How to Say ‘He was playing the guitar.’ in Mexican Spanish
Él tocaba la guitarra.
EHL toh-KAH-bah lah gee-TAH-rrah
[EHL toh-KAH-bah lah gee-TAH-rrah]
💬 Usage Tip: Spanish uses tocar for playing instruments, not jugar, which is for games and sports.
Phrase Breakdown
Él tocaba
EHL toh-KAH-bah
He used to play
'Tocar' means to play an instrument. 'Tocaba' is the imperfect, for a past habit: 'to-KAH-bah'. 'Él' with an accent means 'he'.
Él tocaba el piano.
He used to play the piano.
Words in this phrase
Él
[EHL]
He
The male person or an animate being previously mentioned or easily identified.
Él es un buen amigo.
He is a good friend.
tocaba
[toh-KAH-bah]
used to play
Imperfect of 'tocar'; to play an instrument (also 'to touch').
Mi papá tocaba el violín.
My dad used to play the violin.
la guitarra.
lah gee-TAH-rrah
the guitar.
The u in 'gui' is silent: 'gee-TAH-rrah'. Trill the double rr.
Me gusta la guitarra.
I like the guitar.
Words in this phrase
la
[lah]
the
Feminine singular definite article used before a feminine noun.
La frase «La cultura de trabajo» empieza con «La».
The phrase “The work culture” begins with “La.”
guitarra
[gee-TAH-rrah]
guitar
Stringed instrument, key in mariachi music.
La guitarra suena bonito.
The guitar sounds nice.
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