Lege or spille

Danish has two verbs for to play.

• lege (present leger): children's play with toys, pretend play and traditional playground games such as tag and hide-and-seek: lege med dukker (play with dolls), lege tagfat (play tag), lege skjul (play hide-and-seek), lege far, mor og børn (play house).
• spille (present spiller): sports, board and card games, computer games, instruments and roles: spille fodbold, spille skak, spille klaver, spille hovedrollen (play the lead role).

Tip: if there is a score, a winner, an instrument or a role, use spille. If children play with something, pretend to be someone or play a playground game, use lege. Compare lege med en bold (play with a ball) and spille bold (play ball, a game).