Hobbies and Free Time Vocabulary in English: Words, Examples and Quiz
Reading, painting, hiking, board games and hanging out with friends: the words you need to talk about what you do in your free time, with pronunciation, simple definitions, Turkish translations and example sentences.
49 words · By LearnLingo Team · Updated
Tap to hear a word. Pronunciation is American English. Levels follow the CEFR scale. Turkish translations are given as a quick check.
Creative hobbies
Hobbies where you make something. Most are -ing nouns, so you can say I love painting or Painting relaxes me.
| Word | Meaning and example | Turkish |
|---|---|---|
drawing ⁄ˈdrɔːɪŋ⁄ · noun A1 | making pictures with a pencil or pen My daughter spends hours drawing animals. | resim çizme |
painting ⁄ˈpeɪntɪŋ⁄ · noun A1 | making pictures with paint and a brush I took up painting last year. | resim yapma, boyama |
photography ⁄fəˈtɑːɡrəfi⁄ · noun A2 | taking photos as a hobby or a job He's really into photography and has three cameras. | fotoğrafçılık |
cooking ⁄ˈkʊkɪŋ⁄ · noun A1 | making food, especially as something you enjoy Cooking for my friends is my favorite way to relax. | yemek yapma |
baking ⁄ˈbeɪkɪŋ⁄ · noun A2 | making bread, cakes and cookies in an oven On rainy weekends we do a lot of baking. | fırında pasta, ekmek yapma |
knitting ⁄ˈnɪtɪŋ⁄ · noun B1 | making clothes from wool with two long needles My grandmother taught me knitting when I was ten. | örgü örme |
gardening ⁄ˈɡɑːrdnɪŋ⁄ · noun A2 | growing flowers and vegetables and looking after a garden In spring, my parents do a lot of gardening. | bahçecilik |
singing ⁄ˈsɪŋɪŋ⁄ · noun A1 | making music with your voice She takes singing lessons on Thursdays. | şarkı söyleme |
dancing ⁄ˈdænsɪŋ⁄ · noun A1 | moving your body to music We go dancing every Friday night. | dans etme |
play the guitar ⁄ˌpleɪ ðə ɡɪˈtɑːr⁄ · phrase A1 | make music with a guitar; we usually use the before instruments I'm learning to play the guitar. | gitar çalmak |
Games and hobbies at home
Things to do at home, alone or with family. We play games but do puzzles.
| Word | Meaning and example | Turkish |
|---|---|---|
reading ⁄ˈriːdɪŋ⁄ · noun A1 | looking at and understanding books, magazines or stories for fun Reading before bed helps me sleep. | okuma |
listen to music ⁄ˌlɪsn tə ˈmjuːzɪk⁄ · phrase A1 | hear songs because you enjoy them I listen to music on the way to work. | müzik dinlemek |
watch TV ⁄ˌwɑːtʃ ˌtiː ˈviː⁄ · phrase A1 | look at programs or series on television We watch TV together after dinner. | televizyon izlemek |
video game ⁄ˈvɪdioʊ ɡeɪm⁄ · noun A1 | a game you play on a computer, phone or console My brother plays video games with his friends online. | video oyunu |
board game ⁄ˈbɔːrd ɡeɪm⁄ · noun A2 | a game with pieces that you move on a board, played on a table On Sundays, we play board games as a family. | masa oyunu |
chess ⁄tʃes⁄ · noun A2 | a board game for two players with black and white pieces Do you know how to play chess? | satranç |
puzzle ⁄ˈpʌzəl⁄ · noun A2 | a game or picture in pieces that you have to think about to finish We did a thousand-piece puzzle over the holidays. | yapboz |
crossword ⁄ˈkrɔːswɝːd⁄ · noun B1 | a word game where you write answers in small squares My dad does the crossword in the newspaper every morning. | bulmaca |
podcast ⁄ˈpɑːdkæst⁄ · noun A2 | a talk show you can listen to on your phone or computer I listen to a history podcast while I cook. | podcast, sesli yayın |
collect ⁄kəˈlekt⁄ · verb A2 | get and keep things of the same kind because you like them He collects old coins from different countries. | biriktirmek, koleksiyon yapmak |
Going out
Free-time activities outside the home. With many of them we use go + -ing: go shopping, go camping, go fishing.
| Word | Meaning and example | Turkish |
|---|---|---|
go to the movies ⁄ɡoʊ tə ðə ˈmuːviz⁄ · phrase A1 | go to watch a film in a movie theater; in British English, go to the cinema Do you want to go to the movies on Friday? | sinemaya gitmek |
concert ⁄ˈkɑːnsɚt⁄ · noun A1 | a show where people play music for an audience We have tickets for a concert in the park. | konser |
eat out ⁄ˌiːt ˈaʊt⁄ · phrasal verb A2 | have a meal in a restaurant, not at home We usually eat out on Saturday nights. | dışarıda yemek yemek |
go shopping ⁄ɡoʊ ˈʃɑːpɪŋ⁄ · phrase A1 | go to shops to look at and buy things She loves going shopping with her sister. | alışverişe gitmek |
party ⁄ˈpɑːrti⁄ · noun A1 | a time when people meet to eat, drink, dance and have fun Are you coming to Ali's birthday party? | parti |
camping ⁄ˈkæmpɪŋ⁄ · noun A2 | sleeping outside in a tent for fun, usually in nature We go camping by the lake every summer. | kamp yapma |
hiking ⁄ˈhaɪkɪŋ⁄ · noun A2 | walking a long way in the country or mountains for fun Hiking is a great way to see the mountains. | doğa yürüyüşü |
fishing ⁄ˈfɪʃɪŋ⁄ · noun A2 | trying to catch fish, as a hobby or a job My uncle goes fishing early on Sunday mornings. | balık tutma |
traveling ⁄ˈtrævəlɪŋ⁄ · noun A1 | going to other places and countries; British spelling: travelling Traveling is my favorite way to spend money. | seyahat etme |
volunteering ⁄ˌvɑːlənˈtɪrɪŋ⁄ · noun B1 | working to help other people without being paid She does some volunteering at an animal shelter. | gönüllü çalışma |
Active hobbies
Easy ways to stay fit in your free time. For team games and more sports words, see sports vocabulary.
| Word | Meaning and example | Turkish |
|---|---|---|
go for a walk ⁄ɡoʊ fɚ ə ˈwɔːk⁄ · phrase A1 | walk somewhere for pleasure or exercise Let's go for a walk after lunch. | yürüyüşe çıkmak |
jogging ⁄ˈdʒɑːɡɪŋ⁄ · noun A2 | running slowly for exercise I go jogging in the park before work. | hafif koşu |
cycling ⁄ˈsaɪklɪŋ⁄ · noun A2 | riding a bike for fun or exercise Cycling along the river is very popular here. | bisiklete binme |
swimming ⁄ˈswɪmɪŋ⁄ · noun A1 | moving through water using your arms and legs We go swimming twice a week. | yüzme |
yoga ⁄ˈjoʊɡə⁄ · noun A2 | exercises for the body and mind, with stretching and slow breathing I do yoga every morning for twenty minutes. | yoga |
climbing ⁄ˈklaɪmɪŋ⁄ · noun A2 | going up rocks or special walls using your hands and feet There's a new climbing center near my office. | tırmanış |
Talking about free time
Words and phrases for saying what you like and how you spend your time. After enjoy, love, like and be into, use the -ing form or a noun.
| Word | Meaning and example | Turkish |
|---|---|---|
hobby ⁄ˈhɑːbi⁄ · noun A1 | something you enjoy doing often in your free time What are your hobbies? | hobi |
free time ⁄ˌfriː ˈtaɪm⁄ · noun A1 | time when you are not working or studying What do you do in your free time? | boş zaman |
weekend ⁄ˈwiːkend⁄ · noun A1 | Saturday and Sunday, when many people don't work What are you doing this weekend? | hafta sonu |
enjoy ⁄ɪnˈdʒɔɪ⁄ · verb A1 | like doing something and get pleasure from it I really enjoy cooking for other people. | keyif almak, sevmek |
relax ⁄rɪˈlæks⁄ · verb A1 | rest and stop feeling worried or busy On Sundays, I just relax at home. | dinlenmek, rahatlamak |
be good at ⁄bi ˈɡʊd æt⁄ · phrase A1 | be able to do something well She's very good at drawing faces. | ...de iyi olmak |
be interested in ⁄bi ˈɪntrəstɪd ɪn⁄ · phrase A2 | want to learn more about something or do it I'm interested in photography. | ...ile ilgilenmek |
be into ⁄bi ˈɪntuː⁄ · phrase B1 | an informal way to say you like something a lot My son is really into board games at the moment. | ...e meraklı olmak |
spend time ⁄ˌspend ˈtaɪm⁄ · phrase A2 | use your time doing something or being with someone I spend a lot of time with my grandparents. | vakit geçirmek |
hang out ⁄ˌhæŋ ˈaʊt⁄ · phrasal verb B1 | an informal way to say spend time with friends, often doing nothing special We usually hang out at the café after class. | takılmak |
join ⁄dʒɔɪn⁄ · verb A2 | become a member of a club or group I want to join a book club. | katılmak, üye olmak |
take up ⁄ˌteɪk ˈʌp⁄ · phrasal verb B1 | start doing a new hobby He took up running after he moved to the city. | (bir hobiye) başlamak |
practice ⁄ˈpræktɪs⁄ · verb A2 | do something again and again to get better at it; British spelling for the verb: practise I practice the piano for half an hour every day. | pratik yapmak, çalışmak |
Useful phrases and collocations
in my free time
In my free time, I like reading and gardening.
go camping, go fishing, go hiking
We go hiking in the mountains every spring.
play the piano
My sister plays the piano really well.
play chess
Do you want to play chess after dinner?
do yoga
I do yoga three times a week.
do a puzzle
We did a puzzle together on Sunday.
take photos
She takes amazing photos of birds.
join a club
He joined a photography club at work.
spend time with friends
I like spending time with my friends on the weekend.
have fun
We had a lot of fun at the concert.
a big fan of
I'm a big fan of old movies.
on the weekend, at the weekend
What do you do on the weekend? (British English: at the weekend)
How to learn these words
Learn hobby words with your own life. Make three short lists: things you do now, things you did as a child, and things you want to try. Say each one out loud in a sentence: I go hiking. I used to collect stickers. I'd like to take up painting. Then review your lists the next day and again a week later. See how to learn English vocabulary for a simple routine.
After like, love, enjoy, hate and don't mind, use the -ing form: I enjoy cooking, not I enjoy to cook. Like and love can also take to + verb, especially in American English, but enjoy cannot. Read more in gerunds vs infinitives.
Use three verbs with activities. Play goes with games and instruments: play chess, play the guitar. Go goes with -ing activities, often outside: go swimming, go camping. Do goes with many other activities: do yoga, do a puzzle, do some gardening. See make vs do for more about do.
Hobbies are a great small talk topic. A natural question is What do you do in your free time? or What are you into? Read small talk in English for more ways to start a conversation.
Use the words: speaking and writing tasks
- Write five sentences about your hobbies with enjoy, love, be into and be good at: I'm really into baking.
- Say out loud what you usually do on the weekend, using go + -ing, play and do.
- Tell a short story about how you started a hobby: when you took it up, who taught you and why you like it.
- Ask and answer three small talk questions about free time out loud: What do you do in your free time? How long have you done it? Where do you do it?
- Make a list of three hobbies you want to try this year and write one sentence for each: I'd like to take up climbing because it looks fun.
Common mistakes
I enjoy to read in the evening.
I enjoy reading in the evening.
Enjoy is always followed by the -ing form, never to + verb.
We go to swimming on Sundays.
We go swimming on Sundays.
With go + -ing activities there is no to: go swimming, go shopping, go fishing.
My hobby is play chess.
My hobby is playing chess.
A hobby is a thing, so after is we need a noun or an -ing form, not the base verb.
I'm interesting in photography.
I'm interested in photography.
Use interested for how a person feels. Interesting describes the thing: Photography is interesting.
I passed the weekend with my cousins.
I spent the weekend with my cousins.
In English, you spend time, a day or a weekend. Pass time exists, but it means making time go faster when you are bored.
Practice quiz
10 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
1. I really enjoy ___ for my friends.
2. Choose the correct sentence.
3. My brother ___ the guitar in a band.
4. Which verb goes with yoga?
5. Choose the correct sentence.
6. She ___ painting last year and now she paints every weekend.
7. What is hiking?
8. We usually ___ with our friends at the mall after school.
9. Which hobby uses wool and two long needles?
10. A natural question about hobbies is: What do you do in your ___?
0 of 10 answered
Show all answers
- cooking
- Every summer we go camping.
- plays
- do
- I'm very interested in old cars.
- took up
- walking a long way in nature
- hang out
- knitting
- free time
See what the A1 English course covers, or test your level first.
People also ask
How do I answer What are your hobbies?+
Name one or two hobbies and add a detail: I love hiking. I go most weekends with my friends. A short reason or example makes your answer sound natural and keeps the conversation going.
Do I say I like to read or I like reading?+
Both are correct. I like reading is very common in British English, and I like to read is very common in American English. After enjoy, though, only the -ing form is correct: I enjoy reading.
When do I use play, go and do with hobbies?+
Use play with games and instruments: play chess, play the piano. Use go with activities that end in -ing, often outside: go fishing, go hiking. Use do with many other activities: do yoga, do a puzzle.
Is watching TV a hobby?+
You can say it is something you do in your free time, but people rarely call it a hobby. A hobby usually means an activity you choose and get better at, like painting, cooking or playing an instrument.
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