je joue
je joue is the French way to say "I play".
This phrase is used to express playing musical instruments or participating in games and sports.
Which one should you use?
Use jouer à for sports and games, but use jouer de for musical instruments.
How does it change in a sentence?
Use the contraction du after the verb when playing a masculine musical instrument, and use de la when playing a feminine musical instrument.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use a direct object for instruments, such as saying je joue le piano. In French, you must use jouer du/de la instead.
Did you know?
- The word joue is a homonym that can also mean 'cheek' in French. While je joue means 'I play', the noun la joue refers to the part of your face.
- While je joue is used for sports, French speakers use the verb faire for many activities that English speakers call 'playing' in a general sense, such as 'playing' gymnastics or 'playing' judo.
- The word joue comes from the Vulgar Latin word *ga(v)ota, which was related to the concept of rejoicing or making merry.
Examples in context
- Je joue du jazz.I play jazz.This sentence is useful for mentioning the genre of music you play with je joue.Tatoeba #9623752 by Julien_PDC, translation #13120440 by CM
- Je joue du piano.I play the piano.This sentence is useful for mentioning the musical instrument you play with je joue.Tatoeba #6945 by sysko, translation #382917 by ver
- Je joue au rugby.I play rugby.This sentence is useful for mentioning the sport you play with je joue.Tatoeba #9623740 by Julien_PDC, translation #5839930 by CK
- Je pratique le basket.I play basketball.
- Je joue au football.I play soccer.
- Je joue de la guitare.I play the guitar.
- Je joue aux jeux vidéo.I play video games.
- Je joue un peu.I play a little
- Je joue depuis [duration].I have been playing for [duration]
- 57 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Lucas are talking about their hobbies at home.
- EmmaEst-ce que tu joues d'un instrument ?Do you play an instrument?
- LucasOui, je joue de la guitare.Yes, I play the guitar.
- EmmaC'est super, moi je joue de la flûte.That's great, I play the flute.
- LucasOn pourrait jouer ensemble un jour !We could play together one day!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries je, joue, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
