play
gb/plˈeɪ/ us/plˈeɪ/
A1
English
~ 1300
játszik, alakít, színdarab, lejátszik
VERB
A1
1
játszik
A1
Usage pattern:
to play [a game/sport/activity]
The children love to play in the park after school.
A gyerekek szeretnek iskola után a parkban játszani.
We usually play tennis on Saturdays.
Szombatonként általában teniszezünk.
He plays video games every evening.
They played cards until midnight.
Let's play soccer before it gets dark.
Learner examples
I play football with my friends.
Focizom a barátaimmal.
We play games at school.
Az iskolában szoktunk játékokat játszani.
The kids play in the garden.
She plays tennis every Sunday.
He plays with his dog.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'play' with 'do' or 'go' when talking about sports. Use 'play' for team sports and games (e.g., 'play football'), 'go' for activities ending in -ing (e.g., 'go swimming'), and 'do' for individual sports without 'play' (e.g., 'do karate').
Meaning
do something for fun
Collocations
play football
|play games
|play outside
|play chess
|play together
Synonyms
participate (More formal and general; not limited to recreation.)
|
compete (Focuses on rivalry, often in sports or contests.)
Antonyms
work (Refers to activities done for a job or duty rather than for fun.)
Themes
daily life
|sports
|leisure
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To do an activity, game, or sport for fun.
To take part in an activity, game, or sport for enjoyment rather than for serious or practical purposes.
VERB
A1
2
játszik
A1
Usage pattern:
to play [an instrument/song]
She plays the violin beautifully.
Gyönyörűen hegedül.
He played a song on his guitar.
Eljátszott egy dalt a gitárján.
The band will play at the festival.
Can you play this piece of music?
They played softly so as not to wake the baby.
Learner examples
I can play the piano.
Tudok zongorázni.
She plays guitar very well.
Nagyon jól gitározik.
We play music at home.
He plays a song for his friends.
They play drums in the band.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes omit 'the' before instruments (e.g., 'play piano' instead of 'play the piano'), except in some informal American English where omission is common.
Meaning
perform music or song
Collocations
play the piano
|play guitar
|play a song
|play music
Synonyms
perform (More formal; can apply to acting or other arts, not just music.)
Antonyms
listen (To receive music rather than create it.)
Themes
music
|arts
|arts_entertainment
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To make music by using an instrument or singing.
To produce music by operating a musical instrument or performing a song.
VERB
A2
3
Usage pattern:
to play [a character/role]
She played Juliet in the school production.
Ő játszotta Júliát az iskolai előadásban.
He has played many famous historical figures.
Sok híres történelmi személyiséget alakított már.
Who will play the villain in the movie?
They played their parts convincingly.
The actor is playing a detective in the new series.
Learner examples
I play a teacher in the school play.
Egy tanárt játszom az iskolai darabban.
She plays the main role in the movie.
Ő játssza a főszerepet a filmben.
He plays Hamlet on stage.
They play two brothers in the film.
We play characters in the drama.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with general participation. Here, 'play' specifically means to act as someone else in a performance.
Meaning
act in a drama or role
Collocations
play a role
|play Hamlet
|play the hero
Synonyms
portray (More formal; emphasizes representing the character.)
Antonyms
watch (To view a performance rather than act in it.)
Themes
arts
|entertainment
|arts_entertainment
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To be a character in a movie, play, or show.
To perform the part of a character in a film, play, or other dramatic production.
NOUN
A2
4
színdarab
A2
We went to see a new play last night.
Tegnap este megnéztünk egy új színdarabot.
The school is putting on a Christmas play.
Az iskola karácsonyi színdarabot ad elő.
Shakespeare wrote many famous plays.
This play is set in Victorian England.
The play received excellent reviews.
Learner examples
We saw a play at the theater.
Láttunk egy színdarabot a színházban.
The students act in the school play.
A diákok szerepelnek az iskolai színdarabban.
I read a play by Shakespeare.
They watch a play on TV.
The play is about love and war.
Meaning
theatrical performance script
Collocations
stage play
|Shakespearean play
|school play
Synonyms
drama (Can refer more broadly to serious stories, not always staged.)
Antonyms
improvisation (Performance without a written script.)
Themes
arts
|arts_entertainment
|education
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A story for actors to perform in a theater or on TV/film.
A story written for actors to perform on stage or screen, usually divided into acts and scenes.
VERB
A1
5
lejátszik
A2
Usage pattern:
to play [a song/movie/video]
Can you play that song again?
Le tudod játszani még egyszer azt a számot?
She played the movie from the beginning.
Az elejétől játszotta le a filmet.
They played the recording for us.
I played my favorite playlist while cooking.
Play the video so everyone can see it.
Learner examples
I play music on my phone.
A telefonomról játszom le zenét.
She plays a movie for her children.
Lejátszik egy filmet a gyerekeinek.
We play songs at the party.
He plays videos on his computer.
Please play that song again.
Meaning
start music or video device
Collocations
play a movie
|play an album
|play the radio
Synonyms
start (General term for beginning something; not specific to media.)
Antonyms
stop (To end playback of media.)
Themes
technology
|entertainment
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To make music, video, or other media start on a machine.
To cause recorded sound or video to start operating on a device such as a computer, phone, or stereo system.
Grammar
Dictionary form
play
IPA
GB/plˈeɪ/
US/plˈeɪ/
Syllables & stress
play (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (play)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: play
- Plural: play, plays
Verb
- Base: play
- 3rd Person Singular: plays
- Present Participle: playing
- Past: played
Word family
Forms
plays
noun
playing
verb
played
verb
Related words
Negative and opposite forms
unplayable
adjective
Advanced or less common
playwright
noun
playfulness
noun
Expressions
play along
1/plˈeɪ əlˈɔŋ/
phrasal verb
pretend to agree or cooperate
To act like you agree or are helping, often to keep things calm or secret.
Examples
- She decided to play along until she knew more about their plan.
- I didn't believe him, but I played along.
play down
1/plˈeɪ dˈaʊn/
phrasal verb
make something seem less important
To try to make people think something is less important than it really is.
Examples
- He tried to play down his role in the project.
- Officials are playing down fears of a crisis.
play hardball
1/plˈeɪ hˈɑɹdbˌɔl/
idiom
informal
be tough and aggressive to win
To be very firm and aggressive to get what you want, especially in business or competition.
Examples
- The company decided to play hardball in negotiations.
- The company is playing hardball in contract talks.
- If they want to play hardball, we can too.
- If you want results, you have to play hardball.
play it safe
1/plˈeɪ ˈɪt sˈeɪf/
idiom
avoid risk by being careful
To be careful and avoid taking risks.
Examples
- Let's play it safe and take an umbrella.
- I decided to play it safe and take the train instead of driving in the snow.
- He decided to play it safe and invest in bonds.
- He played it safe by investing in low-risk funds.
play with fire
1/plˈeɪ wˈɪθ fˈaɪɚ/
idiom
take dangerous risks
To do something risky that could cause serious problems later.
Examples
- If you cheat on the test, you're playing with fire.
- If you lie to the police, you're playing with fire.
- Investing all your money in one stock is like playing with fire.
- He's playing with fire by lying to his boss.
- He's playing with fire by investing all his money in one company.
- He’s playing with fire by lying to his boss.