je joue au volley
je joue au volley is the French way to say "I play volleyball".
This phrase is used to state that you participate in the sport of volleyball.
What does it mean word for word?
The word au is a contraction of à (to/at) and le (the), which is required when using the verb jouer with masculine sports.
Which one should you use?
You should use jouer au specifically for ball sports like volleyball. For general athletic activities or non-ball sports, you would instead use faire du (for example, je fais de la natation for swimming).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
While le volley is the common way to refer to the sport, the full name le volley-ball is more formal.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, one can say Je joue au volleyball.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb jouer must be followed by the preposition à and the definite article for the sport.
Did you know?
- The pronoun je used in this phrase descends from the Late Latin eo and the Classical Latin egō̆.
- If a French speaker says je fais du volley instead of je joue au volley, they are often implying a disciplined, regular practice rather than just playing a casual game.
- If you use the full term volley-ball instead of the clipped volley, you are using a direct linguistic import from English that arrived in France during the early 20th century.
Examples in context
- Je joue au volley.I play volleyball.This is useful for stating your participation in the sport using je joue au volley.Tatoeba #9623750 by Julien_PDC, translation #9117488 by CK
- Oui, je joue au volley. Je suis joueur de volleyball dans un club.Yes, I play volleyball. I am a volleyball player in a club.
- Je joue au volley tous les mardis.I play volleyball every Tuesday.
- D'habitude, je joue au volley avec mes amis.Usually, I play volleyball with my friends.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing their weekend sports activities.
- LéaEst-ce que tu fais du sport ce week-end ?Are you doing any sports this weekend?
- GabrielOui, je joue au volley samedi après-midi.Yes, I play volleyball on Saturday afternoon.
- LéaC'est super, Gabriel !That is great, Gabriel!
- GabrielMerci, Léa, c'est très amusant.Thanks, Léa, it is very fun.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries je, joue, volley, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
