Giocano

Giocano is the third-person plural present indicative form of the Italian verb giocare, meaning “to play.” It is used when referring to multiple subjects performing an act of playing in the present. For example, in the sentence I bambini giocano nel parco, the translation is “the children are playing in the park.” The verb giocare is a regular -are verb, and in the present tense the standard forms are: io gioco, tu giochi, lui/lei gioca, noi giochiamo, voi giocate, loro giocano. Giocano specifically corresponds to the “they play” form, with subject-verb agreement in the present.

Beyond literal playing, giocare appears in various expressions, such as giocare a carte (to play cards) or giocare con qualcosa (to toy with something). The word also features in common tense constructions derived from giocare, including the past participle giocato (played) and the gerund giocando (playing). The present tense forms follow the regular -are conjugation pattern, with the pronunciation roughly close to “jo-KA-no.”

In usage, gioca and giochiamo illustrate how the stem is adjusted for different subjects, while gioca remains the third-person singular and giocano the third-person plural form. Understanding gioca, giochiamo, and giocano helps with basic sentence construction across everyday contexts, from sports and games to figurative meanings involving playful or strategic actions.