Leisure Activities (Junior Cert Spanish): Revision Notes
Leisure activities
Learning to talk about your hobbies and pastimes is essential for everyday conversations in Spanish. This topic covers key vocabulary for activities you enjoy, plus the special grammar needed to express what you like and dislike.
Key leisure activity vocabulary
Here are the main activities people do in their free time:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| cantar | to sing |
| dibujar | to draw |
| escuchar música | to listen to music |
| leer revistas o libros | to read magazines or books |
| chatear en las redes sociales | to chat on social media |
| ver la televisión o Netflix | to watch television or Netflix |
| jugar a los videojuegos | to play video games |
| la fotografía | photography |
| escribir cuentos | to write stories |
Example sentences in context:
- Me gusta escuchar música por la tarde. (I like listening to music in the afternoon.)
- Mi hermana prefiere leer libros. (My sister prefers reading books.)
- ¿Te gusta jugar a los videojuegos? (Do you like playing video games?)
Grammar note: Notice that jugar (to play) is followed by a before the activity: jugar a los videojuegos, jugar al fútbol.
More free time vocabulary
When asked ¿Qué haces en tu tiempo libre? (What do you do in your free time?), you might need these additional terms:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el deporte | sport |
| la música | music |
| la novela | novel |
| la actividad | activity |
| dar un paseo | to go for a walk |
| ir al cine | to go to the cinema |
| pintar | to paint |
| salir con amigos | to go out with friends |
| la lectura | reading |
| cocinar | to cook |
| actuar | to act |
| la obra | a play |
| el/la aficionado/a | fan |
Using the vocabulary in sentences:
- Me encanta ir al cine con mis amigos. (I love going to the cinema with my friends.)
- Odio hacer deporte. (I hate doing sport.)
- ¿Te interesa la lectura? (Are you interested in reading?)
- Soy aficionado al fútbol. (I'm a football fan.)
Grammar flexibility: These verbs can be followed by an infinitive (Me gusta leer novelas) or by a noun (Me gusta la lectura).
Describing activities
Use these adjectives to give your opinion about different pastimes:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| aburrido/a | boring |
| interesante | interesting |
| activo/a | active |
| divertido/a | fun, enjoyable |
| práctico/a | practical |
| emocionante | exciting |
| artístico/a | artistic |
| relajante | relaxing |
Describing activities with adjectives:
- El fútbol es muy emocionante. (Football is very exciting.)
- La lectura es relajante. (Reading is relaxing.)
The special verb "gustar"
The verb gustar (to like) works differently from most Spanish verbs. Instead of saying "I like something," you say something pleases me.
Gustar conjugation
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| me gusta(n) | I like |
| te gusta(n) | you like (singular) |
| le gusta(n) | he/she likes |
| nos gusta(n) | we like |
| os gusta(n) | you like (plural) |
| les gusta(n) | they like |
How gustar works
Key rule: The verb form depends on what you like, not who likes it:
- Use gusta for singular things: Me gusta el chocolate
- Use gustan for plural things: Me gustan los videojuegos
Gustar in action:
- Nos gusta ver la televisión. (We like watching television.)
- A mi hermano le gusta jugar videojuegos. (My brother likes playing video games.)
- No me gusta cantar. (I don't like singing.)
Important pattern: When mentioning the person's name, add A at the beginning: A Pedro le gusta el chocolate (Pedro likes chocolate).
Other similar verbs
Two more verbs work exactly like "gustar" and follow the same backwards pattern:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| encantar | to love (something) |
| interesar | to be interested in |
Using encantar and interesar:
- Me encanta leer. (I love reading.)
- ¿Te interesan las actividades artísticas? (Are you interested in artistic activities?)
- A mi hermana no le interesan los deportes. (My sister is not interested in sports.)
Expressing different opinions
You can show different levels of liking or disliking with these expressions:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| odio | I hate |
| no me gusta nada | I don't like it at all |
| no me gusta | I don't like it |
| no me gusta mucho | I don't like it much |
| me gusta un poco | I like it a bit |
| me gusta | I like it |
| me gusta bastante | I quite like it |
| me gusta mucho | I like it a lot |
| me encanta | I love it |
Expressing your level of preference:
- Me gusta bastante la fotografía. (I quite like photography.)
- No me gusta nada hacer deporte. (I don't like doing sport at all.)
Translation exercises
Test your understanding with these practice sentences:
Spanish to English:
- Me encanta escuchar música clásica.
- ¿Te gusta salir con amigos los fines de semana?
English to Spanish: 3. I hate watching television. 4. Do you like drawing?
Translation answers:
- I love listening to classical music.
- Do you like going out with friends at weekends?
- Odio ver la televisión.
- ¿Te gusta dibujar?
Common errors and fixes
Avoid these common mistakes when using gustar and similar verbs:
Error: Yo gusto el chocolate ❌ Fix: Me gusta el chocolate ✅ Reason: Gustar needs the indirect object pronoun (me, te, le, etc.), not the subject pronoun (yo, tú, él, etc.).
Error: Me gustan el deporte ❌ Fix: Me gusta el deporte ✅ Reason: Use gusta (singular) because "deporte" is singular, even though it ends in "e".
Error: Me gusta los videojuegos ❌ Fix: Me gustan los videojuegos ✅ Reason: Use gustan (plural) because "videojuegos" is plural.
Key Points to Remember:
- Gustar, encantar and interesar work "backwards" - the thing you like is the subject of the sentence
- Use gusta with singular nouns and gustan with plural nouns
- Add A before a person's name when using these verbs: A María le gusta leer
- These verbs can be followed by infinitives (me gusta leer) or nouns (me gusta la lectura)
- Learn opinion expressions from "odio" (I hate) to "me encanta" (I love) to express different levels of preference