Hobbies in French: A Practical Guide to French Hobby Vocabulary

If you are learning French and want to talk about your free time, knowing how to describe your hobbies is one of the most useful vocabulary skills to develop. Whether you enjoy reading, cooking, traveling, sports, music, or creative activities, French has simple expressions for explaining what you like to do.

This guide covers common hobbies in French, their English meanings, useful vocabulary, example sentences, and practical phrases you can use in everyday conversations.

Common Hobbies in French

Here are some of the most useful French words and expressions for hobbies and leisure activities:

English Hobby	French	Example
Reading	la lecture	J’aime la lecture.
Writing	l’écriture	J’aime l’écriture.
Cooking	la cuisine	J’aime cuisiner.
Baking	la pâtisserie	J’aime faire de la pâtisserie.
Traveling	les voyages	J’aime voyager.
Photography	la photographie	J’aime la photographie.
Painting	la peinture	Je fais de la peinture.
Drawing	le dessin	J’aime dessiner.
Gardening	le jardinage	J’aime le jardinage.
Swimming	la natation	Je fais de la natation.
Running	la course à pied	Je fais de la course à pied.
Cycling	le vélo	Je fais du vélo.
Hiking	la randonnée	J’aime faire de la randonnée.
Fishing	la pêche	J’aime la pêche.
Dancing	la danse	J’aime danser.
Singing	le chant	J’aime chanter.
Playing music	jouer de la musique	J’aime jouer de la musique.
Watching movies	regarder des films	J’aime regarder des films.
Listening to music	écouter de la musique	J’aime écouter de la musique.
Playing video games	jouer aux jeux vidéo	J’aime jouer aux jeux vidéo.

How to Say “Hobby” in French

The English word “hobby” can be translated in several ways depending on the context.

Un hobby is commonly understood in modern French, especially in informal usage. However, French also uses expressions such as:

• un loisir — a leisure activity
• une activité de loisir — a leisure activity
• une activité — an activity
• un passe-temps — a pastime

For example:

• Quel est ton hobby ? — What is your hobby?
• Quel est ton loisir préféré ? — What is your favorite leisure activity?
• Quels sont tes loisirs ? — What are your hobbies/leisure activities?
• Que fais-tu pendant ton temps libre ? — What do you do in your free time?

For everyday French, loisirs and temps libre are particularly useful vocabulary because they can describe recreational activities without relying on the English-derived word hobby.

How to Say “My Hobby Is…” in French

One of the easiest ways to talk about your hobbies is:

Mon hobby, c’est… — My hobby is…

But a more natural way to express your interests is often:

J’aime + infinitive — I like + activity.

Examples:

• J’aime lire. — I like reading.
• J’aime cuisiner. — I like cooking.
• J’aime voyager. — I like traveling.
• J’aime dessiner. — I like drawing.
• J’aime danser. — I like dancing.
• J’aime chanter. — I like singing.
• J’aime faire du vélo. — I like cycling.
• J’aime jouer au tennis. — I like playing tennis.

This structure is especially helpful for beginners because you can use it with many different activities.

Popular Hobbies in French

Reading — La lecture

La lecture means reading.

Useful expressions include:

• J’aime lire. — I like reading.
• Je lis des romans. — I read novels.
• Je lis pendant mon temps libre. — I read in my free time.
• Mon passe-temps préféré est la lecture. — My favorite pastime is reading.

Cooking — La cuisine

La cuisine refers to cooking and cuisine, while cuisiner means “to cook.”

Examples:

• J’aime cuisiner. — I like cooking.
• Je cuisine souvent. — I cook often.
• J’aime préparer de nouveaux plats. — I like preparing new dishes.

Traveling — Les voyages

The noun le voyage means a trip or journey, while voyager means to travel.

Examples:

• J’aime voyager. — I like traveling.
• J’aime découvrir de nouveaux endroits. — I like discovering new places.
• Les voyages sont mon passe-temps préféré. — Traveling is my favorite pastime.

Photography — La photographie

La photographie means photography.

Examples:

• J’aime la photographie. — I like photography.
• Je prends des photos pendant mes voyages. — I take pictures during my travels.
• La photographie est une activité créative. — Photography is a creative activity.

Painting — La peinture

La peinture means painting.

Examples:

• J’aime peindre. — I like painting.
• Je fais de la peinture. — I paint / I do painting.
• Je peins pendant mon temps libre. — I paint in my free time.

Drawing — Le dessin

Le dessin means drawing.

Examples:

• J’aime dessiner. — I like drawing.
• Je fais des dessins. — I make drawings.
• Le dessin est mon loisir préféré. — Drawing is my favorite leisure activity.

Gardening — Le jardinage

Le jardinage means gardening.

Examples:

• J’aime le jardinage. — I like gardening.
• Je fais du jardinage le week-end. — I garden on the weekend.
• Je passe du temps dans mon jardin. — I spend time in my garden.

Sports and Outdoor Hobbies in French

French has many useful expressions for talking about sports and outdoor activities.

English	French
Soccer	le football
Basketball	le basket-ball
Tennis	le tennis
Golf	le golf
Swimming	la natation
Running	la course à pied
Cycling	le vélo
Hiking	la randonnée
Skiing	le ski
Fishing	la pêche
Horse riding	l’équitation
Surfing	le surf
Yoga	le yoga

Examples:

• Je joue au football. — I play soccer.
• Je joue au tennis. — I play tennis.
• Je fais du vélo. — I ride a bicycle/cycle.
• Je fais de la natation. — I swim.
• Je fais de la randonnée. — I go hiking.
• Je fais du ski. — I ski.
• Je pratique le yoga. — I practice yoga.

Creative Hobbies in French

Creative activities are another useful group of vocabulary for French learners.

English	French
Drawing	le dessin
Painting	la peinture
Photography	la photographie
Writing	l’écriture
Singing	le chant
Dancing	la danse
Knitting	le tricot
Sewing	la couture
Crafts	les activités manuelles
Pottery	la poterie
Playing an instrument	jouer d’un instrument

Examples:

• J’aime écrire. — I like writing.
• Je fais de la couture. — I sew.
• Je fais du tricot. — I knit.
• J’aime faire des activités manuelles. — I like doing crafts.
• Je joue de la guitare. — I play guitar.

Music Hobbies in French

Music provides several useful French expressions.

• la musique — music
• le chant — singing
• chanter — to sing
• jouer de la guitare — to play guitar
• jouer du piano — to play piano
• écouter de la musique — to listen to music
• aller à des concerts — to go to concerts

Examples:

J’aime écouter de la musique.
I like listening to music.

Je joue de la guitare.
I play guitar.

J’aime chanter.
I like singing.

A useful grammar point is that French generally uses jouer de with musical instruments:

• jouer de la guitare
• jouer du piano
• jouer de la batterie

Indoor Hobbies in French

If you want to describe hobbies you can do at home, these expressions are useful:

• lire — to read
• écrire — to write
• cuisiner — to cook
• regarder des films — to watch movies
• écouter de la musique — to listen to music
• jouer aux jeux vidéo — to play video games
• faire du dessin — to draw
• faire de la peinture — to paint
• faire du tricot — to knit
• faire de la coudre — to sew
• jouer d’un instrument — to play an instrument

Example:

Pendant mon temps libre, j’aime lire, écouter de la musique et regarder des films.

“During my free time, I like reading, listening to music, and watching movies.”

How to Talk About Hobbies in French

Learning vocabulary is only part of the process. You also need a few sentence patterns for discussing hobbies naturally.

J’aime…

J’aime means “I like.”

Examples:

• J’aime lire. — I like reading.
• J’aime voyager. — I like traveling.
• J’aime cuisiner. — I like cooking.

J’adore…

J’adore means “I love” or “I really like.”

Examples:

• J’adore la photographie. — I love photography.
• J’adore faire du vélo. — I love cycling.
• J’adore écouter de la musique. — I love listening to music.

Je préfère…

Je préfère means “I prefer.”

Examples:

• Je préfère lire. — I prefer reading.
• Je préfère faire de la randonnée. — I prefer hiking.
• Je préfère les activités en plein air. — I prefer outdoor activities.

Je n’aime pas…

Je n’aime pas means “I don’t like.”

Examples:

• Je n’aime pas courir. — I don’t like running.
• Je n’aime pas faire du ski. — I don’t like skiing.

Pendant mon temps libre…

This means “In my free time…”

Examples:

• Pendant mon temps libre, je lis. — In my free time, I read.
• Pendant mon temps libre, je fais du vélo. — In my free time, I cycle.
• Pendant mon temps libre, j’aime cuisiner. — In my free time, I like cooking.

Useful French Questions About Hobbies

If you are having a conversation in French, these questions can help you ask someone about their interests.

Quels sont tes loisirs ?
What are your hobbies?

Quel est ton loisir préféré ?
What is your favorite hobby/leisure activity?

Qu’est-ce que tu aimes faire pendant ton temps libre ?
What do you like to do in your free time?

Qu’est-ce que tu fais pendant ton temps libre ?
What do you do in your free time?

Tu aimes faire quoi ?
What do you like to do?

Tu fais du sport ?
Do you play sports/exercise?

Tu aimes lire ?
Do you like reading?

For formal situations, vous can replace tu:

Qu’est-ce que vous aimez faire pendant votre temps libre ?
What do you like to do in your free time?

French Hobby Vocabulary for Beginners

If you are just starting French, you do not need to memorize dozens of words at once. Begin with common verbs and activities that can be combined into simple sentences.

A useful beginner set is:

1. lire — to read
2. écrire — to write
3. cuisiner — to cook
4. voyager — to travel
5. dessiner — to draw
6. chanter — to sing
7. danser — to dance
8. écouter de la musique — to listen to music
9. regarder des films — to watch movies
10. faire du vélo — to cycle

Then practice them with three basic patterns:

• J’aime… — I like…
• J’adore… — I love…
• Je n’aime pas… — I don’t like…

For example:

J’aime lire et voyager, mais je n’aime pas courir.

“I like reading and traveling, but I don’t like running.”

French Prepositions Used With Hobbies

One of the trickier parts of French hobby vocabulary is choosing the correct construction.

With many sports and physical activities, French uses faire de:

• faire du vélo
• faire du ski
• faire de la natation
• faire de la randonnée
• faire du yoga

With many team or competitive games, French uses jouer à:

• jouer au football
• jouer au tennis
• jouer au basket-ball
• jouer aux échecs

With musical instruments, French uses jouer de:

• jouer du piano
• jouer de la guitare
• jouer de la batterie

These patterns are worth learning as complete expressions rather than translating each word directly from English.

Example Paragraph About Hobbies in French

Here is a simple paragraph that a beginner can use as a model:

Pendant mon temps libre, j’aime lire, écouter de la musique et regarder des films. J’aime aussi voyager et faire de la randonnée. Le week-end, je fais du vélo avec mes amis. Mon loisir préféré est la photographie parce que j’aime prendre des photos de nouveaux endroits.

English meaning:

“During my free time, I like reading, listening to music, and watching movies. I also like traveling and hiking. On the weekend, I ride my bike with my friends. My favorite hobby is photography because I like taking pictures of new places.”

The paragraph demonstrates several useful structures without requiring advanced French grammar.

How to Learn Hobbies in French More Easily

Learn verbs with complete phrases

Instead of memorizing only vélo, learn faire du vélo.

Instead of memorizing only guitare, learn jouer de la guitare.

This helps you remember the preposition and grammatical structure at the same time.

Group vocabulary by activity

Organize words into categories such as:

• Sports
• Creative hobbies
• Music
• Outdoor activities
• Indoor activities
• Travel and cultural activities

Grouping related vocabulary makes it easier to recall words during conversation.

Describe your own interests

Create five simple sentences about activities you genuinely enjoy.

For example:

• J’aime lire.
• J’aime cuisiner.
• J’adore voyager.
• Je fais du vélo.
• Je n’aime pas courir.

This turns passive vocabulary into usable French.

FAQs About Hobbies in French

What is “hobby” in French?

“Hobby can be expressed as un hobby, but common French alternatives include loisir, un passe-temps, or une activité de loisir.

How do you say “my hobby” in French?

“My hobby” is mon hobby. You can also describe your favorite leisure activity with mon loisir préféré or simply explain what you enjoy doing.

How do you say “What are your hobbies?” in French?

A natural way to ask informally is Quels sont tes loisirs ? You can also ask Qu’est-ce que tu aimes faire pendant ton temps libre ?

How do you say “I like reading” in French?

J’aime lire means “I like reading.”

How do you say “I like playing sports” in French?

You can say J’aime faire du sport, meaning “I like playing sports” or more generally “I like exercising/doing sports.”

How do you say “free time” in French?

Le temps libre means “free time.”

For example: Pendant mon temps libre, je lis. — “In my free time, I read.”

What is the difference between “loisir” and “passe-temps”?

Both can refer to a leisure activity or pastime. Loisir is commonly used for leisure activities, while passe-temps emphasizes something done to occupy one’s free time.

What is the easiest way to talk about hobbies in French?

For beginners, the easiest pattern is J’aime + infinitive, such as J’aime lire, J’aime cuisiner, or J’aime voyager. For activities requiring a specific construction, learning the complete phrase, such as faire du vélo ou jouer de la guitare.

Conclusion

Learning hobbies in French gives you practical vocabulary for conversations, introductions, classroom activities, travel, and everyday situations. Start with common activities such as la lecture, la cuisine, les voyages, la photographie, le dessin, la randonnée, et le vélo, then practice expressing your preferences with phrases such as J’aime, J’adore, Je préfère, and Je n’aime pas.

The most useful step is to learn hobby expressions as complete phrases. Once you can comfortably say what you like, dislike, and do during your free time, you can turn a small amount of vocabulary into natural French conversation.