French: Hobbies

Learn how to talk about what hobbies and sports you do in French.

To talk about an activity you do, say Je + activity.

(Tip: If the activity starts with a vowel, Je becomes J')

You can also talk about what you don't do:

Je ne danse pas – I don't dance

Je ne dessine pas – I don't draw

Did you notice that to say what you don't do, you add ne or n' (before a vowel) before the verb and pas after it?

Did you know?

If you're talking about playing an instrument, you use the phrase jouer de (to play).

This becomes Je joue de if you're talking about yourself.

The de changes its spelling depending on whether the instrument is masculine or feminine.

Before masculine nouns, it is du and before feminine nouns, it is de la.

If you're talking about playing a sport or a computer game, you use the phrase jouer à.

This becomes Je joue à if you're talking about yourself.

The à changes depending on whether the noun is masculine, feminine or plural.

Most sports nouns are masculine so we use au. As 'computer games' are plural, we use aux.

To say that you play sport, you need the phrase faire du sport.

Faire is an irregular verb. Irregular verbs don't follow particular patterns like regular verbs do, so you need to memorise them.

Use the table below to help you:

Did you notice that all the verbs for je, tu, elle and il all sound the same? That is because the letters s and t on the end of the word are silent.

You can also use faire to say:

• Je fais du vélo – I ride a bike

• Je fais du ski – I ski

• Je fais du surf – I surf

If you want to talk about what you like doing in your spare time, you can use the verb aimer – to like. It is a regular -er verb and you use it with the infinitive of a verb.

This becomes J'aime + infinitive if you are talking about yourself.

• J'aime danser – I like to dance

• J'aime dessiner – I like to draw

• J'aime écouter de la musique – I like to listen to music

• J'aime jouer au foot – I like to play football

If you want to talk about what you love doing in your spare time, you can use the verb adorer – to love. It is also a regular -er verb and you use it with the infinitive of a verb.

This becomes J'adore + infinitive if you are talking about yourself.

• J'adore nager – I love to swim

• J'adore jouer de la trompette – I love to play the trumpet

• J'adore chanter – I love to sing

To ask whether someone else likes a certain activity, you use the tu (you) form of aimer which is tu aimes. Then you add the verb for the activity in the infinitive, for example danser.

Then you use rising intonation at the end of the statement. This means that your voice goes up at the end of a sentence, turning it into a question:

• Tu aimes danser ? – Do you like dancing?

• Tu aimes nager ? – Do you like swimming?

You can also ask:

• Qu'est-ce que tu aimes faire comme loisirs? – What do you like to do as a hobby?

Below are some important French sounds that you have heard in this topic. Try practising them yourself out loud.

1. e before one consonant

The letter e at the start of the word regarder sounds like er at the end of 'mother'. The letter e makes this sound when followed by one consonant. When followed by two consonants, it makes a different sound.

regarder - to watch

2. é, er

Many of the verbs to describe hobbies end in -er. The sound for these letters at the end of a word is a short, sharp sound, which you might use to attract someone's attention. é, -es, -ez and et also make the same sound.

jouer – to play

dessiner – to draw

écouter – to listen

3. gu before e, i or y

Gu before these vowels make the English g sound.

la guitare – the guitar

Don't forget that the e at the end of the word is silent.

Many of the verbs or action words that you use to describe your hobbies in French end in -er in the infinitive.

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