# All Slavic: Alternatives to igrat' (play)



## bardistador

Igrat' in its various forms (hrát, grać, igrati) is used for a whole variety of uses, but other than Serbo-Croatian and maybe Macedonian, are there alternatives to igrat' for:

1. Playing a musical instrument?  (BCS uses svirati)
2. Playing a role, i.e. acting, in theater or a film (BCS uses glumiti)?
3. Playing a song (indirectly) on a record player, tape player, computer?  (I believe Macedonian has a word, but I can't remember it)

Or is it igrat'-forms (hrát, grać, igrati) used throughout, for acting, playing music and letting music play?
Are there alternatives like svirati/glumiti?

If igrat' is used, is the perfective form (if it exists) different for different meanings (music, acting, etc)?

Are there prefixed forms of igrat' for specific meanings?  (For example, a word like za+igrat' meaning "quickly/once play a song" or na+igrat for "start playing a song") that are exclusive to one meaning (so zaigraj would be something one could say to a DJ/band but not to a chess player as a "make your move.")

Or all all prefixed and perfective forms universal to all meanings for "play"?

Thank you for your time.


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## 123xyz

Macedonian:

1.* игра *- to play a game or sport; dance (for "to dance", we have the more specific verb *танцува*, though it's a bit literary and generally not used in speech unless ambiguities need to be resolved); act as (when the direct object is the name of a role, e.g. "Shakespeare")
*одигра* - perfective used when the direct object is a word like "match", "round" (e.g. of chess or cards)
*изигра* - perfective used as above, but also when the direct object is a word like "level" (in a video game); when the direct object is a person, the meaning of this verb is "to deceive, to manipulate", which cannot be obtained with the use of the imperfect base *игра*
*if the direct object is the name of a sport, board game, or the like, a perfective verb isn't used
*разигра - *to cause someone/something to play or dance until the subject gets carried away or reaches the point where one is really emotionally engaged in the dance
*се разигра - *to let oneself get carried away while playing or dancing or to reach the point where one is really emotionally engaged in the game or dance
*заигра - *to start dancing, and more rarely, to start playing
*се заигра - *to let oneself get carried away while playing (but not dancing), not due to enjoyment, but due to absent-mindedness
*доигра - *to finish playing or dancing (after having been interrupted)
*поигра - *to play or dance for a short time, especially in a nonchalant manner
**наигра* - doesn't exist, to my knowledge
*се преигра - *to play or dance too much, possibly to the point of exhaustion
*се изнаигра - *to play or dance a lot, to the point of satisfaction, and possibly exhaustion 
*надигра - *to play or dance better than someone
2. *свири - *to play a musical instrument, honk (of vehicles), make high-pitched noises (e.g. of a stuffy nose or an alarm/siren)
*отсвири - *perfective (used when the direct object is a word like "song", "composition")
*расвири - *to play until playing becomes comfortable/effortless; the direct object can be "piano" (to play the piano until the keys stop giving resistance) or "fingers" (to play until one's fingers have warmed up), for instance
*се расвири - *to let oneself get carried away while playing or to reach the point where one is really emotionally engaged in the musical performance
*засвири - *to start playing an instrument, but more commonly, to start making high-pitched noises (see above)
*досвири - *to finish playing (after having been interrupted)
*посвири - *to play for a short time, especially in a nonchalant manner 
*се пресвири - *to play too much, possibly to the point of exhaustion
*се изнасвири - *to play a lot, to the point of satisfaction, and possibly exhaustion 
*натсвири - *to play better (or louder) than someone
3. *глуми - *to act, play a role (overlaps with *игра *when the direct object is a role); pretend, feign
*одглуми - *perfective (when the object is the name of a role, a play, a sickness, an emotion, etc.)
*the meanings of the remaining perfective forms, (*доглуми, се разглуми, поглуми, се преглуми, се изнаглуми, надглуми*; for some reason, there's no *разглуми *and* заглуми, *at least not commonly, though they wouldn't be considered incorrect forms and would be understand - they would just sound either stilted or creative)
4. *пушта/пушти* - to play a song (literally, "to release", "to let go"); there are no specific, rich aspect-related meanings that can be derived from this verb, unlike from the above ones; there's only the imperfective vs. perfective distinction.


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## Panceltic

Slovene:

Igrati for 1 and 2 (colloquial/dialectal use also špilati - from German)

Predvajati for 3

Zaigrati, odigrati, preigrati, nadigrati* exist

*Though I really don't like this verb - it sounds BCS to me.


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## LoraLanguage

In Bulgarian "играя" can mean more than one thing, too.
I play chess. - (Аз) играя шах. 
I play a video/computer games. - (Аз) играя видео/компютърни игри.
It can be used for all types of games!

But it can also mean "dance"!
Of course we have a verb for "dance". It is "танцувам". But in some cases you can also say "играя".
For example, I have heard phrases as these many times:
Играят толкова хубаво. - They play so good. (In the meaning of "dance".)

But if we talk about round dances then we always say "play" instead of "dance".
Щом чуха музиката, веднага започнаха да играят хоро. - When they heard the music they immediately started to play round dance. (literally)

To be honest I don't know is it possible somebody to say "танцувам хоро" (dance round dance) but I have never met it in this way or I don't remember. 

"Play" is also used when we talk about theater or a film.

Играят във филми. - They play in films. (literally)
Играят в комедийни пиеси. - They play a comedy plays.

It can NOT be used for musical instruments!
We also say: свиря

поиграя - to play or dance for a short time
заиграя - it means something like "to star to play".
For example:
Тъкмо се заиграх и ти ми развали настроението. - I just started playing and you spoiled my mood.
доиграва ми се - It is something like "I start to want to play".
For example:
Като те гледам как играеш на тази видео игра ми се доиграва и на мен. - 
When I watch you how you are playing this video game I start to want to play, too. (literally)
наигравам се - to play or dance, possibly to the point of satisfaction
надигравам - to play or dance better than someone (as in Macedonian)


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## 123xyz

> доиграва ми се - It is something like "I start to want to play".



We have this in Macedonian too (albeit with a different prefix); I didn't think of it yesterday when writing my post:
*се приигра* - to enter a state where one feels the desire or need to play or dance (e.g. "ми се приигра")


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## LoraLanguage

123xyz said:


> We have this in Macedonian too (albeit with a different prefix); I didn't think of it yesterday when writing my post:
> *се приигра* - to enter a state where one feels the desire or need to play or dance (e.g. "ми се приигра")


Oooo after I read your comment I remembered that we also can say "прииграва ми си" instead of "доиграва ми се"! It has the same meaning! Thanks!


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## 123xyz

> Oooo after I read your comment I remembered that we also can say "прииграва ми си" instead of "доиграва ми се"! It has the same meaning! Thanks!



Now I've remembered yet another derived form  :

*се одигра* - to lose the desire or need to play or dance (e.g. "ми се одигра" - I no longer want to play); of course, this could also be the reflexive/impersonal form of *одигра* in the meaning described above


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## LoraLanguage

123xyz said:


> Now I've remembered yet another derived form  :
> 
> *се одигра* - to lose the desire or need to play or dance (e.g. "ми се одигра" - I no longer want to play); of course, this could also be the reflexive/impersonal form of *одигра* in the meaning described above


In Bulgarian exists such a verb, too! I'm serious. 
Отиграва ми се - it has the same meaning (to lose the desire to play)


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