When you're learning Norwegian, you'll find 'spille' is a super useful verb!
You use spille when you talk about playing games, like 'spille fotball' (to play football) or 'spille sjakk' (to play chess).
But it's not just for games! You also use spille for playing musical instruments, such as 'spille gitar' (to play guitar) or 'spille piano' (to play piano).
So, remember, whether it's a game or music, 'spille' is your go-to word!
§ Basic Meanings of 'Spille'
The Norwegian word spille (verb) is super useful. It means to play. But like in English, 'to play' can mean a few different things. In Norwegian, spille covers two main areas: playing games and playing music.
- Definition
- to engage in a game or music
Let's break it down.
§ Playing Games (Spille Spill)
When you're talking about games, you use spille. This can be anything from board games to video games or sports. It's very common.
- Board games: You'll hear "Vi skal spille brettspill." (We are going to play board games.)
- Card games: "Liker du å spille kort?" (Do you like to play cards?)
- Video games: "Barna mine spiller ofte dataspill." (My children often play computer games.)
- Sports: "Jeg skal ut og spille fotball." (I am going out to play football/soccer.)
Skal vi spille et spill i kveld?
(Shall we play a game tonight?)
Han liker å spille sjakk.
(He likes to play chess.)
§ Playing Music (Spille Musikk)
The second main use of spille is about music. This applies to playing musical instruments, playing recorded music, or even putting on a performance.
- Musical instruments: "Hun kan spille gitar og piano." (She can play guitar and piano.)
- Recorded music: "Kan du spille den sangen igjen?" (Can you play that song again?)
- In a band/orchestra: "Han spiller i et orkester." (He plays in an orchestra.)
DJ-en skal spille god musikk i kveld.
(The DJ is going to play good music tonight.)
Vi elsker å spille musikk sammen.
(We love to play music together.)
§ 'Spille' in Work, School, and News Contexts
While spille mostly comes up in casual contexts, it can also appear in more formal settings, especially when talking about performances or sports events.
- News reports: You might hear news about a sports team that will "spille en viktig kamp" (play an important match). Or about a band that will "spille på en festival" (play at a festival).
- School: Children often "spiller fotball i friminuttet" (play football during recess). Music classes involve learning to "spille et instrument" (play an instrument).
- Work (less common): Unless your job involves performing music or professional gaming/sports, you won't use spille much in a work context. However, a musician at work would definitely "spille"!
Laget skal spille finale på lørdag.
(The team will play the final on Saturday.)
So, whether it's for fun or in a more formal performance, spille is the word you need for playing games and making music in Norwegian. It's a fundamental verb to master early on.
§ What 'spille' means
The Norwegian verb spille (pronounced like SPEEL-leh) is an important word for beginners. It generally means 'to play'. However, it's used in two main situations that you need to understand right away: playing games and playing musical instruments.
- DEFINITION
- to engage in a game or music
Let's look at some examples to make this clear.
§ 'Spille' for games
When you're talking about playing any kind of game, whether it's a board game, a sport, or a video game, you use spille.
Vi liker å spille fotball hver lørdag.
(We like to play football every Saturday.)
Skal vi spille kort i kveld?
(Shall we play cards tonight?)
Barna spiller videospill nå.
(The children are playing video games now.)
§ 'Spille' for music
The second main use of spille is when you are talking about playing a musical instrument or playing music in general.
Hun kan spille gitar veldig bra.
(She can play guitar very well.)
Kan du spille en sang for meg?
(Can you play a song for me?)
De spiller klassisk musikk på radioen.
(They are playing classical music on the radio.)
§ Important point: 'Spille' vs. 'leke'
This is where many English speakers get confused. In English, we use 'play' for children's free play, like 'children playing in the park'. In Norwegian, you do NOT use spille for this. For children's free play or general playing around, you use the verb leke (pronounced LAY-keh).
§ When to use 'leke':
- When children are engaged in imaginative play.
- When someone is just 'playing around' or goofing off.
- When talking about pets playing.
Barna leker i hagen.
(The children are playing in the garden.)
Hunden min elsker å leke med ballen.
(My dog loves to play with the ball.)
Slutt å leke og gjør leksene dine!
(Stop playing around and do your homework!)
§ Summary of 'spille' vs. 'leke'
To recap:
- Use spille for: games, sports, musical instruments, playing music (radio, records, etc.).
- Use leke for: children's free play, general playing around, animals playing.
Getting this distinction right will make your Norwegian sound much more natural. Practice these examples and try to make your own sentences to solidify your understanding.
Se confunde a menudo con
'Å leke' is for children's play or general fooling around, not for organized games or musical instruments.
This means 'to have fun', which is a feeling, not the action of playing a game or instrument.
For recording music or video, you use 'å spille inn', not just 'å spille'.
Fácil de confundir
'Spille' can refer to playing a game or playing a musical instrument, which might be confusing for English speakers who use different verbs for these actions.
In Norwegian, 'å spille' covers both 'to play a game' and 'to play an instrument'. Context usually makes it clear which meaning is intended.
Jeg liker å spille fotball. (I like to play football.) Hun skal spille piano på konserten. (She will play the piano at the concert.)
Often confused with 'å spille', especially when thinking about children's play.
'Å leke' specifically means 'to play' in the sense of children's play, or to fool around. It generally doesn't apply to organized games or musical instruments.
Barna liker å leke ute. (The children like to play outside.) Slutt å leke med maten! (Stop playing with your food!)
Learners might use this when they mean to 'play' a game or sport.
'Å ha det gøy' means 'to have fun'. While playing a game can be fun, 'å ha det gøy' describes the feeling, not the action of playing.
Vi hadde det gøy på festen. (We had fun at the party.)
The addition of 'inn' can change the meaning significantly, which can be tricky for learners.
'Å spille inn' means 'to record' (music, film, etc.), not 'to play in' a game or place.
Bandet skal spille inn en ny sang. (The band is going to record a new song.)
Similar to 'å spille inn', the particle 'ut' changes the meaning in a way that isn't immediately obvious to English speakers.
'Å spille ut' can mean 'to play out' (like a scenario), or to 'play a card' in a game.
La oss spille ut denne scenen. (Let's play out this scene.) Han spilte ut esset. (He played out the ace.)
Practica en la vida real
Contextos reales
Talking about playing sports or games
- Vi kan spille fotball i parken. (We can play football in the park.)
- Liker du å spille sjakk? (Do you like to play chess?)
- Jeg elsker å spille dataspill. (I love to play computer games.)
Discussing playing musical instruments
- Jeg spiller gitar. (I play guitar.)
- Kan du spille piano? (Can you play piano?)
- Hun spiller fiolin veldig bra. (She plays the violin very well.)
Suggesting an activity
- Skal vi spille kort i kveld? (Shall we play cards tonight?)
- Vil du spille et spill? (Do you want to play a game?)
- De skal spille musikk på festen. (They will play music at the party.)
Talking about a performance or a show
- Bandet spiller live musikk. (The band plays live music.)
- Han spiller hovedrollen i stykket. (He plays the main role in the play.)
- De spiller en konsert i morgen. (They are playing a concert tomorrow.)
Asking about someone's hobbies
- Hva liker du å spille? (What do you like to play?)
- Spiller du noen instrumenter? (Do you play any instruments?)
- Spiller du ofte? (Do you play often?)
Inicios de conversación
"Liker du å spille dataspill? Hvilke?"
"Spiller du et instrument? Hvilket?"
"Hva er ditt favorittspill å spille med venner?"
"Har du sett noen spille et instrument du liker nylig?"
"Hvis du kunne lære å spille et nytt instrument, hva ville det vært?"
Temas para diario
Skriv om en gang du spilte et spill og hadde det veldig gøy. Hva var det?
Tenk på et instrument du vil lære å spille. Hvorfor vil du lære det?
Beskriv en gang du så noen spille musikk. Hvordan følte du deg?
Hva er fordelene med å spille spill eller instrumenter?
Skriv en kort historie om en person som oppdager en ny lidenskap for å spille noe.
Ponte a prueba 30 preguntas
Write a short sentence about a game you like to play. Use the verb 'spille'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Jeg liker å spille fotball. (I like to play football.)
Imagine you are inviting a friend to play music with you. Write a sentence using 'spille'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Vil du spille gitar med meg? (Do you want to play guitar with me?)
Describe a musical instrument you can play, or would like to learn to play. Use 'spille'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Jeg kan spille piano. (I can play the piano.)
Hva liker Lise å gjøre om kvelden?
Read this passage:
Lise elsker å spille sjakk hver kveld. Det er hennes favoritthobby. Hun liker også å spille piano av og til.
Hva liker Lise å gjøre om kvelden?
The passage states Lise loves to play chess every evening.
The passage states Lise loves to play chess every evening.
Hva skal barna gjøre etter skolen?
Read this passage:
Barna skal spille fotball i parken etter skolen. Været er fint, så det blir gøy. De gleder seg til å løpe og score mål.
Hva skal barna gjøre etter skolen?
The passage clearly states 'Barna skal spille fotball i parken etter skolen.'
The passage clearly states 'Barna skal spille fotball i parken etter skolen.'
Hvilket instrument vil broren lære å spille?
Read this passage:
Min bror vil lære å spille trommer. Han synes det høres kult ut. Han har allerede kjøpt noen trommestikker.
Hvilket instrument vil broren lære å spille?
The passage says 'Min bror vil lære å spille trommer.'
The passage says 'Min bror vil lære å spille trommer.'
What does she like to do in her free time?
What activity is suggested for tonight?
What do the children love to play in the park?
Read this aloud:
Kan du spille et instrument?
Focus: spille, instrument
Dijiste:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Jeg vil spille sjakk med deg.
Focus: vil, sjakk
Dijiste:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Hva pleier du å spille når du er hjemme?
Focus: pleier, hjemme
Dijiste:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Etter en lang uke ville hun bare ___ et spill for å slappe av.
The context implies engaging in a game to relax. 'Spille' means to play (a game or music).
Han pleide å ___ trommer i et band, men nå har han sluttet.
The sentence talks about playing drums in a band. 'Spille' is the correct verb for playing a musical instrument.
Kan du ___ noe musikk mens vi spiser middag?
To 'play music' in Norwegian is 'spille musikk'.
Vi måtte ___ et viktig spill for å komme til finalen.
The context implies participating in a game to reach the final. 'Spille' means to play (a game).
Hun elsker å ___ sjakk, men finner det veldig utfordrende.
Playing a board game like chess ('sjakk') uses the verb 'spille'.
Det er viktig å lære barn å ___ ute i frisk luft.
The sentence suggests engaging in outdoor activities. 'Spille' can also mean to play (generally, for children).
Etter en lang uke med stress, elsker jeg å ___ et avslappende brettspill med venner.
In this context, 'spille' means to play a board game. The other options do not fit the meaning.
Orkesteret forberedte seg på å ___ en kompleks symfoni for et kresent publikum.
Here, 'spille' refers to performing a symphony with an orchestra. The other verbs are not appropriate.
Han pleide å ___ fotball profesjonelt før en skade satte en stopper for karrieren hans.
'Spille fotball' is the correct idiom for playing soccer. The other options don't convey the same meaning of participation.
Det er viktig å ___ en aktiv rolle i samfunnet for å skape positiv endring.
'Spille en rolle' means to play a role or take an active part. This is a common idiomatic expression.
Artisten skulle ___ piano solo under konserten, til glede for alle fremmøtte.
'Spille piano' means to play the piano. It refers to the act of performing music on the instrument.
Barn elsker å ___ ute i parken, spesielt når været er fint.
'Spille ute' means to play outdoors. It encompasses various forms of play for children.
This sentence structure indicates 'He played guitar at the performance'.
This phrase translates to 'We should not gamble with the consequences', using 'spille' in a figurative sense.
This sentence means 'Her background played a crucial role'.
/ 30 correct
Perfect score!
