There are countless ways to spend your weekends. Maybe you prefer artsy endeavors like going to museums like the Louvre, or perhaps you’re on the sportier end of the spectrum and like to play pick-up soccer (or football, as it should be) with your friends. Either way, you’re going to want to talk about your free time in French at some point.
Here’s a collection of vocab that covers a wide spectrum of hobbies, all of which will allow you to converse about how you like spending your free time in French. This overview is pretty broad, so it may be worth diving deeper into the vocabulary that’s specifically associated with your favorite pastimes, but this is a great place to start.
If you want to hear how any of these words or phrases is pronounced by a native speaker, just hit the play button on each term.
Talking About Free Time In French
General Phrases About Free Time
What do you do in your free time? — Qu’est-ce que tu fais pendant ton temps libre ?
Do you have any hobbies? — Est-ce que tu as des hobbies ?
the fun — le divertissement
Arts And Culture Vocabulary
the theater — le théâtre
the play — la pièce
the musical — la comédie musicale
to attend — assister à
the painting — la peinture
the photography — la photographie
the gallery — la galerie
the photo — la photo
to paint — peindre
the drawing — le dessin
the film — la pellicule
the performance — la représentation
to dance — danser
the book — le livre
to read — lire
the genre — le genre
the museum — le musée
the music — la musique
to sing — chanter
the instrument — l’instrument
the guitar — la guitare
the piano — le piano
Do you play an instrument? — Tu joues d’un instrument ?
I like to listen to my music very loud. — J’aime beaucoup écouter la musique très fort.
Do you like going to the theater? — Tu aimes aller au théâtre ?
I learn dancing in a dance course. — J’apprends à danser dans un cours de danse.
Games And Activities Vocabulary
the game — le jeu
the puzzle — le casse-tête
the chess — les échecs
the card — la carte
to play — jouer
the video game — le jeu vidéo
the role-playing game — le jeu de rôle
the board games — le jeu de société
the sport — le sport
the soccer — le football
the gymnasium — la salle de gym
the team — l’équipe
to go shopping — faire les courses
second-hand — d’occasion
to eat out — sortir manger
the restaurant — le restaurant
the club — le club
I love going to restaurants. — J’aime bien aller au restaurant.
I surf the internet. — Je surfe sur internet.
Do you play sports? — Tu fais du sport ?
I go jogging every morning. — Je fais du jogging tous les matins.
I play soccer twice a week. — Je joue au foot deux fois par semaine.
I am a member of a sports club for martial arts. — Je suis membre d’un club d’arts martiaux asiatiques.