.

🇩🇪 A: Schaust du das Spiel?
🇩🇪 B: Ja. Mein Team spielt.
🇩🇪 A: Wie ist der Spielstand?
🇩🇪 B: Wir führen zwei zu eins.

🇮🇹 A: Stai guardando la partita?
🇮🇹 B: Sì. La mia squadra sta giocando.
🇮🇹 A: Qual è il punteggio?
🇮🇹 B: Stiamo vincendo due a uno.

🇵🇹 A: Você está assistindo ao jogo?
🇵🇹 B: Sim. O meu time está jogando.
🇵🇹 A: Qual é o placar?
🇵🇹 B: Estamos ganhando de dois a um.

📝 Example Sentences

⚾ Baseball is very popular in some countries.
many people in those countries follow baseball
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: El béisbol es muy popular en algunos países.
🇫🇷 French: Le baseball est très populaire dans certains pays.
🇩🇪 German: Baseball ist in einigen Ländern sehr beliebt.
🇮🇹 Italian: Il baseball è molto popolare in alcuni paesi.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: O beisebol é muito popular em alguns países.
🏊 Swimming is a very complete form of exercise.
swimming works many parts of the body
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: La natación es un deporte muy completo.
🇫🇷 French: La natation est un sport très complet.
🇩🇪 German: Schwimmen ist eine sehr vollständige Sportart.
🇮🇹 Italian: Il nuoto è uno sport molto completo.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: A natação é um esporte muito completo.
🚴 Cycling helps me stay in shape.
riding a bike keeps you fit
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: El ciclismo me ayuda a mantenerme en forma.
🇫🇷 French: Le cyclisme m'aide à rester en forme.
🇩🇪 German: Radfahren hilft mir, in Form zu bleiben.
🇮🇹 Italian: Il ciclismo mi aiuta a restare in forma.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: O ciclismo me ajuda a me manter em forma.
🥇 The team played very well yesterday.
yesterday's performance was strong
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: El equipo jugó muy bien ayer.
🇫🇷 French: L'équipe a très bien joué hier.
🇩🇪 German: Das Team hat gestern sehr gut gespielt.
🇮🇹 Italian: La squadra ha giocato molto bene ieri.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: A equipe jogou muito bem ontem.
🏀 My sister plays basketball after school.
she practices basketball when classes end
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Mi hermana juega al baloncesto después de la escuela.
🇫🇷 French: Ma sœur joue au basketball après l'école.
🇩🇪 German: Meine Schwester spielt nach der Schule Basketball.
🇮🇹 Italian: Mia sorella gioca a pallacanestro dopo scuola.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: A minha irmã joga basquete depois da escola.
🏃 I train three times a week.
you practice on three days each week
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Entreno tres veces por semana.
🇫🇷 French: Je m'entraîne trois fois par semaine.
🇩🇪 German: Ich trainiere dreimal pro Woche.
🇮🇹 Italian: Mi alleno tre volte a settimana.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Eu treino três vezes por semana.

🏆 Final Practice

English in the Real World:

Read the situation. Choose the best word or phrase from the lesson.
Question 1 of 8
✅ Correct: 0
❓ Questions: 0
🎯 Accuracy: 0%