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Lesson 74 of 240

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Free time in French

Sam has a free afternoon on rue des Tilleuls. He knocks at Inès's door two floors down. She is already putting on her shoes.

You'll ask what a friend does for fun, name a hobby, say what helps you unwind, and invite someone along.

Sam likes walking by the canal. Inès does not wait for a long speech.

By the end of this lesson

Say what you do in your free time and ask what others do.

  • Tu fais quoi pour t'amuser ?What do you do for fun?
  • J'aime bien ___ pendant mon temps libre.I like to ___ in my free time.
  • Mon loisir préféré, c'est le vélo.My favorite hobby is cycling.
  • Tu veux venir avec moi ?Do you want to come with me?
  • Ça me détend.It helps me unwind.
  • Je sors avec des amis.I go out with friends.

Scene — the other shoe

Inès lives two floors below Sam on rue des Tilleuls. He finds her in the stairwell with one shoe on, a green bag over her shoulder.

It is a quiet afternoon. Canal Saint-Martin is a short walk away. Nobody is solving the postcard today.

Sam stands on an upper landing looking down at Inès, who sits on a lower step with one shoe on and a green bag over one shoulder.

Learn — what you do for fun

Six lines cover asking what a friend does for fun, naming a hobby, inviting them, and saying why it helps you unwind.

You'll also get a line for going out with friends.

  1. From behind Inès, Sam stands on the stair landing above, turned down the stairs with an open-handed question gesture.

    Tu fais quoi pour t'amuser ?

    What do you do for fun?

    When to use it: Ask a friend what they do in their free time.

    This is about hobbies, not about someone's job.

    Say it: The t' in t'amuser drops the e of te.

  2. Inès sits on a stair tugging on the other shoe, with a green bag resting on the step.

    J'aime bien ___ pendant mon temps libre.

    I like to ___ in my free time.

    When to use it: Name one thing you enjoy when you are not at work.

    Put the activity after bien, then the rest of the line.

  3. Inès comes out of the building and stands with a bicycle on the sidewalk, ready to ride.

    Mon loisir préféré, c'est le vélo.

    My favorite hobby is cycling.

    When to use it: Name the hobby you like more than the others.

    Préféré stays masculine here because loisir is masculine.

  4. Inès turns at the apartment doorway and gestures toward the street while Sam stands on the last indoor step.

    Tu veux venir avec moi ?

    Do you want to come with me?

    When to use it: Invite a friend to join you for that activity.

    A close friend gets tu on this invite, not vous.

  5. Inès rests against bicycle handlebars in a close view, shoulders dropped in a calm pause.

    Ça me détend.

    It helps me unwind.

    When to use it: Say why that hobby feels good after a busy day.

    Ça points back to the hobby you just named.

    Say it: The en in détend is a nasal vowel.

  6. Sam steps onto the sidewalk in profile, one arm raised toward distant figures down the street.

    Je sors avec des amis.

    I go out with friends.

    When to use it: Say you spend free time going out with friends.

    Des amis means more than one friend.

    Say it: The s in des links into amis as z.

Story — she is already going

Watch Sam catch Inès as she puts her shoes on. He talks about free time, not work.

The highlighted words are the lines you just learned. Turn on Show English if you need it.

  1. The wooden stairs creak. Inès sits on a step with one shoe on.
  2. InèsSalut.Hi.
  3. SamSalut.Hi.
  4. She pulls on the other sneaker. Afternoon light hits the landing.
  5. InèsTu fais quoi pour t'amuser ?What do you do for fun?
  6. SamJ'aime bien marcher pendant mon temps libre.I like walking in my free time.
  7. InèsTu aimes ça ?Do you like that?
  8. SamÇa me détend.It helps me unwind.
  9. He looks at her bag. She is ready to go out.
  10. SamTu fais quoi pour t'amuser ?What do you do for fun?
  11. InèsJe sors avec des amis.I go out with friends.
  12. She shrugs, then smiles.
  13. InèsMon loisir préféré, c'est le vélo.My favorite hobby is cycling.
  14. SamTu veux venir avec moi ?Do you want to come with me?
  15. InèsD'accord.Okay.
  16. They head down. The café window table stays empty.

Practice — hobbies, not work

Eleven quick exercises wait here. You'll listen, pick, match, fill a gap, and build a line.

They stay tiny, so the round moves fast.

0 of 11 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. Match the pairs

    French

    Tu fais quoi pour t'amuser ?Drop the English here
    Mon loisir préféré, c'est le vélo.Drop the English here
    Je sors avec des amis.Drop the English here

    English

    Drag an English line onto its French, or tap one and then the other.

  3. What do you say?

    You meet Inès on the landing of your building. Greet her.

  4. Fill the gap

    What do you do for fun?

    Tu fais quoi pour ____ ?

  5. What does it mean?

    Ça me détend.

  6. Build the line

    I go out with friends.

    .

    Tap the words in order.

  7. Swap the word

    You want your friend to join you on a walk.

    Tu ____ venir avec moi ?

  8. Pick the reply

    Inès says:

    Tu fais quoi pour t'amuser ?

    What do you do for fun?

    And you reply with:

  9. Fill the gap

    My favorite hobby is cycling.

    Mon ____ préféré, c'est le vélo.

  10. What do you say?

    A friend just named a hobby. Ask if they like it.

  11. True or false?

    This is how you agree to an invite from a friend.

Say it — invite her along

Now you're Sam on the landing. When it's your turn, tap the microphone and speak the line.

Tap ▶ first if you want to hear the line. Your recording stays on your device.

  1. Sam (you)Ask what she does for fun.

    Tu fais quoi pour t'amuser ?

    What do you do for fun?

0 of 4 said

Recap — what you can say now

FrenchEnglish
Tu fais quoi pour t'amuser ?What do you do for fun?
J'aime bien ___ pendant mon temps libre.I like to ___ in my free time.
Mon loisir préféré, c'est le vélo.My favorite hobby is cycling.
Tu veux venir avec moi ?Do you want to come with me?
Ça me détend.It helps me unwind.
Je sors avec des amis.I go out with friends.
Next: lesson 75How good I am

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Keep practicing with Yak Cards

Want to keep these hobby lines handy? Grab the Yak Cards for this lesson and review them anywhere.

A quick round with the Yak Cards each day keeps your free-time lines ready.

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