jouer au volley
To say to play volleyball in French, use jouer au volley.
jouer au volley is the everyday way to say to play volleyball. volley is a common shortening of the full name of the sport, volley-ball.
Which one should you use?
jouer au is used for taking part in a ball game. To talk about doing the sport as an activity or hobby, French uses faire du with the name of the sport. Pratiquer le volley-ball is a formal way to say you play volleyball.
How does it change in a sentence?
The full form is jouer au volley-ball.
Did you know?
- The word volley is a pseudo-anglicism, meaning it is a word French speakers created to look and sound English, even though it is not used this way in English-speaking countries.
- If you say you want to faire du volley, a French person might think you are talking about your general fitness routine or a regular training session rather than just playing a single game.
- While you might use jouer au volley with friends, using pratiquer le volley-ball in a casual setting would sound extremely stiff, almost as if you were reading from a legal document or a formal sports curriculum.
Examples in context
- Je pratique le volley-ball depuis cinq ansI have been playing volleyball for five years
- On joue au volley ce week-end?Are we playing volleyball this weekend?
- Je pratique le volley depuis que je suis enfantI have been playing volleyball since I was a child
- Je joue au volley-ballI play volleyball
- Tu joues souvent au volley-ball?Do you play volleyball often?
- Il/elle joue bien au volley-ballHe/she plays volleyball well
- Je pratique le volley-ball tous les joursI practice volleyball every day
- Pratiques-tu le volley-ball depuis longtemps?Have you been practicing volleyball for long?
- Nous pratiquons régulièrement le volley-ballWe practice volleyball regularly
- Je joue au volley avec mes amis.I play volleyball with my friends.
- Je veux jouer au volley ce soir.I want to play volleyball tonight.
- Est-ce que tu aimes jouer au volley ?Do you like to play volleyball?
- Nous allons jouer au volley au parc.We are going to play volleyball at the park.
Example conversation
Nathan and Emma are discussing their weekend plans.
- NathanSalut Emma, tu veux jouer au volley demain ?Hi Emma, do you want to play volleyball tomorrow?
- EmmaOui, j'adore ça ! À quelle heure ?Yes, I love it! At what time?
- NathanOn peut se retrouver au parc à dix heures.We can meet at the park at ten o'clock.
- EmmaC'est parfait, je serai là !That's perfect, I'll be there!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries jouer, volley, CC BY-SA 4.0.
