{"id":119171,"date":"2024-02-14T07:07:44","date_gmt":"2024-02-14T12:07:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/talking-about-hobbies-in-french\/"},"modified":"2025-02-17T05:53:43","modified_gmt":"2025-02-17T10:53:43","slug":"talking-about-hobbies-in-french","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/french\/talking-about-hobbies-in-french\/","title":{"rendered":"Hobbies in French: 50+ Words and Phrases"},"content":{"rendered":"

Talking about your hobbies is a great way to practice French and expand your vocabulary. Whether you\u2019re into sports, music, art or just curling up with a good book, there\u2019s a French phrase for every pastime.<\/p>\n

Learning how to discuss your interests not only boosts your fluency but also helps you connect with others who share your passions. In this post, we\u2019ll explore the key vocabulary and expressions you need to chat about hobbies in French with confidence.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

How to Say “Hobbies” in French<\/h2>\n

There are actually two French words for talking about hobbies.<\/p>\n

In casual conversations, you\u2019d usually say passe-temps<\/strong><\/em>, which means activities that you do simply because you like them: \u00a0<\/p>\n

Mon passe-temps favori, c’est la lecture.<\/em>\u00a0(My favorite hobby is reading.)<\/p>\n

Elle a plusieurs passe-temps, dont la peinture et le yoga.<\/em> (She has several hobbies, including painting and yoga.)<\/p>\n

The other word is loisirs<\/strong>, <\/em>which is a bit more formal and includes all activities that you do in your free time:<\/p>\n

Dans ce questionnaire, veuillez lister vos loisirs.<\/em> (In this questionnaire, please list your leisure activities.)<\/p>\n

Les loisirs en plein air sont mes pr\u00e9f\u00e9r\u00e9s.<\/em> (Outdoor leisure activities are my favorite.)<\/p>\n

Now let\u2019s go into the specific vocabulary for different hobbies!<\/p>\n

French Vocabulary for Hobbies<\/h2>\n

Sports and Physical Activities<\/h3>\n

\"talking-about-hobbies-in-french\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Roll a ball, hit a target or take to the hills. Whichever one you like the most, there are a lot of physical activities to choose from:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
<\/td>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Le badminton <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Badminton<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le basket-ball <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Basketball<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L'escalade de bloc <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Bouldering<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le bowling <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Bowling<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le cyclisme <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Cycling<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Les fl\u00e9chettes <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Darts<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La p\u00eache <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Fishing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le jardinage <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Gardening<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le golf <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Golf<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le handball <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Handball
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La randonn\u00e9e <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Hiking<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le jogging <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Jogging<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L'escalade <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Rock climbing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le rugby <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Rugby<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La course \u00e0 pied <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Running<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le ski <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Skiing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le snowboard <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Snowboarding
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le football <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Soccer<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La natation <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Swimming<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le tennis <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Tennis<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le volley-ball <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Volleyball<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La musculation <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Weightlifting<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le yoga <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Yoga<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

When talking about sports<\/a>, especially if they’re ball games or involve teams, you’d typically use the verb jouer<\/em><\/strong> (to play) + the preposition \u00e0<\/em><\/strong>:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Je joue au basketball. <\/em>(I play basketball.)<\/p>\n

Some sports are paired with the verb faire<\/em><\/strong> (to do) instead.<\/p>\n

Je fais de la natation tous les week-ends. <\/em>(I go swimming every weekend.)<\/p>\n

Games<\/h3>\n

\"friends<\/p>\n

Aside from sports, you might also be into games that are less physical, like card games and video games<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
French<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Le billard <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Billiards<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Les jeux de soci\u00e9t\u00e9 <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Board games<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le bridge <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Bridge<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le jeu de cartes <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Card games<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le jeu de dames <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Checkers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Les \u00e9checs <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Chess<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le poker <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Poker<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Les puzzles <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Puzzles<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le jeu de r\u00f4le <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Role-playing games (RPG)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Les jeux vid\u00e9o <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Video gaming<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

The most common verb for games is jouer <\/em><\/strong>as well:<\/p>\n

Je joue aux jeux vid\u00e9o. <\/em>(I play video games.)<\/p>\n

Elle joue au poker. (She plays poker.)<\/p>\n

An exception is with puzzles<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Nous faisons des puzzles. (We do puzzles.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Music<\/h3>\n

\"woman<\/p>\n

Music is known as the universal language; its melodies and rhythms speak to people from all walks of life, all over the world. If you spend some of your leisure time singing or playing tunes, this vocabulary will keep you rapping about your harmonious hobby:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
French<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Le violoncelle <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Cello<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La danse <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Dancing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La batterie <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Drums<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La fl\u00fbte <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Flute<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Aller \u00e0 des concerts <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Going to concerts<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La guitare <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Guitar<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La harpe <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Harp<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00c9couter de la musique <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Listening to music<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le piano <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Piano<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le saxophone <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Saxophone<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le chant <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Singing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La trompette <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Trumpet<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le violon <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Violin<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le ukul\u00e9l\u00e9 <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Ukulele<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

If you play a musical instrument<\/a>, the phrase for that would be jouer<\/em><\/strong> + the preposition de<\/em><\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Je joue de la guitare. <\/em>(I play guitar.)<\/p>\n

Elle joue du violon.<\/em> (She plays the violin.)<\/p>\n

Creative Activities<\/h3>\n

\"man<\/p>\n

Artistic hobbies are some of the best-loved, with an enduring popularity around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
French<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
La p\u00e2tisserie <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Baking<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La calligraphie <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Calligraphy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le crochet <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Crochet<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La cuisine <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Cooking<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le dessin <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Drawing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La d\u00e9coration int\u00e9rieure <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Interior decorating<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La cr\u00e9ation de bijoux <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Jewelry making<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le tricot <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Knitting<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La peinture <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Painting<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La photographie <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Photography<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La po\u00e9sie <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Poetry<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La poterie <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Pottery<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La sculpture <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Sculpture<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La couture <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Sewing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L'aquarelle <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Watercolor painting<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La menuiserie <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Woodworking<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
L'\u00e9criture <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Writing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

For these types of hobbies, the standard verb is faire<\/strong>:<\/em><\/p>\n

Je fais de la peinture.<\/em> (I do painting.)<\/p>\n

Some hobbies might use the verb pratique <\/em><\/strong>(to practice):<\/p>\n

Je pratique le tricot.<\/em> (I practice knitting.)<\/p>\n

Other Hobbies<\/h3>\n

\"woman<\/p>\n

With new novels, texts and films coming out all the time, being a bookworm or a movie buff is a hobby that will never get boring. Here are some additional French vocabulary for hobbies:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
French<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
L'observation des oiseaux <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Birdwatching<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le camping <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Camping<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La d\u00e9gustation de vin \/ de fromage \/ de caf\u00e9 \/ de chocolat <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Cheese \/ Coffee \/ Chocolate \/ Wine tasting<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Apprendre une langue <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Learning a language<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La m\u00e9ditation <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Meditation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La lecture <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Reading<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le voyage <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Traveling<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Le b\u00e9n\u00e9volat <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Volunteering<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Regarder des films \/ des s\u00e9ries <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>Watching movies \/ TV series<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

To get more practice with talking about hobbies (and other conversational topics), it helps to immerse in French media and get to know the culture better. FluentU<\/a> is a good way of doing this.\u00a0

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

<\/p> \r\n

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n

P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

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