Soccer is a very popular sport among kids. They often prefer to be outside playing with a ball and their friends than practicing their Spanish.
That’s probably because they already spent many hours at school, so they don’t want to waste the rest of their energy studying more. They want to have fun! Hey, at least it’s a healthy kind of fun.
Though we get parents’ concern about their children improving their Spanish skills. After all, a second language will bring tons of benefits for them in the near and long future.
But did you know that they can practice their Spanish while sharing their passion for soccer? That’s right, you can keep encouraging your kids to play soccer without leaving their academics aside.
If you don’t believe us, just take a look at how popular soccer is in many Hispanic countries. You can take advantage of that. To help you, we’ve gathered the best Spanish words and phrases for kids playing soccer.
Spanish Soccer Vocabulary
- Soccer – Fútbol
- Ball – Balón / Pelota
- Player / Players – Jugador / Jugadores
- Soccer player – Jugador de fútbol / Futbolista
- Coach – Entrenador
- Referee – Árbitro
- Team / Teams – Equipo / Equipos
- Reserve team – Reservas / Equipo de reservas
- National team – Selección nacional
- League – Liga
- Match – Partido
- Championship – Campeonato
- Trophy – Trofeo
- World Cup – Copa Mundial / Copa del Mundo / Mundial
- Golden Ball – Balón de Oro
- Golden Glove – Guante de Oro
- Golden Boot – Bota de Oro
- Uniform – Uniforme
- Shirt – Playera
- Shorts – Shorts
- Socks – Calcetines
- Shin pads / Shin guards – Espinilleras
- Cleats – Tacos
- Goalkeeper gloves – Guantes de portero
- Football pitch – Campo
- Stands / Bleachers – Gradas
- Stadium – Estadio
- Goal area – Área de meta
- Goal – Portería
- Net – Red
- Post – Poste
- Penalty spot – Punto de penalti
- Penalty area – Área de penalti
- Corner arc – Cuadrante de esquina / Área de tiro de esquina
- Corner flag – Banderín
- Centre circle – Círculo central
- Centre spot – Punto central
- Half-way line – Línea de medio campo
- Goal – Gol
- Autogol – Own goal
- Goal scorer – Goleador
- First half – Primer tiempo
- Second half – Segundo tiempo
- Half-time – Medio tiempo
- Extra time – Tiempo extra
- Penalty / Penalties – Penalti or Penal / Penaltis or Penales
- Penalty shootout – Tanda de penaltis
- Locker room (s) / Dressing room (s) – Vestuario or Vestidor / Vestuarios or Vestidores
- Yellow card – Tarjeta amarilla
- Red card – Tarjeta roja
- Goal kick – Saque de meta
- Corner kick – Tiro de esquina / Saque de esquina
- Throw-in – Saque de banda / Saque lateral
- Marker / Scoreboard – Marcador
- Tie – Empate
- Winner – Ganador
- Champion – Campeón
- Loser – Perdedor
- Injury – Lesión
- Infringement – Infracción / Falta
- Pass – Pase
- Bench – Banca
- Bicycle kick – Chilena
- Whistle – Silbato
- Tactical board – Carpeta táctica / Tablero táctico
- Move – Jugada
- Fanatics (fans) – Fanáticos (fans) / Aficionados
- To kick – Patear
- To run – Correr
- To cheer – Echar porras
- Friendly match – Partido amistoso
- Offside – Fuera de juego / Fuera de lugar
Types of Soccer Passes in Spanish
As its name implies, passes are a way of passing the ball to another player. There are different types, all with their own technique and level of difficulty and awesomeness. Here are the names of those soccer passes in Spanish.
- Short pass – Pase corto
- Long pass – Pase largo
- Give and go pass / Wall pass – Pase de pared
- Low pass – Pase raso
- Head pass – Pase de cabeza
- Heel pass – Pase de tacón / Pase de tachón
- Cross – Pase de rabona
- Pass with the chest – Pase con el pecho
- Pass for goal – Pase para gol
Soccer Positions in Spanish
It doesn’t matter if your kids are new to the sport or are already preparing to be professional soccer players. Knowing the positions of soccer players is a must to truly understand the game.
So, here are the four basic names in Spanish to take their bilingual soccer knowledge to a whole new level.
- Goalkeeper – Portero
- Defenders – Defensas
- Midfielders – Mediocampistas
- Forwards – Delanteros
Soccer Championships in Spanish
There are many different cups or championships where soccer players go to demonstrate their abilities. Some championships are so famous that winners end up with more than just a trophy or medal. They earn respect and the image of being some of the best teams out there.
Here are the names in Spanish of some of the most important championships where soccer teams can play.
- World Cup – Copa Mundial / Copa del Mundo / Mundial
- FIFA Women’s World Cup – Copa Mundial Femenina
- Summer Olympic Games – Juegos Olímpicos de verano
- UEFA Champions League – Liga de Campeones de la UEFA (though Hispanic people also knows it as Champions League, or “La Champions”)
- Confederations Cup – Copa Confederaciones
- Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores / Libertadores Cup – Copa Libertadores
- Eurocup – Eurocopa / Campeonato Europeo de la UEFA
- America’s Cup – Copa América
- FIFA Club World Cup – Copa Mundial de Clubes
8 Spanish Questions about Soccer to Encourage Conversations in Spanish
Here are some Spanish questions about soccer to ask your children or that they can ask to their friends. This way they’ll start talking in Spanish about one of their favorite topics.
- ¿Te gusta el fútbol? / Do you like soccer?
- ¿Qué es lo que más te gusta del fútbol? / What do you like the most about soccer?
- Mi jugador favorito es Messi, ¿cuál es el tuyo? / My favorite player is Messi, which one is yours?
- ¿Cuál es tu equipo favorito? / Which is your favorite team?
- ¿Quién crees que gane la Copa Mundial? / Who do you think is going to win the World Cup?
- ¿Qué país preferirías que gane la Copa Mundial? / Which country would you prefer to win the World Cup?
- ¿Quién crees que es el mejor jugador en la historia del fútbol? / Who do you think is the best player in the history of soccer?
- ¿Te gustó el partido de ayer? / Did you like yesterday’s match?
- ¿En qué posición te gustaría jugar? / In which position would you like to play?
- ¿Cómo te fue en el partido? / How was the match?
Phrases in Spanish about Soccer
Here are a few phrases in Spanish about soccer using some of the words above. Your children can use these when talking in Spanish about soccer with you or their friends. Some of these also work as answers for some of the questions above.
- Cuando sea grande quiero ser futbolista. / I want to be a soccer player when I grow up.
- Me encanta el fútbol. / I love soccer.
- Lo que más me gusta del fútbol es jugar en equipo. / What I like the most about soccer is being a team player.
- Mi jugador favorito es Cristiano Ronaldo. / My favorite player is Cristiano Ronaldo.
- A mí me gusta ser mediocampista. / I like to be midfielder.
- Yo creo que Luka Modrić debería ganar el Balón de Oro este año. / I think Luka Modrić should win this year’s Golden Ball.
- En el partido de ayer Harry cometió una falta. / Harry committed an infringement in yesterday’s match.
- ¡Fui el máximo goleador en el partido de hoy! / I was the top scorer in today’s match.
- Perdimos por penales. / We lost on penalties.
- Nos fuimos a tiempo extra en el partido de hoy. / We went to extra-time in today’s match.
- Espero que Brasil gane la Copa del Mundo. / I hope Brazil wins the World Cup.
- ¡Uh! ¡Esa fue una gran jugada, con razón ganaron! / Oh! That was a great move, no wonder why they won!
- Te reto a hacer diez chilenas. / I challenge you to do ten bicycle kicks.
- ¡Sharon hizo un gran pase largo hoy! / ¡Sharon did an amazing long pass today!
- Tom se quedó todo el partido en la banca. / Tom stayed the whole match on the bench.
How to Help Your Kids Learn Spanish through Soccer
Use one of the phrases or questions above to start a conversation in Spanish with your kids. They’ll love the topic so much that they’ll be excited to talk about it even if in Spanish.
Plus, speaking about something they love will motivate them more to surpass any language challenge they might face. And if the conversation starts fading, because your kids have said it all, then ask them another question. One that you think of or one of the above.
For example, if you already talked about their favorite players, now talk about their favorite team. Encourage them to keep on talking.
Organize a friendly match in Spanish with their language school friends and their Hispanic neighbors and friends. The goal is for them to play and enjoy, while improving their Spanish skills. Make the rule of only speaking Spanish, so they’ll get to practice the vocabulary above they just learned.
If they have trouble expressing themselves, their Spanish speaking friends can help them. Plus, they won’t feel alone when making mistakes if there are also other kids that are just learning the language.
Practicing doing an everyday activity is part of the language immersion method, one of the best ways to learn!
Watch a soccer match together from a Spanish speaking country. The sports commentator’s language will be Spanish, so the whole game will be narrated in that language.
Even if you and your kids don’t have an advanced language level, you will understand what’s going on by just watching the game. At the same time, you’ll both start picking up some soccer words and phrases by listening to the commentators. So, you’ll expand your sports vocabulary.
Kids Can Keep Learning Spanish While Having Fun With TruFluency Kids
Now you have all the tools for your kids to learn Spanish through soccer. That’s a great way of learning. Let’s be honest, could language learning get any better than that?
Believe it or not, with us, it can! Here at TruFluency Kids we have many other ways of fun Spanish learning.
Our native teachers plan every lesson to be dynamic. Your kids will learn through all kinds of cool activities, like dancing, playing picture games, singing songs in Spanish, and even crafting! More importantly, they’ll have speaking time in every class.
That way they can share their ideas and feelings, and achieve Spanish fluency. When you least expect it, they’ll be discussing more than just a soccer match in Spanish.
We also worry about parents. We know how many responsibilities you might have, so we want to make things as comfortable as possible for you. That’s why all our lessons are online, so you don’t have to drive for hours to the school.
Plus, we have flexible schedules. There are lessons seven days a week, from 9 am to 9 pm (CST).
See? Your kids can study with us from home, even from another country if you will. Want more? If they missed a class, tell us and they can jump into another one to make up for it.
You can take a trial class now. Or just sign up for the next 4-week session and start seeing improvements in your kids’ Spanish skills.
