Hobbies and Sports

Italiano A1A19. Unit 9: Free Time and Hobbies

English · Türkçe

Hobbies and Sports in Italian

When talking about free time in Italian, we mainly use two verbs: giocare (to play) and fare (to do/make). Choosing the right verb depends on the activity!

1. Giocare a (To play)

We use giocare a for team sports and games that involve a ball or competition. Notice that the preposition a combines with definite articles:

• a + il = al (e.g., giocare al calcio – to play soccer)
• a + la = alla (e.g., giocare alla pallavolo – to play volleyball)

Examples:

• Io gioco a tennis. – I play tennis.
• Tu giochi a basket. – You play basketball.

2. Fare (To do / To make)

We use fare for general activities, hobbies, and individual sports (especially those ending in ‘-ing’ in English). With fare, we use partitive articles (like del, della):

• Io faccio sport. – I do sports.
• Lei fa nuoto. – She does swimming.
• Noi facciamo una passeggiata. – We take a walk.

Common Mistakes

❌ Io gioco nuoto.
✅ Io faccio nuoto. (Use fare for swimming, not giocare).

❌ Lui fa calcio.
✅ Lui gioca a calcio. (Use giocare a for ball sports).