Sports verbs and time phrases
There are two key verbA 'doing' word; a word expressing action. 'Walk', 'talk', 'come', 'go', 'eat' and 'sleep' are all verbs. that are used with sports – jouer (to play) and faire (to do).
It is important to learn the verbs in full and in different tenseThe verb formation that describes the time at which the action occurred, eg past, present or future..
| jouer | to play |
| je joue | I play/am playing |
| tu joues | you (singular, informal) play/are playing |
| il/elle joue | he/she plays/is playing |
| on joue | we play/are playing |
| nous jouons | we play/are playing |
| vous jouez | you (plural, formal) play/are playing |
| ils/elles jouent | they play/are playing |
| jouer | je joue |
|---|---|
| to play | I play/am playing |
| jouer | tu joues |
|---|---|
| to play | you (singular, informal) play/are playing |
| jouer | il/elle joue |
|---|---|
| to play | he/she plays/is playing |
| jouer | on joue |
|---|---|
| to play | we play/are playing |
| jouer | nous jouons |
|---|---|
| to play | we play/are playing |
| jouer | vous jouez |
|---|---|
| to play | you (plural, formal) play/are playing |
| jouer | ils/elles jouent |
|---|---|
| to play | they play/are playing |
When talking about playing a game, jouer (to play) is followed by the prepositionA preposition is a word such as 'at', 'for', 'with', 'into' or 'from' which is usually followed by a noun or pronoun. They are used to show where something is in place or time.à, but don’t forget to include the definite articleMeans 'the'. Definite articles change depending on whether the noun it goes with is masculine, feminine, singular or plural. - le/la/les.
jouer à + le = jouer au
jouer à + la = jouer à la
jouer à + les = jouer aux
| faire | to do |
| je fais | I do/am doing |
| tu fais | you (singular, informal) do/are doing |
| il/elle fait | he/she does/is doing |
| on fait | we do/are doing |
| nous faisons | we do/are doing |
| vous faites | you (plural) do/are doing |
| ils/elles font | they do/are doing |
| faire | je fais |
|---|---|
| to do | I do/am doing |
| faire | tu fais |
|---|---|
| to do | you (singular, informal) do/are doing |
| faire | il/elle fait |
|---|---|
| to do | he/she does/is doing |
| faire | on fait |
|---|---|
| to do | we do/are doing |
| faire | nous faisons |
|---|---|
| to do | we do/are doing |
| faire | vous faites |
|---|---|
| to do | you (plural) do/are doing |
| faire | ils/elles font |
|---|---|
| to do | they do/are doing |
When talking about sport, faire (to do) is followed by the preposition de. Remember the definite article - le, la, les.
faire de + le = faire du
faire de + la = faire de la
faire de + les = faire des
See the prepositions revision guide for more information about using verbs and prepositions.
Time phrases
| toujours | always |
| tout le temps | all the time |
| tous les jours/chaque jour | every day |
| souvent | often |
| d’habitude | usually |
| normalement | normally |
| une fois par semaine | once per week |
| deux fois par mois | twice a month |
| parfois/quelquefois | sometimes |
| tout le temps | all the time |
| de temps en temps | from time to time |
| rarement | rarely |
| ne … jamais | never |
| toujours |
| always |
| tout le temps |
| all the time |
| tous les jours/chaque jour |
| every day |
| souvent |
| often |
| d’habitude |
| usually |
| normalement |
| normally |
| une fois par semaine |
| once per week |
| deux fois par mois |
| twice a month |
| parfois/quelquefois |
| sometimes |
| tout le temps |
| all the time |
| de temps en temps |
| from time to time |
| rarement |
| rarely |
| ne … jamais |
| never |
Choose a word from the list below to fill the gaps.
- escalade
- faire
- jamais
- jouer
- jours
- souvent
Question
Ma mère fait de la natation tous les________.
Ma mère fait de la natation tous les jours.
My mum goes swimming every day.
Question
Nicolas a fait de l’__________en vacances.
Nicolas a fait de l’escalade en vacances.
Nicolas went climbing on holiday.
Question
Paul et moi, nous allons ________ au tennis.
Paul et moi, nous allons jouer au tennis.
Paul and I are going to play tennis.
Question
Patrice adore ________du VTT.
Patrice adore faire du VTT.
Patrice loves mountain biking.
In French use the verb faire with mountain biking.
Question
Vous jouez _________ au foot ?
Vous jouez souvent au foot ?
Do you often play football?
Question
Je n’ai _________fait de voile.
Je n’ai jamais fait de voile.
I have never been sailing.