Interests, wellbeing and technology (Edexcel GCSE French): Revision Notes
Interests, wellbeing and technology
This vocabulary covers three essential areas for GCSE French: discussing your interests and hobbies, talking about health and wellbeing, and describing technology use. These topics frequently appear in speaking and writing assessments.
These three vocabulary themes are interconnected in modern life. For example, you might discuss using fitness apps (technology) to improve your health (wellbeing) while pursuing sports (interests). Understanding these connections will help you create more sophisticated responses in your GCSE assessments.
Interests and hobbies
Understanding how to discuss activities you enjoy is crucial for personal description tasks in your GCSE exam. This vocabulary helps you express preferences, describe regular activities, and discuss participation in various sports and cultural activities.
Sports and activities vocabulary
| French | English |
|---|---|
| le basket (m) | basketball |
| chanter | to sing |
| classique | classical |
| le concert (m) | concert, gig |
| danser | to dance |
| l'équipe (f) | team |
| le football (m) | football |
| le handball (m) | handball |
| l'instrument (m) | instrument |
| jouer (à/de) | to play (sport/instrument) |
Entertainment and leisure
| French | English |
|---|---|
| le match (m) | match |
| le membre (m) | member |
| la musique | music |
| la natation (f) | swimming |
| participer | to participate |
| pratiquer | to practise |
| le spectacle (m) | show |
| le sport (m) | sport |
| le stade (m) | stadium |
| le théâtre (m) | theatre, drama |
Pay attention to the verb jouer - it takes different prepositions: jouer au (+ masculine sport), jouer à la (+ feminine sport), but jouer du/de la (+ musical instrument). For example: Je joue au football but Je joue du piano.
Example sentences in context:
- J'adore jouer au basket avec mes amis. (I love playing basketball with my friends.)
- Elle chante dans une chorale classique. (She sings in a classical choir.)
- Nous allons au concert ce weekend. (We're going to the concert this weekend.)
- Il pratique la natation tous les matins. (He practises swimming every morning.)
Wellbeing and health
This vocabulary helps you discuss physical and mental health, which often appears in lifestyle and routine topics. Modern GCSE syllabuses emphasise the importance of discussing wellbeing in a balanced, informed way.
Physical health vocabulary
| French | English |
|---|---|
| actif/active | active |
| avoir mal à | to ache, hurt |
| bouger | to move |
| courir | to run |
| dormir | to sleep |
| l'exercice (m) | exercise |
| la forme (f) | shape, fitness |
| l'hôpital (m) | hospital |
| le loisir (m) | leisure, hobby |
| la maladie | illness |
Mental wellbeing
| French | English |
|---|---|
| l'émotion (f) | emotion, feelings |
| le danger (m) | danger |
| la drogue (f) | drug |
| mental | mental |
| physique | physical |
| le risque (m) | risk |
| sain | healthy |
| la santé (f) | health |
| tomber | to fall |
| le virus (m) | virus |
Medical vocabulary
| French | English |
|---|---|
| la fièvre (f) | fever |
| intégrer | to integrate, to fit in |
| limiter | to limit |
| le médecin (m) | doctor |
| le médicament (m) | medicine, pill |
| le poids (m) | weight |
| le sang (m) | blood |
| se blesser | to hurt oneself |
| se brûler | to burn oneself |
| se cacher | to hide |
The expression avoir mal à is followed by the definite article: J'ai mal à la tête (I have a headache), Il a mal au dos (He has backache). This is different from English where we might say "My head hurts."
Example sentences in context:
- Je fais de l'exercice pour rester en bonne santé. (I exercise to stay in good health.)
- Elle a mal à la tête depuis ce matin. (She has had a headache since this morning.)
- Il faut limiter le temps devant l'écran. (We must limit screen time.)
- Le médecin lui a donné des médicaments. (The doctor gave him some medicine.)
Technology and digital life
Technology vocabulary is essential for discussing modern life and digital habits in your GCSE assessments. This area has become increasingly important as technology shapes how we communicate, learn, and entertain ourselves.
Devices and equipment
| French | English |
|---|---|
| l'appli/l'application (f) | app |
| charger | to load, charge |
| le commentaire (m) | comment |
| la console (f) | console |
| l'e-mail (m) | |
| envoyer | to send |
| l'influence (f) | influence |
| l'influenceur/influenceuse | influencer |
| l'Internet (m) | internet, web |
| le joueur/la joueuse | player |
Digital activities and security
| French | English |
|---|---|
| le message (m) | message |
| le mot de passe (m) | password |
| l'ordinateur | laptop |
| portable (m) | mobile phone |
| le réseau (m) | network |
| la sécurité (f) | security, safety |
| social | social |
| streaming (m) | streaming |
| la tablette (f) | tablet |
| la technologie (f) | technology |
Online behaviour
| French | English |
|---|---|
| télécharger | to download |
| téléphoner | to phone |
| la victoire (f) | victory, winning |
| la vidéo (f) | video |
| la violence (f) | violence |
| virtuel | virtual |
| l'appareil (m) | device |
| le code (m) | code |
| les données (fpl) | data |
| l'écran (m) | screen |
Notice that portable in French means mobile phone, not laptop. A laptop is un ordinateur portable or simply un ordinateur. This is a common source of confusion for English speakers!
Example sentences in context:
- J'utilise cette appli pour écouter de la musique. (I use this app to listen to music.)
- Il faut charger mon portable ce soir. (I need to charge my mobile phone tonight.)
- Elle envoie des messages à ses amis. (She sends messages to her friends.)
- Nous regardons des vidéos sur la tablette. (We watch videos on the tablet.)
Worked Example: Combining Topics in Context
Here's how you might combine all three vocabulary areas in a GCSE-style response about daily routine:
Question: Describe your typical weekend.
Sample Response: "Le weekend, je pratique le sport avec mes amis. Nous jouons au football au stade local. C'est bon pour la santé et ça m'aide à rester en forme. Après le match, je télécharge des vidéos sur ma tablette et je regarde du streaming. J'utilise aussi une appli pour écouter de la musique classique."
This response successfully integrates vocabulary from all three themes while demonstrating natural language use.
Practice exercises
Translation Practice
French to English:
- Je joue au football avec l'équipe du collège.
- Elle a mal à la tête et doit prendre des médicaments.
English to French: 3. I love listening to classical music on my phone. 4. We need to limit screen time for better health.
Answers:
- I play football with the school team.
- She has a headache and needs to take medicine.
- J'adore écouter de la musique classique sur mon portable.
- Il faut limiter le temps d'écran pour une meilleure santé.
Pronunciation tips
Understanding French pronunciation patterns will help you sound more confident in speaking assessments:
- Remember that -tion endings in French are pronounced "-see-on" (e.g., natation)
- The letter h is usually silent in French (e.g., hôpital)
- -eur endings are pronounced like "ur" in English (e.g., joueur)
Critical Exam Strategies:
- Learn vocabulary in themed groups to help with recall during assessments
- Practice using these words in different tenses, particularly present and past
- Focus on gender markers as they affect adjective agreements
- Use these topics to discuss personal experiences in speaking assessments
- Common mistakes to avoid: Don't forget the preposition with jouer (au/à la/du/de la) and remember that avoir mal à requires the definite article
Key Points to Remember:
- Master the three key themes: interests, wellbeing, and technology vocabulary work together in modern lifestyle discussions
- Learn gender markers: remembering (m) and (f) helps with accurate grammar usage
- Practice in context: use vocabulary in complete sentences rather than isolated words
- Link topics together: combine interests with technology (gaming apps) or wellbeing with activities (sport for health)
- Focus on exam relevance: these topics frequently appear in personal description and lifestyle discussion tasks