(Final version accepted 03 July 2012)

This paper explores the relationship between play and interpretative verbalization in child analysis. Through examination of a clinical case, the paper distinguishes between two different modes of interpretative intervention in play. It is the contention of the paper that the analyst's capacity to tolerate tension and respond to the roles the child assigns him opens out the area of play, facilitating a space for thinking through. Interpretation is formulated in two distinct ways: (a) interpreting from the context of the roles the analyst assumes within play, respecting the games and facilitating the patient's understanding; (b) interpreting at a distance from play, on the one hand distinguishing the area of play, and on the other hand analyzing that which occurs verbally and non-verbally.