jouer au football
To play soccer in French is jouer au football.
This phrase is used to describe taking part in a game of soccer as a player.
Which one should you use?
In French, football refers to soccer, whereas in English, 'football' often refers to American football or rugby.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb 'jouer' (to play) is followed by the preposition 'à' and the definite article 'le' (contracted to 'au') when referring to playing a sport or game.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying jouer le football. English speakers often mistakenly use the direct object 'jouer le football' instead of the required prepositional construction jouer au football.
Did you know?
- A person who plays soccer is called un footballeur, but a fan of the game is often called un footix in derogatory slang.
- The word jouer shares a common ancestor with the English word 'joke', both stemming from the Latin 'iocārī' meaning 'to jest' or 'to play around'.
- In France, soccer is so central to culture that it is often referred to as le sport roi or 'the king of sports'.
Examples in context
- J'aime jouer au football.I like to play soccer.This sentence is useful for expressing a personal preference with jouer au football.Tatoeba #5816505 by Aiji, translation #253860 by CK
- Tom aime jouer au football.Tom likes to play soccer.This sentence shows how to use jouer au football with a third-person subject.Tatoeba #8557048 by marioo, translation #2415233 by CK
- Je prévois de jouer au football demain.I am going to play soccer tomorrow.This sentence demonstrates how to use jouer au football to talk about future plans.Tatoeba #14715 by alexisslay, translation #261918 by CK
- Les équipes vont jouer au football lors de la compétition.The teams will play soccer during the competition.
- Beaucoup de jeunes pratiquent le football dans leur temps libre.Many young people play soccer in their free time.
- Tu veux jouer au foot cet après-midi?Do you want to play soccer this afternoon?
- On se retrouve au parc pour faire une partie de foot?Shall we meet at the park to have a game of soccer?
- Elles aiment jouer au football.They (feminine) like to play soccer.
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Gabriel are talking about their plans for Saturday afternoon.
- EmmaTu veux jouer au football avec nous ?Do you want to play soccer with us?
- GabrielOui, j'adore jouer au football.Yes, I love playing soccer.
- EmmaParfait, on se voit au parc alors.Perfect, see you at the park then.
- GabrielD'accord, à samedi !Okay, see you Saturday!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries football, jouer, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
