spielen
Translation
to play, to act, to perform
Examples
Die Kinder spielen im Garten.
The children are playing in the garden.
Er spielt sehr gut Klavier.
He plays the piano very well.
Wir spielen heute Fußball.
We are playing football today.
Grammar Patterns
((sth.)) to play (sth.) Die Kinder spielen Fangen.
((with sb.)) to play with (sb.) Spielst du mit mir?
((sth.)) to act, play (a role) Sie spielt die Hauptrolle.
Similar Words
Synonyms: to game; Antonyms: to work
Etymology
From Old High German 'spilōn' (to dance, jest)
Memory Tips
Sounds like 'spiel' in English (a long speech), but means to play.