Healthy diets (Edexcel GCSE French): Revision Notes
Sport and exercise
Sports vocabulary
Understanding sports and exercise terms is essential for discussing physical fitness and healthy lifestyles. Physical activity plays a crucial role in maintaining good health alongside a balanced diet.
Learning sports vocabulary is fundamental for communicating about exercise routines, discussing fitness goals, and understanding health-related conversations in French.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| le basket (m) | basketball |
| le cheval (m) | horse |
| le club (m) | club |
| la danse (f) | dance |
| en forme | fit, in shape |
| l'équipe (f) | team |
| l'exercice (m) | exercise |
| le foot(ball) (m) | football |
| le handball (m) | handball |
| le jeu (m) | game |
| French | English |
|---|---|
| le match (m) | match |
| la natation (f) | swimming |
| le sport (m) | sport |
| le stade (m) | stadium |
| le tennis (m) | tennis |
| le terrain (m) | ground |
| tomber | to fall |
| le vélo (m) | bicycle |
| l'athlétisme (m) | athletics |
| la foule (f) | crowd |
Example sentences:
- Je fais du sport trois fois par semaine. (I do sport three times a week.)
- L'exercice est important pour rester en forme. (Exercise is important to stay fit.)
- Elle va à la piscine pour faire de la natation. (She goes to the pool to do swimming.)
Key grammar: When to use jouer à or faire de
When discussing sports participation, choosing the correct verb is essential for accurate communication about physical activities. This distinction is one of the most important grammar points for French learners discussing sports and exercise.
The choice between jouer à and faire de depends on whether you would use the word "play" in English. This rule will help you choose correctly every time.
Jouer à (to play)
Use jouer à when you would say "play" in English. This typically applies to team sports and games with specific rules.
Examples of jouer à:
- Ils jouent au handball. (They play handball.)
- J'aime jouer au tennis. (I like playing tennis.)
- Nous jouons au basketball. (We play basketball.)
Faire de (to do/go)
Use faire de when you wouldn't use "play" in English. This applies to individual activities and sports where you "do" or "go" rather than "play".
Examples of faire de:
- Elle fait de la natation. (She goes swimming / does swimming.)
- Il fait du vélo. (He goes cycling.)
- Je fais de la danse. (I do dancing.)
- Nous faisons de l'athlétisme. (We do athletics.)
Useful expressions:
- J'aime jouer... (I like to play/playing...)
- J'aime faire... (I like doing/going...)
Time phrases for discussing exercise routines
Regular physical activity is key to maintaining good health. These time expressions help you describe when and how often you exercise, allowing you to create detailed descriptions of your fitness routine.
Mastering these time expressions will enable you to discuss your exercise habits in different tenses and create more sophisticated conversations about fitness routines.
Past tense
- hier (yesterday)
- la semaine dernière (last week)
- il y a deux semaines (two weeks ago)
Present tense
- normalement (normally, usually)
- en ce moment (at the moment)
- maintenant (now)
- toujours (always)
- toutes les semaines (every week)
- chaque année (each year)
Future tense
- la semaine prochaine (next week)
- demain (tomorrow)
- bientôt (soon)
Example sentences with time phrases:
- Hier, j'ai fait du jogging pendant trente minutes. (Yesterday, I went jogging for thirty minutes.)
- Normalement, je fais de l'exercice trois fois par semaine. (Normally, I exercise three times a week.)
- Demain, je vais jouer au tennis avec mes amis. (Tomorrow, I'm going to play tennis with my friends.)
Expressing preferences about physical activities
Being able to discuss your exercise preferences helps when planning a healthy lifestyle routine. These expressions allow you to communicate what activities you enjoy and which ones you prefer to avoid.
Positive expressions:
- J'aime bien jouer au tennis. (I really like playing tennis.)
- Je préfère la natation. (I prefer swimming.)
Negative expressions:
- Je n'aime pas faire de la danse mais j'aime bien jouer au tennis. (I don't like dancing but I really like playing tennis.)
Translation practice
Practice is essential for mastering the vocabulary and grammar structures related to sports and exercise. These exercises will help reinforce your understanding of when to use different verbs and expressions.
Translation Practice:
French to English:
- Il fait du vélo tous les jours.
- Elle joue au basketball avec son équipe.
English to French:
- I go swimming twice a week.
- They play football at the stadium.
Answers:
- He cycles/goes cycling every day.
- She plays basketball with her team.
- Je fais de la natation deux fois par semaine.
- Ils jouent au football au stade.
Key Points to Remember:
- Use jouer à for sports you "play" (team sports, games)
- Use faire de for activities you "do" or "go" (individual sports, exercise)
- Time phrases help you discuss exercise routines in past, present, and future
- Regular physical activity is essential for maintaining good health alongside proper nutrition
- Practice using different tenses when talking about your fitness routine