Ready to get active in French? In this lesson you'll learn the vocabulary for popular sports and physical activities, and master the verb 'faire' (to do/make) — one of the most essential verbs in French. Camille and Lucas head out for a jog along the Seine and talk about their sporting lives. By the end of the lesson you'll be able to say what sports you do, how often you do them, and whether your team wins or loses!
Learning tips
- The structure 'faire du / de la / de l' + sport' is the go-to formula for talking about sports you practise. The article changes depending on the gender of the sport noun: 'faire du football' (m), 'faire de la natation' (f), 'faire de l'athlétisme' (vowel).
- Don't confuse 'faire du sport' (to do sport/exercise in general) with 'jouer au football' (to play football specifically). 'Jouer à' is used for team sports and games; 'faire de' is used for most other activities.
- The verb 'courir' (to run) is irregular — memorise je cours, tu cours, il court, nous courons, vous courez, ils courent. It is used very frequently.
- Football is a cultural touchstone in France — the national team won the World Cup in 1998 and 2018. Knowing basic match vocabulary will serve you well in everyday conversation.
- Try associating new sport words with an image or memory: picture yourself at the Stade de France, the iconic national stadium, to anchor words like 'le match', 'l'équipe', 'gagner', 'perdre'.
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| danser | to dance |
| dessiner | to draw |
| bricoler | to do DIY / to tinker |
| peindre | to paint |
| chanter | to sing |
| jouer | to play |
| le sport | sport |
| la musique | music |
| le cinéma | cinema |
| le temps libre | free time |
Dialog
Lucas and Camille are jogging together along the banks of the Seine — a classic Parisian activity. They chat about their sporting habits, Lucas's football team, and a swimming invitation. Notice how 'faire du / de la' is used repeatedly throughout the dialog.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| le football | /lə fut.bɔl/ | football (soccer) | Masculine noun. In France, 'le football' always means soccer — what Americans call 'soccer'. It is by far the most popular sport in the country. |
| courir | /ku.ʁiʁ/ | to run | Irregular verb. Je cours, tu cours, il court, nous courons, vous courez, ils courent. |
| nager | /na.ʒe/ | to swim | Regular -er verb. 'Nager' is the verb; 'la natation' is the noun for swimming as a sport/hobby. |
| le match | /lə matʃ/ | match, game | Masculine noun. Borrowed from English. 'Un match de football' = a football match. Plural: 'des matchs' or 'des matches'. |
| la natation | /la na.ta.sjɔ̃/ | swimming (the sport) | Feminine noun. Used in 'faire de la natation'. Note: 'nager' is the verb action, but 'la natation' names the sport. |
| la course | /la kuʁs/ | running, race | Feminine noun. 'La course' means both running (as a sport) and a race. 'Faire de la course' = to do running. |
| faire du sport | /fɛʁ dy spɔʁ/ | to do sport, to exercise | Fixed phrase. This is the most general way to say you exercise. 'Du' is the partitive article (de + le). |
| gagner | /ɡa.ɲe/ | to win | Regular -er verb. Very satisfying to use: 'On va gagner !' = We're going to win! |
| perdre | /pɛʁdʁ/ | to lose | Irregular -re verb. Je perds, tu perds, il perd, nous perdons, vous perdez, ils perdent. |
| l' l'équipe | /le.kip/ | team | Feminine noun. Note the contraction: l'équipe (not la équipe) because it starts with a vowel. |
Passive words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| le tennis | /lə te.nis/ | tennis | Masculine noun. Very popular in France — Roland-Garros hosts the French Open every May/June. |
| le basket | /lə bas.kɛt/ | basketball | Masculine noun. Often shortened to 'le basket' in everyday speech. |
| le rugby | /lə ʁyɡ.bi/ | rugby | Masculine noun. Particularly popular in the south of France (Toulouse, Bordeaux, Clermont). |
| le stade | /lə stad/ | stadium | Masculine noun. The national stadium is the Stade de France, north of Paris. |
| s'entraîner | /sɑ̃.tʁɛ.ne/ | to train, to practise | Reflexive verb (pronominal). Je m'entraîne, tu t'entraînes, il s'entraîne... Note the circumflex on 'î'. |
Useful chunks
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| faire du football | to play football |
| faire de la natation | to go swimming / to do swimming |
| avec mon équipe | with my team |
Grammar: Present tense of 'faire' — faire du/de la/de l'/des + activity
| Sujet | Faire | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| je | fais | Je fais du football. |
| tu | fais | Tu fais de la natation. |
| il/elle/on | fait | Il fait du sport. |
| nous | faisons | Nous faisons de la course. |
| vous | faites | Vous faites du tennis. |
| ils/elles | font | Ils font du basket. |
The verb 'faire' (to do / to make) is one of the most important in French, and it is highly irregular — you must memorise its forms: je fais, tu fais, il/elle/on fait, nous faisons, vous faites, ils/elles font. Notice the completely unpredictable 'vous faites' form. In the context of sports and hobbies, 'faire' is combined with partitive articles to say what activity you do: 'faire du' + masculine noun (faire du football, faire du ski), 'faire de la' + feminine noun (faire de la natation, faire de la danse), 'faire de l'' + noun starting with a vowel or silent h (faire de l'athlétisme). In negative sentences, the partitive contracts to 'de' regardless of gender: 'Je ne fais pas de football.' This partitive construction is also used for food ('manger du pain') and abstract concepts ('avoir du courage'), so mastering it here will serve you across many other topics.
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the correct French word from the lesson vocabulary.
- Mon préféré, c'est le football. (sport → équipe)(the group of players — starts with a vowel in French)
- J'aime dans la piscine le matin. (nager)(to move through water)
- Notre joue bien — on va gagner ! (équipe)(the group of players)
- Il adore — il court cinq kilomètres chaque jour. (courir)(to move fast on foot)
- Elle fait de la à la piscine deux fois par semaine. (natation)(the sport, not the verb — feminine noun)
Grammar Application
Fill in the blank with the correct form of 'faire'.
- Je du football le samedi. (faire)(je — I)
- Tu de la natation ? (faire)(tu — you)
- Nous du sport ensemble. (faire)(nous — we)
- Ils de la course le matin. (faire)(ils — they)
- Vous du tennis ce week-end ? (faire)(vous — you plural/formal)
Translate into French
Translate each English sentence into French using vocabulary and structures from this lesson.
- I like to swim every morning.
- We play football on Saturdays.
- Our team wins often.
- He loves running and swimming.
- There is a match on Sunday.
Build Your Own Sentence
Write your own French sentence about a sport or exercise you do (or would like to do), using 'faire du / de la' or another verb from this lesson.
Takeaway
Master 'faire' (fais/fais/fait/faisons/faites/font) and add 'du/de la/de l'' before any sport or activity — it's the key to talking about almost everything you do.