Ready to chat about your hobbies? In this short lesson you'll hear useful phrases and practice saying them aloud. Have fun — your hobbies are great conversation starters!
Level A2: In this lesson you will practice nine handy German phrases to talk about hobbies: saying you are a beginner, saying you are improving, describing how long or how often you do something, asking if someone is interested, and giving simple opinions. This CEFR-aligned practice helps you listen, repeat, and use these frames in short conversations.
After this lesson you'll be able to:
Use A2 phrases to say you are a beginner or getting better at a hobby.
Describe how long and how often you practice a hobby.
Ask someone if they are interested in a hobby and give a short reason why you like it.
Ready? Let's go!
When you tap play on phrases, we track your progress through this lesson.
1. Reading + Listening Practice
Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.
Ich werde besser in ___.
I'm getting better at ___.
Meaning: I'm getting better at ___.
When to use: Use this to say your ability is improving with a hobby or subject (Tennis, Deutsch, Fotografie).
Tip: Don't forget you can also say activities with 'beim' + Dativ (e.g., beim Kochen).
Ich werde besser in Deutsch, weil ich jeden Tag übe.
I'm getting better at German because I practice every day.
Seit dem Kurs werde ich besser in Tennis.
Since the course, I'm getting better at tennis.
Ich bin noch Anfänger in ___.
I'm still a beginner at ___.
Meaning: I'm still a beginner at ___.
When to use: Say this when you are new to an activity or hobby (e.g., Fotografie, Gitarre).
Tip: Remember the feminine form 'Anfängerin' if you want to specify gender.
Ich bin noch Anfänger in Fotografie.
I'm still a beginner in photography.
Obwohl ich es mag, bin ich noch Anfänger in Yoga.
Although I like it, I'm still a beginner at yoga.
Ich mache ___ ungefähr eine Stunde lang.
I do ___ for about an hour.
Meaning: I do ___ for about an hour.
When to use: Use this to say how long you spend on an activity like Yoga, Lesen, Musik.
Ich mache Yoga ungefähr eine Stunde lang.
I do yoga for about an hour.
Nach der Arbeit mache ich Musik ungefähr eine Stunde lang.
After work I do music for about an hour.
Interessierst du dich für ___?
Are you interested in ___?
Meaning: Are you interested in ___?
When to use: Ask this when you want to know if someone likes or has interest in a hobby area (informal with 'du').
Interessierst du dich für Fotografie?
Are you interested in photography?
Interessierst du dich für Klettern oder lieber für Tanzen?
Are you interested in climbing or rather dancing?
Ich mache das, wenn ich Zeit habe.
I do it when I have time.
Meaning: I do it when I have time.
When to use: Use this to explain that you do a hobby only occasionally or when time permits.
Ich spiele Gitarre. Ich mache das, wenn ich Zeit habe.
I play guitar. I do it when I have time.
Manchmal male ich; ich mache das, wenn ich Zeit habe.
Sometimes I paint; I do it when I have time.
Es macht Spaß, aber es ist schwer.
It's fun, but it's hard.
Meaning: It's fun, but it's hard.
When to use: Give this opinion about a hobby that you enjoy but find challenging.
Klavierspielen macht Spaß, aber es ist schwer.
Playing piano is fun, but it's hard.
Deutsch lernen macht Spaß, aber es ist schwer.
Learning German is fun, but it's hard.
Ich gehe einmal pro Woche ___.
I go ___ once a week.
Meaning: I go ___ once a week.
When to use: Say how often you do an activity (use an infinitive like schwimmen, klettern).
Ich gehe einmal pro Woche schwimmen.
I go swimming once a week.
Am Samstag gehe ich einmal pro Woche klettern.
On Saturdays I go climbing once a week.
Ich mag es, weil es ___ ist.
I like it because it's ___.
Meaning: I like it because it's ___.
When to use: Explain why you enjoy a hobby using an adjective (entspannend, interessant...).
Ich mag es, weil es entspannend ist.
I like it because it's relaxing.
Ich mag das Wandern, weil es interessant ist.
I like hiking because it's interesting.
Ich versuche, jede Woche zu ___.
I try to ___ every week.
Meaning: I try to ___ every week.
When to use: Use this to talk about your effort to do an activity weekly (infinitives like joggen, üben).
Ich versuche, jede Woche zu joggen.
I try to jog every week.
Ich versuche, jede Woche zu üben, damit ich besser werde.
I try to practice every week so I get better.
2. Conversational Listening Practice
Hear phrases in a real mini-conversation.
Two friends talk about photography and practice using beginner/improving phrases.
Who says they are a beginner?
Anna
Interessierst du dich für Fotografie?
Are you interested in photography?
David
Ja. Ich gehe einmal pro Woche fotografieren und ich versuche, jede Woche zu üben.
Yes. I go photographing once a week and I try to practice every week.
Anna
Ich bin noch Anfänger in Fotografie.
I'm still a beginner in photography.
David
Das ist okay. Ich werde besser in Fotografie. Ich mache das, wenn ich Zeit habe.
That's okay. I'm getting better at photography. I do it when I have time.
Anna
Wie lange machst du das normalerweise?
How long do you usually do it?
David
Ich mache Fotografie ungefähr eine Stunde lang.
I do photography for about an hour.
3. Guided Practice
Quizzes and matching to lock in meaning.
Which sentence asks if someone is interested in something?
How do you say 'I do it when I have time' in German?
Which sentence means 'I go once a week'?
How would you say 'It's fun, but it's hard'?
How often do you go swimming? — I go swimming once a week.
Wie oft gehst du schwimmen? — Ich ___.
Do you ask someone about a hobby: Are you interested in photography?
Fragst du jemanden nach einem Hobby: ___ Fotografie?
My friend practices a lot. He says: 'I'm getting better at guitar.'
Mein Freund übt viel. Er sagt: '___ Gitarre.'
Match the core phrases
Match the extra phrases
4. Speaking Practice
Say phrases yourself (mic/recording).
Recording stays on your device only. Check speech uses your browser's speech tools when available.
