Sports and games vocabulary in French, including common terms for various activities, equipment, and actions to help you talk about hobbies and interests.
Sports and games are a popular topic in everyday conversation. Learning the vocabulary for different activities, equipment, and common actions will help you talk about your hobbies—and understand others better.
Sports
Here are some common sports in French, along with example sentences to show how they are used.
| French Singular | French Plural | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| le football | les footballs | Je joue au football avec mes amis. | I play soccer with my friends. |
| le tennis | les tennis | Elle joue au tennis le samedi. | She plays tennis on Saturdays. |
| le basketball | les basketballs | Ils regardent un match de basketball. | They are watching a basketball game. |
| la natation | — | La natation est très bonne pour la santé. | Swimming is very good for your health. |
| le rugby | — | Mon frère joue au rugby à l'école. | My brother plays rugby at school. |
| le cyclisme | — | Le cyclisme est populaire en France. | Cycling is popular in France. |
| l’athlétisme (m.) | — | L’athlétisme comprend plusieurs disciplines. | Athletics includes several events. |
| le volley-ball | les volley-balls | Nous faisons du volley-ball à la plage. | We play volleyball on the beach. |
| le golf | — | Le golf demande beaucoup de concentration. | Golf requires a lot of concentration. |
| la gymnastique | — | La gymnastique améliore la souplesse. | Gymnastics improves flexibility. |
La ___ est très bonne pour la santé.
What is the French word for 'swimming'?
natation
'La natation' means 'swimming'. The sentence says, 'Swimming is very good for your health.'
Games
These are common games in French. The examples show how to use them in everyday conversation.
| French Singular | French Plural | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| le jeu de cartes | les jeux de cartes | On joue aux jeux de cartes le soir. | We play card games in the evening. |
| les échecs (m. pl.) | — | Il est champion aux échecs. | He is a chess champion. |
| le Monopoly | — | J'aime jouer au Monopoly en famille. | I like playing Monopoly with my family. |
| le puzzle | les puzzles | Ce puzzle a 500 pièces. | This puzzle has 500 pieces. |
| le jeu de société | les jeux de société | Les jeux de société sont très amusants. | Board games are a lot of fun. |
| la pétanque | — | On joue à la pétanque au parc. | We play pétanque in the park. |
| le bingo | — | La grand-mère adore le bingo. | Grandma loves bingo. |
| le domino | les dominos | J'ai gagné aux dominos hier. | I won at dominoes yesterday. |
| le Scrabble | — | Ils jouent au Scrabble le weekend. | They play Scrabble on weekends. |
| le jeu vidéo | les jeux vidéo | Mon frère passe du temps aux jeux vidéo. | My brother spends time on video games. |
J'aime jouer au ___ en famille.
Which French game involves buying properties and is popular in families?
Monopoly
'Monopoly' is the name of the board game where you buy properties. The sentence means, 'I like playing Monopoly with my family.'
Equipment
Here is vocabulary for common sports and game equipment, plus example sentences.
| French Singular | French Plural | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| le ballon | les ballons | Le ballon est rouge. | The ball is red. |
| la raquette | les raquettes | J'ai cassé ma raquette de tennis. | I broke my tennis racket. |
| le vélo | les vélos | Il a acheté un nouveau vélo. | He bought a new bike. |
| le casque | les casques | Porte toujours un casque à vélo. | Always wear a helmet when cycling. |
| les gants (m.) | — | Les boxeurs portent des gants. | Boxers wear gloves. |
| la balle | les balles | La balle est trop petite. | The ball is too small. |
| le filet | les filets | Le filet est cassé. | The net is broken. |
| la crosse | les crosses | Il joue avec une crosse de hockey. | He plays with a hockey stick. |
| la carte | les cartes | Distribue les cartes, s'il te plaît. | Deal the cards, please. |
| les dés (m.) | — | J'ai lancé les dés. | I rolled the dice. |
Actions
These are common verbs and expressions related to playing sports and games, with example sentences.
| French Verb | English Verb | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| jouer à | play (a game) | Je joue au tennis. | I play tennis. |
| jouer de | play (an instrument) | Il joue de la guitare. | He plays the guitar. |
| gagner | win | Elle a gagné le match. | She won the game. |
| perdre | lose | Nous avons perdu hier. | We lost yesterday. |
| s’entraîner | train/practice | Ils s’entraînent tous les jours. | They train every day. |
| faire de | do/practice | Je fais du vélo le weekend. | I go cycling on weekends. |
| lancer | throw | Il lance la balle très loin. | He throws the ball very far. |
| marquer | score | Il a marqué un but. | He scored a goal. |
| suivre | follow | Je suis un cours de yoga. | I’m taking a yoga class. |
| sortir | go out/play | On sort jouer au parc. | We go out to play in the park. |
Talking About Preferences
Use these phrases to talk about your favorite sports and games.
| French Phrase | English Translation | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| J’aime ... | I like ... | J’aime le football. | I like soccer. |
| Je préfère ... | I prefer ... | Je préfère le tennis. | I prefer tennis. |
| Je déteste ... | I hate ... | Je déteste perdre. | I hate losing. |
| Je suis fan de ... | I’m a fan of ... | Je suis fan de basketball. | I’m a basketball fan. |
| Mon sport préféré est ... | My favorite sport is ... | Mon sport préféré est la natation. | My favorite sport is swimming. |
| Je joue ... depuis ... | I’ve been playing ... for ... | Je joue au tennis depuis deux ans. | I’ve been playing tennis for two years. |
| J’ai commencé à ... | I started ... | J’ai commencé le yoga en janvier. | I started yoga in January. |
| On joue ... | We play ... | On joue au volleyball le vendredi. | We play volleyball on Fridays. |
| J’aime regarder ... | I like watching ... | J’aime regarder le rugby à la télé. | I like watching rugby on TV. |
| Je suis nul(le) en ... | I’m bad at ... | Je suis nul en basketball. | I’m bad at basketball. |
With this vocabulary, you’ll be ready to talk about all kinds of sports, games, and the equipment and actions that go with them. Plus, you can share your preferences and join in on conversations about hobbies and interests.
How would you say 'My favorite sport is swimming' in French?
Mon sport préféré est la natation.
'Mon sport préféré est la natation' means 'My favorite sport is swimming.'
Flashcards (1 of 50)
- English Example: I play soccer with my friends.
Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025
