un sport
In French, "a sport" is said as un sport.
The phrase is used to refer to an athletic activity or game played for exercise or competition. While un sport is the noun phrase for "a sport," if you want to say the verb phrase "to do" or "to play" sport, you should use the common expression faire du sport.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Regional variations exist for certain sports. In France, soccer is commonly called le football or le foot and in parts of France, handball may be referred to as le hand. In Quebec, Canada, soccer is referred to as le soccer.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase is masculine, which is why it uses the masculine indefinite article un. To make the phrase plural, use des sports.
Did you know?
- Although the word sport is used in France, it was actually borrowed directly from the English word 'sport' in the early 19th century.
- While un sport is masculine, many individual sports in French use feminine nouns, such as la natation for swimming or la boxe for boxing.
- Quebec French uses le soccer to distinguish the game from le football, which in Canada refers specifically to Canadian football.
Examples in context
- Le foot est un sport.Football is a sport.This sentence uses un sport to identify football as a sport.Tatoeba #10682958 by Micsmithel, translation #1843851 by CK
- Je pratique un sport pour la santé.I play a sport for health reasons.This sentence uses un sport to explain why someone plays a sport.Tatoeba #1719116 by sacredceltic, translation #13806465 by tieguy
- Le football est un sport d’abrutis. La preuve ? Les clubs sont détenus par des oligarques ruSSes et des émirs.Football is a sport for idiots. Why? The clubs are held back by Russian oligarchs and emirs.This sentence uses un sport in a critical context regarding football.Tatoeba #10704634 by sacredceltic, translation #10704638 by DJ_Saidez
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé are talking about their weekend activities.
- LucasTu pratiques un sport en ce moment ?Are you practicing a sport right now?
- ChloéOui, je fais de l'escrime, c'est un sport génial.Yes, I do fencing, it is a great sport.
- LucasC'est impressionnant, moi je préfère le basket.That is impressive, personally I prefer basketball.
- ChloéLe basket est aussi un excellent choix.Basketball is also an excellent choice.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sport, un, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
