Hobbies (AQA GCSE French): Revision Notes
Hobbies (Les passe-temps)
Introduction
When discussing your free time in French, you'll need to know how to talk about hobbies and leisure activities. This topic is essential for expressing your interests, making plans with friends, and describing what you enjoy doing in your spare time. The key to mastering this area is learning the vocabulary for different activities and understanding how to use the important verb "faire" (to do/make/go).
Key vocabulary
Here's a comprehensive table of hobby-related vocabulary that you'll need to know:
| French | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| les passe-temps | hobbies/pastimes | |
| aller au cinéma | to go to the cinema | |
| chanter | to sing | |
| le club des jeunes (m) | youth club | |
| danser | to dance | |
| écouter de la musique | to listen to music | |
| faire | to do, to make, to go | irregular verb |
| faire du théâtre | to do drama | |
| faire la cuisine | to do cooking | |
| jouer au sport (m) | to play sport | use "au" with sports |
| jouer de la musique | to play music | use "de" with instruments |
| lire | to read | |
| la natation (f) | swimming | |
| passer | to spend (time) | |
| sortir | to go out | |
| le vélo (m) | bike, cycle | |
| l'art (m) | art | |
| dessiner | to draw | |
| faire des achats (mpl) | to go shopping | |
| la rivière (f) | river | |
| le terrain (m) | ground |
This vocabulary forms the foundation for discussing hobbies in French. Pay special attention to the notes column, which highlights important grammatical patterns like using "au" with sports and "de" with instruments.
The verb "faire"
The verb "faire" is one of the most important verbs when talking about hobbies because it's used to express many different activities. Understanding this verb is crucial for discussing what you do in your free time.
"Faire" is an irregular verb - this means it doesn't follow standard conjugation patterns and must be memorised. It's one of the most frequently used verbs in French, so mastering it is essential.
What "faire" means
The verb "faire" is quite versatile and can mean different things depending on the context:
- To do: Je fais mes devoirs (I do my homework)
- To make: Je fais un gâteau (I make a cake)
- To go (with certain hobbies): Je fais du vélo (I go cycling)
Conjugation in the present tense
"Faire" is an irregular verb, which means it doesn't follow the standard patterns. Here's how you conjugate it in the present tense:
| Person | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | fais | I do |
| tu | fais | you do |
| il/elle/on | fait | he/she/one does |
| nous | faisons | we do |
| vous | faites | you do |
| ils/elles | font | they do |
Other tenses
In the perfect tense, "faire" uses "avoir" as its auxiliary verb, but the past participle "fait" is irregular:
- J'ai fait (I did/I have done)
For the future tense, "faire" becomes "je ferai" (I will do).
Pronunciation tips
Pronunciation Guide:
- "Fais" sounds like "fay"
- "Fait" sounds like "fay"
- "Faisons" sounds like "fay-zohn"
- "Faites" sounds like "fet"
- "Font" sounds like "fohn"
Example sentences
Here are some useful sentences showing how to talk about hobbies in both present and past tenses:
Present Tense Examples:
- Mon passe-temps préféré c'est la natation (My favourite hobby is swimming)
- Je joue au foot avec mes amis (I play football with my friends)
- Elle fait du vélo le week-end (She goes cycling at the weekend)
- Nous écoutons de la musique ensemble (We listen to music together)
- Ils font de la cuisine tous les jours (They do cooking every day)
Past Tense Examples:
- J'ai fait du théâtre hier soir (I did drama last night)
- Nous avons chanté au club des jeunes (We sang at the youth club)
- Elle a lu un livre fantastique (She read a fantastic book)
- Ils ont fait des achats en ville (They went shopping in town)
Expressing Preferences:
- J'aime bien danser (I quite like dancing)
- J'adore faire la cuisine (I love cooking)
- Je trouve ça amusant (I find it fun)
- C'est bon pour la santé (It's good for your health)
Translation practice
Translation Exercise:
French to English:
- Le week-end dernier je suis allé en ville faire des magasins et j'adore ça car la mode m'intéresse.
- J'aime jouer au foot avec mes amis en été car je trouve ça amusant.
English to French: 3. My favourite hobby is swimming because it's good for your health. 4. At the weekend I like to go cycling with my sister because she loves spending time in the countryside.
Answers:
- Last weekend I went to town to go shopping and I love it because fashion interests me.
- I like playing football with my friends in summer because I find it fun.
- Mon passe-temps préféré c'est la natation car c'est bon pour la santé.
- Le week-end j'aime faire du vélo avec ma sœur parce qu'elle adore passer du temps à la campagne.
Key Points to Remember:
- "Faire" is irregular - learn the key forms: fais, fais, fait, faisons, faites, font
- "Faire" has multiple meanings - it can mean "to do", "to make", or "to go" depending on the activity
- Use "jouer au" with sports (jouer au tennis) but "jouer de" with instruments (jouer de la guitare)
- Perfect tense of "faire" uses "avoir" - j'ai fait, tu as fait, etc.
- Learn hobby vocabulary in chunks - group similar activities together to make them easier to remember