Spanish for Checking a Used Board Game: Asking About Missing Pieces
Learn to ask whether a used board game is complete in casual Spanish: 'Falta una ficha,' '¿Tienen el dado?', and simple ways to check pieces with a seller.
By LiamCulture & nuance · Yapr Learn
When you buy a used board game, the most useful thing you can do is check that all the pieces are there before you pay. In Spanish, the key verb for this situation is faltar, which means 'to be missing.' You say Falta una ficha for one missing piece and Faltan dos fichas for more than one. To ask about a specific piece, use tener: ¿Tienen el dado? This lesson gives you short, natural questions for a casual market, flea market, or secondhand shop. You will practice asking what is missing, what is included, and whether the game is complete. The focus is elementary Spanish that works in everyday conversation, with general Latin American usage.
By the end, you can…
- say that a game piece is missing using falta and faltan.
- ask a seller whether a specific piece is included, such as the dice or the instructions.
- check whether a used board game is complete before buying it.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Falta una ficha.
A piece is missing. / One piece is missing.
FAHL-tah OO-nah FEE-chah
Use falta with one missing item. Ficha often means a game token or playing piece; in some countries it can also mean a card or a chip, so point to the piece if you can.
Faltan dos fichas.
Two pieces are missing.
FAHL-tahn dohs FEE-chahs
Use faltan with more than one missing item. The verb changes to plural, but the pieces do not need an article here.
¿Tienen el dado?
Do you have the die? / Do you have the dice?
TYEH-nehn ehl DAH-doh
A polite, general question for a seller. In Latin American Spanish, el dado usually covers one die; for two dice, ask ¿Tienen los dados?
¿Está completo el juego?
Is the game complete?
ehs-TAH kohm-PLEH-toh ehl HWEH-goh
A direct way to ask if all the pieces are there. You can also say ¿El juego está completo? with the same meaning.
¿Qué le falta?
What is it missing?
keh leh FAHL-tah
Use this after you notice something is not right. It asks the seller to tell you which piece or part is absent.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The verb faltar works differently from English 'to miss.' The missing thing is the subject: Falta una ficha means 'one piece is missing.' For more than one thing, use faltan: Faltan las instrucciones, 'the instructions are missing.' To ask a question, say ¿Qué falta? or ¿Qué le falta? Do not say *Yo falto una ficha; that would mean 'I am missing a piece' in a different sense. If you want to say 'the game is missing a piece,' say Al juego le falta una ficha.
When to use it
Use these phrases at a market stall, a flea market, or a small secondhand shop before you pay. Start with a general question: ¿Está completo el juego? If the seller says no, ask ¿Qué le falta? to find out what is missing. If you are looking for one specific part, ask ¿Tienen el dado? or ¿Tienen las instrucciones? This is casual but polite. In more formal settings, you can add disculpe or por favor: Disculpe, ¿tienen el dado?
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Buenas, ¿este juego está completo?
Hi, is this game complete?BWEH-nahs, EHS-teh HWEH-goh ehs-TAH kohm-PLEH-tohCasi. Falta una ficha.
Almost. One piece is missing.KAH-see. FAHL-tah OO-nah FEE-chah¿Y tienen el dado y las instrucciones?
And do you have the die and the instructions?ee TYEH-nehn ehl DAH-doh ee lahs eens-TROOK-syoh-nehsEl dado sí, pero las instrucciones no.
The die yes, but the instructions no.ehl DAH-doh see, PEH-roh lahs eens-TROOK-syoh-nehs nohA little context goes a long way
In many Latin American markets and secondhand shops, it is normal to inspect a used game before buying. Sellers usually expect questions about missing pieces, and asking politely with disculpe or por favor sounds natural. The word ficha varies by region: it commonly means a game token, but in some places it can also mean a card, a coin, or a chip. If you are unsure, point to the piece and say esta ficha, 'this piece.'
One thing to watch for
Saying 'Yo falto una ficha' to mean 'I am missing a piece.'
Try this instead: Faltar does not work like English 'to miss' with a person as subject. Say Falta una ficha, 'a piece is missing,' or Al juego le falta una ficha, 'the game is missing a piece.' If you say Yo falto, it sounds like you are absent or missing from somewhere.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'Two pieces are missing' in Spanish?
Show a sample answer
Faltan dos fichas.
Use faltan because two pieces are missing. The verb agrees with the plural subject. You could also say Faltan dos piezas if you prefer pieza for a game piece.
2You want to ask a seller if they have the die. What do you say?
Show a sample answer
¿Tienen el dado?
This is a polite general question. If you mean more than one die, ask ¿Tienen los dados? In some regions, people may use el dado for the singular and los dados for the plural.
3The seller says the game is not complete. How do you ask what is missing?
Show a sample answer
¿Qué le falta?
This asks what the game is missing. You can also ask ¿Qué falta? Both are natural; ¿Qué le falta? makes it clear you mean the game.
To check a used board game in Spanish, remember two verbs: faltar for what is missing and tener for what is included. Ask ¿Está completo el juego? then ¿Qué le falta? and name the piece you need, like el dado or las instrucciones.
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