Meaning & use
pelota
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountablesportregional
A fast ball game played mainly in the Basque Country in which players hit a ball against a wall or over a line with their hand or a curved basket.
Grammar: Used like a sport name, so no article: 'Pelota is popular in Spain.'
Patterns
- play pelota
- a game of pelota
My grandfather grew up in Bilbao and still watches pelota on television every weekend.
The village built a new court where children can learn pelota after school.
nouncountablesportregional
The small hard ball used in this game.
Grammar: Countable when it means the object: 'a pelota', 'two pelotas'.
Patterns
- hit the pelota
- catch the pelota
The player struck the pelota so hard that it bounced off the far wall.
He keeps a worn pelota on his desk as a souvenir.
Word forms
| plural | pelotas |
|---|
Common combinations
- play pelota
- They play pelota on the court behind the church.
- pelota court
- The old pelota court is now used for concerts.
- pelota player
- A professional pelota player needs quick reflexes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- jai alai
- A similar Basque ball game, but played with a long curved basket called a cesta rather than the bare hand.
Commonly confused: pelota or pilota?
pelota vs pilota
Pilota is the Catalan and Italian word for 'ball'; pelota is the Spanish and Basque term and the name of the game.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'pelota' correctly?
Choose one answer.
As a sport name, 'pelota' is uncountable and takes no article: 'play pelota'. 'A pelota' or 'the pelota' would refer to the ball, not the game, and 'pelotas' as a plural game name is not used.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pelota”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.