Free Time, Hobbies and Sport
What you do when you are not working, and the three verbs — play, do, go — that decide how you say it.
"What do you do in your free time?" is the second question after "what do you do?", and answering it well needs one small verb rule.
play, do or go?
play + ball games and competitive games (with an opponent):
play football · play tennis · play chess · play cards
do + activities with no ball and often no opponent:
do yoga · do karate · do gymnastics · do exercise · do athletics
go + activities ending in -ing:
go swimming · go running · go cycling · go hiking · go shopping · go fishing
The -ing is the giveaway: if the activity ends in -ing, it takes go.
❌ I do swimming. → ✅ I go swimming. ❌ I play yoga. → ✅ I do yoga.
No article with sports
I play football. (not the football) She plays the piano. (instruments do take the)
That contrast is worth memorising: sports without the, instruments with it.
Saying how much you like it
- I'm into photography. (informal, enthusiastic)
- I'm keen on cycling.
- I'm not really into football.
- It's not my thing. (polite way to say you dislike it)
- I've taken up running. (recently started)
- I've given up smoking. (stopped)
Frequency
I go to the gym three times a week. I play now and then. (occasionally) I hardly ever watch TV.
Common hobbies
reading · cooking · gardening · painting · photography · travelling · gaming · watching films · listening to music · going to concerts · collecting
The conversation
- What do you do in your free time?
- Have you got any hobbies?
- How long have you been doing that?
- What got you into it? — the question that actually starts a conversation
Test yourself
The quiz below is mostly play / do / go.