{"id":110,"date":"2026-09-30T18:33:34","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T17:33:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leweb2ks.dev\/vitrine-vocadial\/en\/resources\/sports-in-french\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T18:33:34","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T17:33:34","slug":"sports-in-french","status":"publish","type":"vd_ressource","link":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/resources\/sports-in-french\/","title":{"rendered":"Sports in French: vocabulary, jouer \u00e0, faire de and a classroom routine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sports vocabulary in French<\/h2>\n\n

In the pronunciation column, capitals mark the syllable to lean on slightly (French stress is light and falls on the last syllable). (n) marks a nasal vowel: air goes through the nose and the n itself is not pronounced. “zh” is the s in “measure”, “uh” is the short vowel in “the”, and “\u00fc” is “ee” said with rounded lips.<\/p>\n\n

Games: jouer \u00e0<\/h3>\n\n
French<\/th>English<\/th>Say it like<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
le football, le foot<\/td>football<\/td>foot-BOL, foot<\/td><\/tr>
le basket<\/td>basketball<\/td>bas-KET<\/td><\/tr>
le tennis<\/td>tennis<\/td>te-NEESS<\/td><\/tr>
le rugby<\/td>rugby<\/td>r\u00fcg-BEE<\/td><\/tr>
le handball, le hand<\/td>handball<\/td>ah(n)d-BAL<\/td><\/tr>
le volley<\/td>volleyball<\/td>vo-LAY<\/td><\/tr>
le hockey<\/td>hockey<\/td>o-KAY<\/td><\/tr>
le badminton<\/td>badminton<\/td>bad-meen-TON<\/td><\/tr>
le golf<\/td>golf<\/td>golf<\/td><\/tr>
le ping-pong, le tennis de table<\/td>table tennis<\/td>peeng-PONG<\/td><\/tr>
la p\u00e9tanque<\/td>p\u00e9tanque, boules<\/td>pay-TAH(N)K<\/td><\/tr>
les \u00e9checs (m.)<\/td>chess<\/td>lay-zay-SHEK<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

Activities: faire de<\/h3>\n\n
French<\/th>English<\/th>Say it like<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
la natation<\/td>swimming<\/td>na-ta-SYO(N)<\/td><\/tr>
le v\u00e9lo<\/td>cycling<\/td>vay-LOH<\/td><\/tr>
l’athl\u00e9tisme (m.)<\/td>athletics<\/td>lat-lay-TEES-muh<\/td><\/tr>
la gymnastique, la gym<\/td>gymnastics<\/td>zheem-nas-TEEK<\/td><\/tr>
la danse<\/td>dance<\/td>dah(n)ss<\/td><\/tr>
l’\u00e9quitation (f.)<\/td>horse riding<\/td>lay-kee-ta-SYO(N)<\/td><\/tr>
le ski<\/td>skiing<\/td>skee<\/td><\/tr>
le judo<\/td>judo<\/td>zh\u00fc-DOH<\/td><\/tr>
le karat\u00e9<\/td>karate<\/td>ka-ra-TAY<\/td><\/tr>
l’escalade (f.)<\/td>climbing<\/td>les-ka-LAD<\/td><\/tr>
la voile<\/td>sailing<\/td>vwal<\/td><\/tr>
le skate<\/td>skateboarding<\/td>sket<\/td><\/tr>
la randonn\u00e9e<\/td>hiking<\/td>rah(n)-do-NAY<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

Le football<\/span> is said foot-BOL, leaning on the last syllable. The final t of basket<\/span> and the final s of tennis<\/span> are pronounced, but the t of le sport<\/span> is silent.<\/p>\n\n

Jouer \u00e0 and faire de<\/h2>\n\n
  1. Jouer \u00e0 for games.<\/strong> \u00e0<\/span> + le<\/span> becomes au<\/span>, \u00e0<\/span> + les<\/span> becomes aux<\/span>: je joue au rugby<\/span>, je joue \u00e0 la p\u00e9tanque<\/span>, je joue aux \u00e9checs<\/span>.<\/li>
  2. Faire de for activities.<\/strong> de<\/span> + le<\/span> becomes du<\/span>: je fais du ski<\/span>, je fais de la danse<\/span>, je fais de l’escalade<\/span>.<\/li>
  3. Faire de also works for games.<\/strong> Je fais du foot<\/span> and je fais du tennis<\/span> are very common and suggest a regular activity, often in a club. Jouer \u00e0<\/span> never works for swimming or skiing.<\/li>
  4. Instruments take de.<\/strong> jouer du piano<\/span>, jouer de la guitare<\/span>. Compare: je joue au foot<\/span> but je joue du violon<\/span>.<\/li>
  5. The negative.<\/strong> du<\/span>, de la<\/span> and de l’<\/span> become de<\/span>: je ne fais pas de ski<\/span>, je ne fais pas d’\u00e9quitation<\/span>. Au<\/span> stays: je ne joue pas au tennis.<\/span><\/li>
  6. Opinions take le, la, les.<\/strong> J’aime le foot<\/span>, Je d\u00e9teste la natation.<\/span> With a verb: J’aime nager.<\/span><\/li><\/ol>\n\n

    Some sports have their own verb: nager<\/span> (to swim), courir<\/span> (to run), skier<\/span> (to ski), patiner<\/span> (to skate), danser<\/span> (to dance).<\/p>\n\n

    Talking about sport<\/h2>\n\n

    Tu fais du sport ?<\/span>Do you do any sport?<\/small><\/p>\n\n

    Je joue au foot le mercredi apr\u00e8s-midi.<\/span>I play football on Wednesday afternoons.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

    Ma s\u0153ur fait de la natation deux fois par semaine.<\/span>My sister goes swimming twice a week.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

    Je ne fais pas de sport, mais j’aime regarder le rugby.<\/span>I don’t do any sport, but I like watching rugby.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

    On a gagn\u00e9 le match trois \u00e0 un.<\/span>We won the match three-one.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

    Useful words: l’\u00e9quipe<\/span> (f., team), le match<\/span>, gagner<\/span> (to win), perdre<\/span> (to lose), marquer un but<\/span> (to score a goal), le stade<\/span>, la piscine<\/span>, le terrain<\/span> (pitch), le gymnase<\/span> (sports hall), la patinoire<\/span> (ice rink).<\/p>\n\n

    Le ballon<\/span> is a large ball (football, basketball); la balle<\/span> is a small one (tennis, golf, ping-pong).<\/p>\n\n

    Quebec has its own sports words: le soccer<\/span> for football, le hockey<\/span> for ice hockey by default, and les espadrilles<\/span> for trainers, which are les baskets<\/span> in France. In Switzerland, le gymnase<\/span> can also mean an upper secondary school.<\/p>\n\n

    Idioms from sport<\/h2>\n\n
    French<\/th>Literally<\/th>Meaning<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    jeter l’\u00e9ponge<\/td>to throw the sponge<\/td>to throw in the towel<\/td><\/tr>
    prendre la balle au bond<\/td>to catch the ball on the bounce<\/td>to seize the opportunity<\/td><\/tr>
    se renvoyer la balle<\/td>to hit the ball back to each other<\/td>to pass the buck<\/td><\/tr>
    \u00eatre sur la touche<\/td>to be on the touchline<\/td>to be sidelined<\/td><\/tr>
    ce n’est pas du jeu<\/td>it’s not part of the game<\/td>that’s not fair<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

    Typical mistakes of English-speaking learners<\/h2>\n\n
    • “Je joue le foot”:<\/strong> it is je joue au foot<\/span>.<\/li>
    • “Je joue du foot”:<\/strong> du<\/span> is for instruments with jouer<\/span>. Use au<\/span>, or je fais du foot<\/span>.<\/li>
    • “Je joue la natation”:<\/strong> swimming is not a game: je fais de la natation<\/span>.<\/li>
    • “Je ne fais pas du sport”:<\/strong> after a negative, pas de<\/span>.<\/li>
    • “Je fais le v\u00e9lo”:<\/strong> it is je fais du v\u00e9lo<\/span>.<\/li>
    • Baskets for basketball only:<\/strong> le basket<\/span> is the sport, des baskets<\/span> are trainers.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n

      In class: sports as a word of the day<\/h2>\n\n

      Sports give pupils an easy picture, a verb to choose and an opinion to give, every day.<\/p>\n\n

      1. Show the picture (a climbing wall) and the English word: “climbing”.<\/li>
      2. Ask Comment dit-on “climbing” en fran\u00e7ais ?<\/span> Pupils write their guess on mini whiteboards.<\/li>
      3. Reveal l’escalade<\/span> with its pronunciation, and point out that it is feminine: de l’escalade<\/span> hides the gender, so note it as (f.). The class repeats it.<\/li>
      4. Show the example sentence: Je fais de l’escalade le samedi avec mon fr\u00e8re.<\/span><\/li>
      5. Give the reuse task: pupils decide between jouer \u00e0<\/span> and faire de<\/span>, then say a sentence with a time expression: le week-end<\/span>, jamais<\/span>, de temps en temps<\/span>.<\/li>
      6. Recall yesterday’s sport, and ask pupils who don’t do it to answer in the negative: Je ne fais pas de ski.<\/span><\/li><\/ol>\n\n

        That is exactly what a daily routine does: one sport a day, with its verb and article, until the choice is automatic.<\/p>\n\n

        Mimes and sorting<\/h3>\n\n

        A pupil mimes a sport; the class answers Tu joues au tennis !<\/span> or Tu fais du judo !<\/span> Two columns on the board, jouer \u00e0<\/span> and faire de<\/span>, let pupils see the pattern before you explain it.<\/p>\n\n

        • A1<\/b>The sport with its article: J’aime le basket.<\/span><\/li>
        • A2<\/b>Jouer au and faire du, with frequency: Je fais du v\u00e9lo le dimanche.<\/span><\/li>
        • B1<\/b>Past matches and events: Samedi dernier, on a jou\u00e9 contre un autre coll\u00e8ge et on a gagn\u00e9.<\/span><\/li>
        • B2<\/b>Sport and health: Il faut que les jeunes fassent du sport tous les jours.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n

          At KS2, a picture and j’aime<\/span> are enough. At KS3, insist on au<\/span> \/ du<\/span> and on pas de<\/span>. At GCSE, sport returns with free time and healthy living: move on to the perfect tense and opinions.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Sports in French with their article and pronunciation, jouer au foot versus faire de la natation, the negative and a word of the day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"menu_order":51,"template":"","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Sports in French: List, Jouer \u00e0 vs Faire de | VocaDial","_seopress_titles_desc":"Sports in French with the article and pronunciation, when to use jouer au or faire du, the negative with pas de, Quebec words and a daily word routine.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"_vd_topic":"sports","_vd_target":"fr","_vd_module":"palabra","_vd_level":"A1","_vd_minutes":"7","_vd_card_word":"la natation\u2026","_vd_answer":"Common sports in French are le football<\/span> or le foot<\/span>, le basket<\/span>, le tennis<\/span>, le rugby<\/span>, la natation<\/span> (swimming), le v\u00e9lo<\/span> (cycling), l'athl\u00e9tisme<\/span> (athletics) and la danse<\/span>. Use jouer \u00e0<\/span> for games (je joue au foot<\/span>) and faire de<\/span> for other activities (je fais de la natation<\/span>, je fais du v\u00e9lo<\/span>).","_vd_faq":"[{\"q\":\"When do you use jouer \u00e0 and faire de in French?\",\"a\":\"Jouer \u00e0<\\\/span> is for games, usually with a ball or an opponent: je joue au tennis<\\\/span>, je joue aux \u00e9checs<\\\/span>. Faire de<\\\/span> is for activities and works with almost every sport: je fais de la natation<\\\/span>, je fais du judo<\\\/span>, and also je fais du foot<\\\/span>.\"},{\"q\":\"Is it jouer au piano or jouer du piano?\",\"a\":\"Jouer du piano<\\\/span>. Musical instruments take de<\\\/span>: jouer de la guitare<\\\/span>. Sports and games take \u00e0<\\\/span>: jouer au foot<\\\/span>.\"},{\"q\":\"How do you say \\\"I don't do any sport\\\" in French?\",\"a\":\"Je ne fais pas de sport.<\\\/span> After a negative, du<\\\/span>, de la<\\\/span> and de l'<\\\/span> become de<\\\/span> or d'<\\\/span>. But au<\\\/span> does not change: Je ne joue pas au foot.<\\\/span>\"},{\"q\":\"How do you say \\\"football\\\" in Quebec French?\",\"a\":\"Le soccer<\\\/span>. In Quebec, le football<\\\/span> usually means American football.\"},{\"q\":\"How do you say \\\"I go swimming\\\" in French?\",\"a\":\"Je fais de la natation<\\\/span>, Je nage<\\\/span> or Je vais \u00e0 la piscine<\\\/span>.\"}]","_vd_key":"sports-fr","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-110","vd_ressource","type-vd_ressource","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource\/110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/vd_ressource"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource\/110\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}