What is the difference between giocare and suonare in Italian? Are there any situations where you have to use one or the other? Are these verbs even interchangeable?
In this lesson, we will look at how to use these words with the help of many audio recordings and example sentences. Read on to learn all you need to know!
Let’s get started! Iniziamo!
Giocare and suonare in Italian
Both giocare and suonare translate to the English verb “to play”, but in reality they are very different and are NOT interchangeable.
Giocare means “to play a game or sport”.
Suonare means “to play a musical instrument”.
Still confused? Let’s take a closer look at each verb.
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How do you use giocare in Italian?
As we said, giocare means to play a game or a sport. This activity can be done either alone, like playing a videogame, or with a toy, or in a team, like playing soccer.
➡️ See the complete conjugation tables of giocare!
Giocare
To play
Luca gioca a calcio.
Luca plays soccer.
For example, you could say…
I bambini hanno giocato a calcio.
The children played soccer.
Non ho mai giocato a Scarabeo. Quali sono le regole?
I have never played Scrabble. What are the rules?
Marco gioca spesso con i trenini.
Marco often plays with toy trains.
Giochi spesso a pallavolo?
Do you often play volleyball?
Some very common expressions with giocare in Italian are…
- giocare d’azzardo, to gamble
- giocare a carte scoperte, to lay one’s cards on the table
- giocare in attacco, to play offense
How do you use suonare in Italian?
Suonare, unlike giocare, is never used to describe people playing with toys or other games.
Suonare means “to make music with an instrument”. For this reason, it is also translated as “to ring” and “to sound”.
Suonare
To play, to ring, to sound
For example, you could say…
Elena suona la chitarra.
Elena plays the corridor.
Il telefono sta suonando in corridoio.
The phone is ringing in the hallway.
Questa frase non mi suona bene.
This sentence doesn’t sound right to me.
L’orchestra iniziò a suonare.
The orchestra began to play.
Some very common expressions with suonare in Italian are…
- suonare il clacson, to honk
- suonare le campane, to ring the bells
- suonarle di santa ragione, to beat someone up
And that’s the end of our lesson on the difference between giocare and suonare in Italian!
What next?
Now that you’ve seen the difference between giocare and suonare in Italian, you might want to keep learning Italian online with these free Italian resources:
Title: Italian All-in-One For Dummies
Language: English / Italian
Publisher: For Dummies
Pages: 672
Learn to speak Italian like a native? Easy.
Italian All-in-One For Dummies appeals to those readers looking for a comprehensive, all-encompassing guide to mastering the Italian language. It contains content from all For Dummies Italian language instruction titles, including Italian For Dummies, Intermediate Italian For Dummies, Italian Verbs For Dummies, Italian Phrases For Dummies, Italian Grammar For Dummies, and Italian For Dummies Audio Set.
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