Giocare and suonare are often confused by learners of Italian because they translate as “to play”. But they are not the same. Let’s see how they are used with some example sentences.
Giocare in Italian: How to use it
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.
Giocare
To play
For example, you can say…
Luca gioca a calcio.
Luca plays soccer.
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
Suonare in Italian: How to use it
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 can say…
Elena suona la chitarra.
Elena plays the guitar.
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
Giocare and suonare: Let’s recap the difference
The main difference between giocare and suonare in Italian is the following:
| Giocare | To play a game or a sport |
| Suonare | To play an instrument or a bell |
I hope that giocare and suonare will have no secrets for you from now on! 😊
More free Italian resources
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