Skip to content
VirtusAcademy

Hobbies and Free-Time Vocabulary

FoundationHigherAQA

Learn Hobbies and Free-Time Vocabulary for GCSE French with this free worksheet and full mark scheme — Foundation and Higher exam-style practice with worked answers for AQA GCSE French (8652). Theme 2 Topic 1 covers hobbies, interests and what people do in their spare time.

Free downloads

These worksheets and mark schemes are original, written for Virtus Academy and checked against the current AQA specification. Every worksheet comes with a full mark scheme.

Foundation

WorksheetFoundation · PDFMark SchemeFoundation · PDF

Higher

WorksheetHigher · PDFMark SchemeHigher · PDF

Topic overview

Hobbies vocabulary depends on choosing between three verbs, and each takes a different structure.

Jouer à is used for games and sports: je joue au foot, je joue aux cartes. Jouer de is used for musical instruments: je joue du piano, je joue de la guitare. Faire de is used for most other activities: je fais de la natation, je fais du vélo.

All three take contractions, so au, aux, du and de la appear constantly. The distinction between jouer à and jouer de is examined directly — je joue du foot would be wrong, as would je joue au piano. Learn which verb goes with which kind of activity.

Revision notes

The three structures

Jouer à for games and sports: je joue au foot, je joue aux cartes.

Jouer de for instruments: je joue du piano, je joue de la guitare. Faire de for other activities: je fais de la natation, je fais du vélo.

Contractions apply

À le becomes au, à les becomes aux, de le becomes du.

Je joue au tennis, je joue aux échecs, je joue du violon, je fais du ski. The contraction is compulsory in every case.

Opinions and frequency

Add frequency: souvent, toujours, une fois par semaine, tous les jours.

Add opinion: j'adore, j'aime bien, je préfère. Je fais du vélo tous les weekends parce que j'adore le sport turns a list into a developed answer.

Key points

  • Jouer à is used for games and sports.
  • Jouer de is used for instruments.
  • Faire de is used for other activities.
  • Contractions apply to all three.
  • Je joue au foot uses au.
  • Je joue du piano uses du.

Worked examples

Example 1

Translate: I play football. [2 marks]

Working

Je joue au footuse jouer à with the contraction
À and le contract to au for a sportexplain the structure

Example 2

Translate: I play the piano. [2 marks]

Working

Je joue du pianouse jouer de with the contraction
Instruments take jouer de, not jouer àexplain the choice of preposition

Example 3

Translate: I go swimming. [2 marks]

Working

Je fais de la natationuse faire de with the feminine noun
De la is used because natation is feminineexplain the article

Common mistakes

  • Using jouer à for an instrument.

    Instruments take jouer de.

  • Using jouer de for a sport.

    Sports take jouer à.

  • Forgetting the contraction.

    Au foot, not à le foot.

  • Omitting the partitive after faire.

    Je fais du vélo, not je fais vélo.

Exam tips

  • Match the verb to the type of activity.
  • Apply contractions every time.
  • Add frequency and opinion to develop answers.
  • Learn jouer à and jouer de as a contrasting pair.

Key terms

Jouer à
To play a game or sport.
Jouer de
To play a musical instrument.
Faire de
To do an activity.
Contraction
À plus le becoming au.

Related topics

Written and reviewed against the current AQA specification. Spotted an error? Let us know.