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Talking about sports in Spanish

Talking about sports in Spanish will be easier if you have the vocabulary you need!

Just as it happens with other lexical fields, such as family members and jobs, words referring to sports are the same across Latin America and Spain.

Sometimes these words keep more or less their original root in English, like básquetbol, and at other times, there’s a more Spanish-sounding version, like baloncesto.

And since many of them originated in Anglophone countries, the names are just the same in both languages. We could add them to the list of 250 words that are the same in English and Spanish!

Are you ready to learn sports in Spanish? Let’s go!

Children playing football - talking about sports in Spanish
Un grupo de niños jugando al fútbol. Foto de RODNAE Productions en Pexels

Talking about sports in Spanish

You can practice the following words online or print this list and take it anywhere with you.

I suggest you try to memorize them by creating a meaningful example on your own!

List of sports in Spanish

alpinismo = mountaineering, alpinism

arquería = archery

artes marciales = martial arts

atletismo = athletics

automovilismo = car racing

básquetbol / básquet / baloncesto (Spain) = basketball

béisbol = baseball

billar / pool = pool

bolos / bowling = bowling

boxeo = boxing

buceo = diving

canotaje = canoeing

carrera de caballos = horse racing

carrera de lanchas = motorboat racing

caza = hunting

ciclismo = cycling

ciclismo de montaña = mountain biking

críquet = cricket

equitación = riding

esgrima = fencing

esquí = skiing

esquí acuático = waterskiing

footing (false anglicism used in Spanish) = jogging

fútbol americano = American football

fútbol = football, soccer (USA)

gimnasia = gymnastics

golf = golf

handball / hándbol / balonmano (Spain) = handball

hockey = hockey

hockey sobre hielo = ice hockey

jet ski = jey skiing

judo = judo

karate = karate

kayak = kayaking

lucha libre = wrestling

natación = swimming

navegación = sailing

paracaidismo = parachuting

patinaje / patín (Argentina) = skating

patinaje artístico / patín (Argentina) = figure skating

patinaje de velocidad = speed skating

patinaje sobre hielo = ice skating

pesas = weight lifting

pesca = fishing

polo = polo

rafting = rafting

remo = rowing

rugby = rugby

salto de esquí = ski jumping

senderismo = hiking

skateboard = skateboarding

snowboard = snowboarding

surf = surfing

taekwondo = taekwondo

tenis = tennis

tenis de mesa / ping-pong = ping-pong

tiro al blanco = target shooting

vóleibol / vóley = voleyball

waterpolo = water polo

windsurf = windsurfing

And that’s all for today!

Do you want to learn more Spanish?

I hope you have enjoyed this article with vocabulary related to talking about sports in Spanish!

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Thank you very much and until next time,

Kevin.

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