Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

This lesson covers using "faire de", "jouer à", and "jouer de" with definite articles to talk about activities, sports, and musical instruments, such as "faire du vélo", "jouer au foot", and "jouer de la guitare".
  1. The article must agree with the noun that follows it.
  2. Each expression allows you to talk about a type of leisure activity (instrument, sport or activity).
Masculin (Masculine)Féminin (Feminine)
Faire du + activité Je fais du vélo (I cycle).Faire de la + activitéJe fais de la danse (I do dance). 
Jouer au + sport ou jeuJe joue au foot. (I play football.)Jouer à la + sport ou jeu Je joue à la pétanque (I play pétanque).
Jouer du + instrument de musiqueJe joue du piano. (I play the piano.)Jouer de la + instrument de musiqueJe joue de la guitare. (I play the guitar.)

Exercise 1: "Faire de", "Jouer à", "Jouer du" + article défini

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

faire de la, jouer du, faire du, jouer aux, jouer de la, jouer au

1. Activité :
Est-ce que vous voulez ... ski en hiver?
(Do you want to go skiing in winter?)
2. Sport :
Nous allons ... football après l'école.
(We are going to play football after school.)
3. Jeu :
Ils aiment ... cartes pendant les vacances.
(They like to play cards during the holidays.)
4. Activité :
Tu veux ... vélo avec moi au parc?
(Do you want to go cycling with me in the park?)
5. Instrument :
Mon ami sait ... trompette.
(My friend can play the trumpet.)
6. Instrument :
Elle apprend à ... guitare.
(She is learning to play the guitar.)
7. Activité :
Elle aime ... natation.
(She likes swimming.)
8. Instrument :
Il sait ... piano.
(He knows how to play the piano.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Je fais ______ danse chaque semaine avec mes amis.

(I dance ______ every week with my friends.)

2. Tu joues ______ foot le samedi après-midi.

(You play ______ soccer on Saturday afternoons.)

3. Il joue ______ piano très bien.

(He plays ______ piano very well.)

4. Nous faisons ______ sport pour rester en forme.

(We do ______ sports to stay in shape.)

5. Vous jouez ______ pétanque le dimanche.

(You play ______ pétanque on Sundays.)

6. Elle joue ______ guitare dans un groupe.

(She plays ______ guitar in a band.)

Understanding "Faire de", "Jouer à", "Jouer du" with Definite Articles

This lesson introduces essential French expressions used to talk about leisure activities, sports, and playing musical instruments. You'll learn how to correctly use the verbs faire and jouer combined with definite articles and nouns to describe different hobbies.

Key Expressions and Their Structure

  • Faire + definite article + activity: Used for sports or leisure activities.
  • Jouer + à + definite article + sport or game: Used for playing sports or games.
  • Jouer + de + definite article + musical instrument: Used for playing musical instruments.

The definite article (du, de la, au, à la) must agree with the gender of the noun that follows. For example:

MasculineFeminine
Faire du + activity: Je fais du vélo.Faire de la + activity: Je fais de la danse.
Jouer au + sport/game: Je joue au foot.Jouer à la + sport/game: Je joue à la pétanque.
Jouer du + instrument: Je joue du piano.Jouer de la + instrument: Je joue de la guitare.

Examples of Common Words in Each Category

  • Activities with Faire: vélo (cycling), danse (dance), sport (sport)
  • Sports or Games with Jouer à: foot (soccer), pétanque (a popular French game)
  • Musical Instruments with Jouer de: piano, guitare (guitar)

Important Grammar Notes

The article must match the gender of the noun. Du and au are used with masculine singular nouns, while de la and à la are used with feminine singular nouns.

Differences Between English and French Expression

In English, you usually just say "to play soccer" or "to play the guitar" without adding articles. However, in French, the definite article is mandatory and must agree with the noun's gender. Also, for activities where "faire" is used, English often translates this with "to do" or simply by naming the activity, but French requires the full expression with the article.

Some useful French expressions and their English equivalents are:

  • Je fais du vélo — I do cycling / I cycle
  • Je joue au foot — I play soccer
  • Je joue du piano — I play the piano

Written by

This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage

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Donia Ben Salem

Applied Foreign Languages

Université de Lorraine

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Last Updated:

Wednesday, 16/07/2025 22:44