Free-time activities: Translation (both directions)
Translation practice on free-time activities covers present tense for regular hobbies, jouer à (games/sports) versus jouer de (instruments), the perfect tense for a specific past event, the imperfect tense for repeated childhood habits, and opinion expressions such as ça me plaît/ça me plaisait. Examiners are testing whether students choose the correct preposition after jouer, and the correct past tense: perfect for one completed action, imperfect for a repeated or ongoing past habit.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Read the whole sentence/passage first.
- Identify tense/person: present for habitual activities, perfect (passé composé) for one completed past event ('last Saturday I played...'), imperfect for a repeated childhood habit ('I used to play... every week').
- Choose the right preposition after jouer: jouer à + [sport/game] (jouer au foot, jouer aux cartes), jouer de + [instrument] (jouer de la guitare, jouer du piano).
- Translate opinion expressions by meaning, not word for word: ça me plaît (I like it/that), ça m'ennuie (I find it boring), ça me plaisait (I used to like it) in the imperfect.
- When several past actions are mixed, decide which are single completed events (perfect tense) and which describe background or repeated habits (imperfect tense) before writing anything.
- Write a full draft, then check agreements last: past participle agreement with être verbs of movement (elle est allée), and any adjective agreement with the activity or object described.
- Read the finished sentence back for natural phrasing.
Worked example
Translate into French: When I was younger, I used to play the piano every Sunday, but last weekend I went to a football match with my friends instead.
- Chunk the sentence: 'When I was younger, I used to play the piano every Sunday' / 'but last weekend I went to a football match with my friends instead'.
- 'used to play... every Sunday' is a repeated childhood habit, so it needs the imperfect: quand j'étais plus jeune, je jouais du piano tous les dimanches.
- 'piano' takes de after jouer (an instrument): je jouais du piano, not au piano.
- 'went to a football match last weekend' is one completed past event, so it needs the perfect tense with être (aller): le week-end dernier, je suis allé(e) à un match de foot avec mes amis.
- Check agreement: allé needs an extra e if the speaker is female (allée).
- Full translation: Quand j'étais plus jeune, je jouais du piano tous les dimanches, mais le week-end dernier, je suis allé(e) à un match de foot avec mes amis à la place.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1Translate into English: Le week-end dernier, j'ai fait de la natation avec ma soeur.Show answer
Answer: Last weekend, I went swimming with my sister.
Q2Translate into French: I play the guitar every evening.Show answer
Answer: Je joue de la guitare tous les soirs.
Q3Translate into English: Quand j'étais petit, je jouais souvent aux cartes avec mon grand-père.Show answer
Answer: When I was little, I often used to play cards with my grandfather.
Q4Spot the error and correct it: 'Je joue au piano.'Show answer
Answer: Instruments take jouer de, not jouer à; it should read: Je joue du piano.
Q5Translate into French: That does not interest me at all.Show answer
Answer: Ça ne m'intéresse pas du tout.
Q6Translate into English: Hier soir, on est allés au cinéma pour voir un nouveau film.Show answer
Answer: Last night, we went to the cinema to see a new film.
Q7Translate into French: I used to like drawing, but now I prefer photography.Show answer
Answer: J'aimais dessiner, mais maintenant je préfère la photographie.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE French exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Translate this passage into English: D'habitude, je fais du sport le mercredi et je joue aux échecs avec mon meilleur ami le vendredi. Le week-end dernier, cependant, nous sommes allés à un concert en ville, ce qui était vraiment génial. Quand j'étais plus jeune, je détestais la musique classique, mais maintenant ça me plaît beaucoup.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 6 available
Translate this passage into French: I usually go running on Saturday mornings and I play basketball with my friends after school. Last month, I went to a music festival for the first time and I loved it. When I was young, I used to play video games every day, but now I prefer spending time outdoors.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 6 available
See real GCSE French past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the free-time activities: translation (both directions) worksheet pack - 5 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
Next topics
Not quite what you needed?
Tell us what is missing on free-time activities: translation (both directions), or which topic to write up next. Every request is read, and we reply to every one.
Build a full practice pack.
This topic is one of hundreds in the library - pick the ones a student needs and generate a printable PDF in minutes.