50 French Words for Hobbies and Pastimes: Music, Sports, and Games

A2 · Elementary50 sentences·

Build vocabulary for talking about hobbies and free time in French with 50 common words covering music, sports, games, and crafts. Each word is introduced through a short example sentence, so learners see it used in context.

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The lesson

Tap any word for its meaning
50 sentences · 50 new words
  • 01LIRE · to read
    lire .
    ʒɛm liʁ de livʁ
    I like to read books.
  • 02JOUER · to play
    joue .
    il ʒu də la ɡitaʁ
    He plays the guitar.
  • 03DESSINER · to draw
    dessine .
    ɛl dɛsin tʁɛ bjɛ̃
    She draws very well.
  • 04REGARDER · to watch
    regardons .
    nu ʁəɡaʁdɔ̃ de film
    We watch movies.
  • 05SPORT · sport
    sport .
    ʒə fɛ dy spɔʁ ʃak ʒuʁ
    I do sports every day.
  • 06ÉCOUTER · to listen
    écoutes .
    ty ekut də la myzik
    You listen to music.
  • 07CUISINER · to cook
    cuisiner .
    ɛl ɛm kɥizine lə swaʁ
    She likes to cook in the evening.
  • 08PHOTO · photo
    photos.
    ʒə pʁɑ̃ de foto
    I take photos.
  • 09VOYAGER · to travel
    voyage .
    il vwajaʒ suvɑ̃ ɑ̃ tʁɛ̃
    He often travels by train.
  • 10DANSER · to dance
    dansons .
    nu dɑ̃sɔ̃ lə wikɛnd
    We dance on the weekend.
  • 11PEINDRE · to paint
    peint .
    ɛl pɛ̃ de tablo
    She paints pictures.
  • 12JARDINER · to garden
    jardine .
    ʒə ʒaʁdin lə dimɑ̃ʃ
    I garden on Sundays.
  • 13NAGER · to swim
    nage .
    il naʒ dɑ̃ la pisin
    He swims in the pool.
  • 14VÉLO · bicycle
    vélo .
    ɛl fɛ dy velo lə matɛ̃
    She rides her bike in the morning.
  • 15ROMAN · novel
    roman .
    ʒə li œ̃ ʁomɑ̃ pɔlisjе
    I am reading a detective novel.
  • 16ÉCHECS · chess
    échecs .
    ty ʒu o zeʃɛk suvɑ̃
    You often play chess.
  • 17YOGA · yoga
    yoga .
    nu fəzɔ̃ dy jɔɡa ɑ̃sɑ̃bl
    We do yoga together.
  • 18COLLECTIONNER · to collect
    collectionne .
    il kɔlɛksjɔn de tɛ̃bʁ
    He collects stamps.
  • 19TRICOTER · to knit
    tricote .
    ɛl tʁikɔt yn eʃaʁp
    She is knitting a scarf.
  • 20CHANTER · to sing
    chante .
    ʒə ʃɑ̃t su la duʃ
    I sing in the shower.
  • 21CARTES · cards
    cartes .
    ty ʒu o kaʁt sə swaʁ
    You are playing cards tonight.
  • 22COURIR · to run
    court .
    il kuʁ dɑ̃ lə paʁk
    He runs in the park.
  • 23ÉTOILE · star
    étoiles.
    ɛl ʁəɡaʁd le zetwal
    She watches the stars.
  • 24FLÛTE · flute
    flûte.
    nu ʒuɔ̃ də la flyt
    We play the flute.
  • 25CAMPING · camping
    camping .
    ʒə fɛ dy kɑ̃piŋ sɛt‿ete
    I go camping this summer.
  • 26BANDE DESSINÉE · comic book
    bandes dessinées.
    ɛl li de bɑ̃d desine
    She reads comic books.
  • 27SCULPTER · to sculpt / to carve
    sculptes .
    ty skylpt dez‿animal ɑ̃ bwa
    You carve animals out of wood.
  • 28JEU VIDÉO · video game
    jeux vidéo.
    il ʒu o ʒø video
    He plays video games.
  • 29RANDONNÉE · hike / hiking
    randonnée.
    ʒə fɛ də la ʁɑ̃dɔne
    I go hiking.
  • 30COUDRE · to sew
    coudre.
    ɛl‿apʁɑ̃ a kudʁ
    She is learning to sew.
  • 31MUSÉE · museum
    musées.
    nu vizitɔ̃ suvɑ̃ de myze
    We often visit museums.
  • 32PÊCHER · to fish
    pêche .
    il pɛʃ o bɔʁ dy lak
    He fishes by the lake.
  • 33BRICOLAGE · DIY / home improvement
    bricolage .
    ʒə fɛ dy bʁikɔlaʒ lə samdi
    I do DIY on Saturdays.
  • 34SÉRIE · TV series
    séries .
    ty ʁəɡaʁd de seʁi lə swaʁ
    You watch TV series in the evening.
  • 35POTERIE · pottery
    poterie.
    ɛl fɛ də la pɔtʁi
    She does pottery.
  • 36POÈME · poem
    poèmes .
    nuz‿ekʁivɔ̃ de pɔɛm ɑ̃sɑ̃bl
    We write poems together.
  • 37PIANO · piano
    piano .
    ʒə ʒu dy pjano lə swaʁ
    I play the piano in the evening.
  • 38APPRENDRE · to learn
    apprend .
    ɛl apʁɑ̃ a tʁikɔte
    She is learning to knit.
  • 39NATATION · swimming
    natation.
    nu fəzɔ̃ də la natasjɔ̃
    We go swimming.
  • 40CUISINE · cooking
    cuisine .
    ty ɛm la kɥizin italjɛn
    You like Italian cooking.
  • 41PERSONNAGE · character
    personnages.
    il dɛsin de pɛʁsɔnaʒ
    He draws characters.
  • 42CARTE POSTALE · postcard
    cartes postales.
    ʒə kɔlɛksjɔn de kaʁt pɔstal
    I collect postcards.
  • 43BATTERIE · drums
    batterie.
    ɛl ʒu də la batʁi
    She plays the drums.
  • 44AQUARELLE · watercolour
    l'aquarelle.
    ty fɛ də lakwaʁɛl
    You do watercolour painting.
  • 45DOCUMENTAIRE · documentary
    documentaires.
    nu ʁəɡaʁdɔ̃ de dɔkymɑ̃tɛʁ
    We watch documentaries.
  • 46ESCALADE · climbing
    l'escalade.
    il fɛ də lɛskalad
    He goes rock climbing.
  • 47MAGAZINE · magazine
    magazines.
    ʒə li suvɑ̃ de maɡazin
    I often read magazines.
  • 48VIOLON · violin
    violon.
    ɛl ʒu dy vjɔlɔ̃
    She plays the violin.
  • 49PATIN · skate
    patin .
    ʒə fɛ dy patɛ̃ a ɡlas
    I go ice skating.
  • 50PHOTOGRAPHIE · photography
    photographie.
    ty apʁɑ̃ la fɔtɔɡʁafi
    You are learning photography.
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