Playground Vocabulary in French
Thème: L’aire de jeux • 50 words + 10 real-life phrases (with audio)
Tap 🔊 to hear French
IPA included (no guesswork)
Examples you can actually use
Want to survive the playground in French without resorting to interpretive mime? Below you’ll get 50 useful words plus 10 high-frequency phrases—each with pronunciation (IPA), a French example, and an English translation.
Bonus: there’s a quick filter so you can instantly find the word you need when someone is yelling “TOUR!” and you’re not sure if they mean “turn” or “tourniquet.”
Pronunciation nudge: French r is throaty (like a gentle gargle), and nasal vowels in en/an (e.g., enfant) are “through the nose,” not a hard “n.”
Yak Snark: The playground is where dignity goes to do parkour. Learn these, and at least your French will land on its feet.
8 “You’ll Use These First” Essentials
High-frequency playground words—quick, practical, and very shoutable.
une aire de jeux
/yn ɛʁ də ʒø/
Meaning: playground
Hear it:
un toboggan
/œ̃ tɔ.bɔ.ɡɑ̃/
Meaning: slide
Hear it:
une balançoire
/yn ba.lɑ̃.swaʁ/
Meaning: swing
Hear it:
un bac à sable
/œ̃ bak a sabl/
Meaning: sandbox
Hear it:
grimper
/ɡʁɛ̃.pe/
Meaning: to climb
Hear it:
glisser
/ɡli.se/
Meaning: to slide
Hear it:
pousser
/pu.se/
Meaning: to push
Hear it:
la sécurité
/la se.ky.ʁi.te/
Meaning: safety
Hear it:
10 Real-Life Playground Phrases
Say these and you’ll instantly sound like a functioning human at an aire de jeux.
On va à l’aire de jeux ?
/ɔ̃ va a lɛʁ də ʒø/
Meaning: Shall we go to the playground?
Example: On va à l’aire de jeux après le goûter.
EN: Shall we go to the playground after snack time?
EN: Shall we go to the playground after snack time?
Hear it:
C’est mon tour !
/sɛ mɔ̃ tuʁ/
Meaning: It’s my turn!
Example: C’est mon tour, j’attends depuis longtemps !
EN: It’s my turn—I’ve been waiting a long time!
EN: It’s my turn—I’ve been waiting a long time!
Hear it:
À toi !
/a twa/
Meaning: Your turn! / Over to you!
Example: D’accord, à toi maintenant !
EN: Okay, your turn now!
EN: Okay, your turn now!
Hear it:
Tu peux me pousser, s’il te plaît ?
/ty pø mə pu.se sil tə plɛ/
Meaning: Can you push me, please?
Example: Tu peux me pousser un peu plus fort ?
EN: Can you push me a little harder?
EN: Can you push me a little harder?
Hear it:
Fais attention !
/fɛ a.tɑ̃.sjɔ̃/
Meaning: Be careful!
Example: Fais attention, ça glisse !
EN: Be careful—it’s slippery!
EN: Be careful—it’s slippery!
Hear it:
On fait la queue.
/ɔ̃ fɛ la kø/
Meaning: We line up. / We queue.
Example: On fait la queue pour le toboggan.
EN: We line up for the slide.
EN: We line up for the slide.
Hear it:
Doucement, ça va trop vite !
/dus.mɑ̃ sa va tʁo vit/
Meaning: Gently—this is going too fast!
Example: Doucement, je n’ai pas fini !
EN: Slow down—I’m not finished!
EN: Slow down—I’m not finished!
Hear it:
Tu veux partager ?
/ty vø paʁ.ta.ʒe/
Meaning: Do you want to share?
Example: Tu veux partager la pelle ?
EN: Do you want to share the shovel?
EN: Do you want to share the shovel?
Hear it:
Je suis tombé(e) !
/ʒə sɥi tɔ̃.be/
Meaning: I fell!
Example: Je suis tombé(e), mais ça va.
EN: I fell, but I’m okay.
EN: I fell, but I’m okay.
Hear it:
On rentre à la maison ?
/ɔ̃ ʁɑ̃tʁ a la mɛ.zɔ̃/
Meaning: Shall we go home?
Example: On rentre à la maison, il commence à pleuvoir.
EN: Let’s go home—it’s starting to rain.
EN: Let’s go home—it’s starting to rain.
Hear it:
Mini-usage note: The phrase « C’est mon tour ! » is super common. If you’re being extra polite, follow up with « s’il te plaît » (to a kid) or switch to « s’il vous plaît » (to an adult).
50 Playground Words (Grouped + Filterable)
Each entry includes IPA + a real French example. Use the filter above to jump straight to what you need.
A) Places & Equipment
| French | Pronunciation (IPA) | Meaning (EN) | Example (FR) | Translation (EN) | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| une aire de jeux | /yn ɛʁ də ʒø/ | playground | On se retrouve à l’aire de jeux après l’école. | We’ll meet at the playground after school. | |
| un toboggan | /œ̃ tɔ.bɔ.ɡɑ̃/ | slide | Le toboggan est mouillé, attention. | The slide is wet—careful. | |
| une balançoire | /yn ba.lɑ̃.swaʁ/ | swing | Je veux la balançoire, s’il te plaît. | I want the swing, please. | |
| un bac à sable | /œ̃ bak a sabl/ | sandbox | Les enfants jouent dans le bac à sable. | The kids are playing in the sandbox. | |
| un tourniquet | /œ̃ tuʁ.ni.kɛ/ | merry-go-round / spinner | Le tourniquet tourne très vite. | The spinner is turning very fast. | |
| une bascule | /yn bas.kyl/ | seesaw | La bascule est pour deux enfants. | The seesaw is for two kids. | |
| des barres | /de baʁ/ | bars (monkey bars / pull-up bars) | Il s’accroche aux barres. | He hangs onto the bars. | |
| une structure d’escalade | /yn stʁyk.tyʁ d‿ɛs.ka.lad/ | climbing structure | La structure d’escalade est haute. | The climbing structure is tall. | |
| un mur d’escalade | /œ̃ myʁ d‿ɛs.ka.lad/ | climbing wall | Elle grimpe au mur d’escalade. | She’s climbing the climbing wall. | |
| un filet à grimper | /œ̃ fi.lɛ a ɡʁɛ̃.pe/ | climbing net | Attrape le filet à grimper. | Grab the climbing net. | |
| un pont de singe | /œ̃ pɔ̃ də sɛ̃ʒ/ | rope bridge | Le pont de singe bouge beaucoup. | The rope bridge moves a lot. | |
| un tunnel | /œ̃ ty.nɛl/ | tunnel | Passe dans le tunnel. | Go through the tunnel. | |
| une rampe | /yn ʁɑ̃p/ | ramp | Il monte la rampe en courant. | He runs up the ramp. | |
| un banc | /œ̃ bɑ̃/ | bench | On attend sur le banc. | We wait on the bench. | |
| une clôture | /yn klɔ.tyʁ/ | fence | Ne grimpe pas sur la clôture. | Don’t climb on the fence. |
B) People & Handy Objects
| French | Pronunciation (IPA) | Meaning (EN) | Example (FR) | Translation (EN) | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| un enfant | /œ̃ nɑ̃.fɑ̃/ | child | Un enfant rit très fort. | A child is laughing loudly. | |
| un copain | /œ̃ kɔ.pɛ̃/ | buddy (boy) / friend | Mon copain m’attend ici. | My buddy is waiting for me here. | |
| une copine | /yn kɔ.pin/ | buddy (girl) / friend | Je joue avec ma copine. | I’m playing with my friend. | |
| un parent | /œ̃ pa.ʁɑ̃/ | parent | Un parent surveille près du toboggan. | A parent is watching near the slide. | |
| un surveillant | /œ̃ syʁ.vɛ.jɑ̃/ | supervisor | Le surveillant rappelle les règles. | The supervisor reminds everyone of the rules. | |
| une poussette | /yn pu.sɛt/ | stroller | La poussette reste à l’ombre. | The stroller stays in the shade. | |
| un seau | /œ̃ so/ | bucket | Je remplis le seau de sable. | I’m filling the bucket with sand. | |
| une pelle | /yn pɛl/ | shovel / spade | Donne-moi la pelle, s’il te plaît. | Give me the shovel, please. | |
| un ballon | /œ̃ ba.lɔ̃/ | ball | On lance le ballon doucement. | We throw the ball gently. | |
| une corde à sauter | /yn kɔʁd a so.te/ | jump rope | Elle adore la corde à sauter. | She loves jump rope. | |
| une gourde | /yn ɡuʁd/ | water bottle | Bois de l’eau, prends ta gourde. | Drink some water—take your bottle. |
C) Actions (What Everyone Is Doing… All at Once)
| French | Pronunciation (IPA) | Meaning (EN) | Example (FR) | Translation (EN) | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| jouer | /ʒwe/ | to play | Les enfants jouent ensemble. | The kids play together. | |
| courir | /ku.ʁiʁ/ | to run | Ne cours pas près du bac à sable. | Don’t run near the sandbox. | |
| sauter | /so.te/ | to jump | Il saute très haut. | He jumps very high. | |
| grimper | /ɡʁɛ̃.pe/ | to climb | Tu peux grimper ici. | You can climb here. | |
| glisser | /ɡli.se/ | to slide | Je glisse sur le toboggan. | I’m sliding down the slide. | |
| se balancer | /sə ba.lɑ̃.se/ | to swing (on a swing) | Elle aime se balancer haut. | She likes to swing high. | |
| pousser | /pu.se/ | to push | Pousse doucement la balançoire. | Push the swing gently. | |
| tirer | /ti.ʁe/ | to pull | Ne tire pas mon bras. | Don’t pull my arm. | |
| attraper | /a.tʁa.pe/ | to catch / to grab | Attrape la corde ! | Grab the rope! | |
| lancer | /lɑ̃.se/ | to throw | Je lance le ballon à mon copain. | I throw the ball to my buddy. | |
| attendre | /a.tɑ̃dʁ/ | to wait | On doit attendre son tour. | We have to wait our turn. | |
| partager | /paʁ.ta.ʒe/ | to share | On partage les jouets. | We share the toys. | |
| tomber | /tɔ̃.be/ | to fall | Attention, tu peux tomber. | Careful—you could fall. | |
| se relever | /sə ʁə.lə.ve/ | to get back up | Après la chute, il se relève. | After the fall, he gets back up. | |
| se dépêcher | /sə de.pe.ʃe/ | to hurry | On se dépêche, il va pleuvoir. | Let’s hurry—it’s going to rain. |
D) Rules & Safety (Because Gravity Is Unimpressed)
| French | Pronunciation (IPA) | Meaning (EN) | Example (FR) | Translation (EN) | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| prudent | /pʁy.dɑ̃/ | careful / cautious | Sois prudent près du tourniquet. | Be careful near the spinner. | |
| dangereux | /dɑ̃.ʒə.ʁø/ | dangerous | C’est dangereux de courir ici. | It’s dangerous to run here. | |
| interdit | /ɛ̃.tɛʁ.di/ | forbidden / not allowed | Monter sur la clôture, c’est interdit. | Climbing the fence is forbidden. | |
| autorisé | /o.tɔ.ʁi.ze/ | allowed | Ici, c’est autorisé de jouer au ballon. | Here, playing with a ball is allowed. | |
| une règle | /yn ʁɛɡl/ | a rule | On respecte la règle du tour. | We respect the “take turns” rule. | |
| la sécurité | /la se.ky.ʁi.te/ | safety | La sécurité passe d’abord. | Safety comes first. | |
| une blessure | /yn blɛ.syʁ/ | an injury | Il a une petite blessure au genou. | He has a small injury on his knee. | |
| un pansement | /œ̃ pɑ̃s.mɑ̃/ | a bandage | Tu veux un pansement ? | Do you want a bandage? | |
| un casque | /œ̃ kask/ | a helmet | Mets ton casque si tu fais du vélo. | Put on your helmet if you’re riding a bike. |
Variants & handy alternates (so you recognize what people actually say)
| Standard (FR) | une aire de jeux /yn ɛʁ də ʒø/ — playground |
|---|---|
| Also common | un terrain de jeu /œ̃ tɛ.ʁɛ̃ də ʒø/ — play area (often broader) un parc /œ̃ paʁk/ — park (the whole park; may include a playground) |
| Friend words | un copain / une copine — buddy (very common) un ami / une amie /œ̃ na.mi/ /yn a.mi/ — friend (slightly more “friend-friend”) |
| Regional note | une glissade /yn ɡli.sad/ — “slide” in Canadian French (France: un toboggan) |
Yak Snark: Congratulations—you now have the linguistic tools to negotiate a swing treaty, declare “my turn,” and file a formal complaint against wet slides. In French. Très chic.
