How to Say "Play With" in French

jouer avec

The English phrase "play with" is translated into French as jouer avec.

jouer avec is the literal translation.

Meaning: literally (verb)

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is composed of the verb jouer (to play) and the preposition avec (with).

The verb jouer is used in its infinitive form when it follows another verb like vouloir (to want) or venir (to come).

English speakers often confuse jouer avec (playing with a person or object) with jouer à (playing a specific game or sport).

The word jouer is used in French to describe the action of an actor in a movie or play, whereas English uses 'act'.
The word avec actually contains a hidden 'this' from the Latin 'hoc', meaning it originally functioned more like 'with this' or 'near this'.
The phrase jouer avec le feu is a common idiom meaning to take a great risk, mirroring the English 'playing with fire'.

Va jouer avec Tom.
Go play with Tom.
This sentence is useful for telling someone to go play with Tom using jouer avec.
Tatoeba #5317005 by Aiji, translation #2050549 by CK
Viens jouer avec nous.
Come play with us.
This sentence is useful for inviting someone to come play with us using jouer avec.
Tatoeba #5752763 by Aiji, translation #3393026 by CK
Veux-tu jouer avec moi ?
Do you want to play with me?
This sentence is useful for asking if someone wants to play with me using jouer avec.
Tatoeba #1825132 by sacredceltic, translation #2173134 by Hybrid
Je joue avec mon chien.
I play with my dog.
Elle joue avec les poupées.
She plays with dolls.
Nous jouons avec nos amis.
We play with our friends.
On joue avec nos cousins.
We play with our cousins.
56 more sentences on Tatoeba

Chloé and Nathan are at home with their new kitten.

Sources

⭐Share⭐ to appreciate human effort 🙏