Vocabulary - sports
Sports vocabulary
France is a vast country and very sporty - with a large percentage of the population regularly engaging in some sort of sporting activity. The home of the Tour De France, it’s no surprise that cycling is hugely popular there, but team sports are also widely played by a huge number of people.
Unsurprisingly football is the most popular game in France and the success of the national team only adds to the nation’s obsession with le foot. Like in France, football is extremely popular here in Northern Ireland along with rugby, GAA and golf.
Here is some additional vocabulary to use when talking about sport.
| les arts martiaux | martial arts |
| un but | a goal |
| le canoe | canoe, canoeing |
| un championnat | championship |
| la coupe | the cup |
| la course à pied | running |
| l’escalade (f) | climbing |
| un essai | a try |
| la danse classique | ballet |
| la danse irlandaise | Irish dancing |
| l’escrime | fencing |
| l’équipe (f) | team |
| le football gaélique | gaelic football |
| le hockey sur gazon | hockey |
| le hurling | hurling |
| les jeux gaéliques | gaelic games |
| le judo | judo |
| le karate | karate |
| une ligue | league |
| la mêlée | scrum |
| la partie | game |
| le patin à glace | ice skating |
| la patinoire | ice rink |
| la planchet à roulette | skateboard |
| planchet à voile | windsurfing |
| la plongée sous-marin | scuba diving |
| le skate | skateboarding |
| les sports nautiques | water sports |
| le stade | stadium |
| le supporter | fan, supporter |
| le tir à l’arc | archery |
| un tournoi | tournament |
| le volley | volleyball |
| le VTT | mountain biking |
| les arts martiaux |
| martial arts |
| un but |
| a goal |
| le canoe |
| canoe, canoeing |
| un championnat |
| championship |
| la coupe |
| the cup |
| la course à pied |
| running |
| l’escalade (f) |
| climbing |
| un essai |
| a try |
| la danse classique |
| ballet |
| la danse irlandaise |
| Irish dancing |
| l’escrime |
| fencing |
| l’équipe (f) |
| team |
| le football gaélique |
| gaelic football |
| le hockey sur gazon |
| hockey |
| le hurling |
| hurling |
| les jeux gaéliques |
| gaelic games |
| le judo |
| judo |
| le karate |
| karate |
| une ligue |
| league |
| la mêlée |
| scrum |
| la partie |
| game |
| le patin à glace |
| ice skating |
| la patinoire |
| ice rink |
| la planchet à roulette |
| skateboard |
| planchet à voile |
| windsurfing |
| la plongée sous-marin |
| scuba diving |
| le skate |
| skateboarding |
| les sports nautiques |
| water sports |
| le stade |
| stadium |
| le supporter |
| fan, supporter |
| le tir à l’arc |
| archery |
| un tournoi |
| tournament |
| le volley |
| volleyball |
| le VTT |
| mountain biking |
Ball sports
Normalement, je joue au foot deux fois par semaine. – Normally I play football twice a week.
Je joue au basket tout le temps. - I play basketball all the time.
Nous allons jouer au volley. – We’re going to play volleyball.
Hier, j’ai joué au hockey pour mon équipe et j’ai marqué un but. – Yesterday I played hockey for my team and I scored a goal.
Je jouais au rugby. – I used to play rugby.
Nous jouons au cricket une fois par semaine. – We play cricket once a week.
J’aimerais jouer au netball de temps en temps. – I would like to play netball from time to time.
Tu joues au tennis ? – Do you play tennis?
Mon frère ne joue jamais au squash. – My brother never plays squash
Other sports
Élise fait de l’athlétisme. – Élise does athletics.
Ma sœur fait de l’équitation chaque jour. – My sister goes horse riding every day.
Cet été, je vais faire de l’escalade. – This summer I’m going to go rock climbing.
Mon grand-père fait de la natation tous les jours. - My grandfather swims every day.
Je nage assez souvent. – I swim quite often.
J’ai envie d’essayer le parkour. – I want to try parkour.
Je n’ai jamais fait de patinage sur glace. – I have never done ice skating.
Vous faites des sports nautiques ? – Do you do water sports?
D’habitude, je fais du skate après le collège. – Usually, I go skateboarding after school.
Je fais du vélo/du cyclisme. – I cycle/go cycling.
Je veux essayer le ski. – I want to try skiing.
Je trouve la boxe fascinante. – I find boxing fascinating.
J’aime regarder le judo. – I like watching judo.
