Language ab initio | Leisure

Bienvenue dans le Chapitre : Les Loisirs (Leisure)

Salut à tous ! Welcome to the study notes for the topic of Leisure (Les Loisirs). This chapter is part of the core IB theme Experiences (Expériences), which focuses on describing the events and journeys that shape our lives.

Why study leisure? Because knowing how to talk about your free time, hobbies, and activities is absolutely essential for communication. It allows you to connect with others, describe your daily routine, and express your personality—all vital skills for your Individual Oral Assessment (IO) and Paper 1 writing tasks!

We will break down the essential vocabulary, grammar structures, and communicative functions needed to master this topic.

I. Le Vocabulaire des Loisirs (Leisure Vocabulary)

The goal here is to acquire a wide range of verbs and nouns so you can discuss different types of free time activities, from sports to cultural outings.

1. Activités Sportives (Sports Activities)

Use the verb faire (to do/to make) or jouer (to play).

• faire du/de la/des (used for non-team sports or general activities):
  Je fais du sport. (I do sport.)
  Elle fait de la natation. (She does swimming.)
  Nous faisons des randonnées. (We go hiking.)
• jouer à/au/à la/aux (used for team sports or board games):
  Tu joues au football. (You play football.)
  Ils jouent aux cartes. (They play cards.)

Quick Tip for Struggling Students: The 'A' Rule
Think of JOUER À (to play AT a sport). If the activity is a physical sport or game requiring a ball or opponents, you usually use jouer à (which becomes au, à la, aux).

2. Activités Culturelles et Artistiques (Cultural and Artistic Activities)

• Lire (to read): Je lis des romans. (I read novels.)
• Regarder (to watch): Nous regardons la télévision/un film.
• Écouter (to listen): J'écoute de la musique.
• Sortir (to go out): Ils sortent au cinéma/au théâtre.
• Visiter (to visit): Je visite des musées.
• Faire les magasins (to go shopping): Tu aimes faire les magasins ?

3. Autres Loisirs (Other Hobbies)

• Dessiner/Peindre (To draw/paint)
• Cuisiner (To cook)
• Voyager (To travel)
• Se reposer (To rest) - Note: This is a reflexive verb (we cover these later, but it means 'to rest oneself').
• Utiliser les réseaux sociaux (To use social media)

Key Takeaway: Focus on memorizing the verb + preposition + noun phrase (e.g., faire du vélo) rather than just individual words. This is how you build proper French sentences.

II. Exprimer les Préférences (Expressing Likes, Dislikes, and Opinions)

When discussing leisure, you must be able to state what you prefer and why. This is crucial for achieving high marks in productive skills.

1. Les Verbes de Préférence

The four main verbs are:

1. Adorer (to love)
2. Aimer (to like)
3. Préférer (to prefer)
4. Détester (to hate)

2. The Golden Rule: The Definite Article

When you use a verb of preference, the activity that follows must be preceded by the definite article (le, la, l', les), even if you are talking about something general.

Example Structure: Subject + Verb of Preference + le/la/les + Activity

• J'aime le sport. (I like sport.)
• Nous adorons la natation. (We love swimming.)
• Elle déteste les jeux vidéo. (She hates video games.)

Common Mistake to Avoid!
Students often confuse this with faire, which uses du/de la (partitive articles).
CORRECT: J'aime le tennis. (Preference)
CORRECT: Je fais du tennis. (Activity)
INCORRECT: J'aime du tennis.

3. Expressing Opinions (Giving Reasons)

To deepen your response (essential for HL thinking but excellent for Ab Initio complexity), you need linking words:

• Parce que (Because)
• Car (For / Because - slightly more formal)
• Puisque (Since / As)
• C'est (It is) + Adjective (e.g., amusant, relaxant, difficile, ennuyeux)

Example: Je préfère faire du vélo parce que c'est relaxant et bon pour la santé. (I prefer cycling because it is relaxing and good for the health.)

III. La Fréquence et le Temps (Frequency and Time Expressions)

Leisure activities happen at specific times or with a certain frequency. Mastering these adverbs and expressions helps you communicate your routine effectively (linking this topic to Daily Routine, another key topic under *Experiences*).

1. Adverbes de Fréquence (Adverbs of Frequency)

These usually come after the conjugated verb.

• Toujours (Always)
• Souvent (Often)
• Parfois / Quelquefois (Sometimes)
• Rarement (Rarely)
• Jamais (Never - used with ne... jamais for negation)

Example: Je regarde souvent la télé. (I often watch TV.)
Nous ne jouons jamais au golf. (We never play golf.)

2. Expressions de Temps (Time Expressions)

These often come at the beginning or end of a sentence.

• Le matin / L'après-midi / Le soir (In the morning / afternoon / evening)
• Le week-end (On the weekend)
• Après l'école / le travail (After school / work)
• Tous les jours (Every day)
• Une fois par semaine / mois (Once per week / month)

Example: Le week-end, j'aime dormir tard. (On the weekend, I like to sleep late.)

Did you know?
In French, to say "on Mondays" or "every Monday," you just use the definite article le before the day: Je vais au cinéma le lundi. (I go to the cinema on Mondays/every Monday.)

IV. Le Futur Proche (Near Future) for Planning Leisure

To talk about what you will do for leisure (e.g., this weekend, during the holidays), the futur proche is the simplest structure required at Ab Initio level.

Structure: Subject + Conjugation of ALLER (in the present tense) + Infinitive Verb

• Je vais (I am going to...)
• Tu vas (You are going to...)
• Il/Elle/On va (He/She/One is going to...)
• Nous allons (We are going to...)
• Vous allez (You [pl.] are going to...)
• Ils/Elles vont (They are going to...)

Example: Demain, je vais faire du vélo. (Tomorrow, I am going to go cycling.)
Cet été, nous allons voyager au Maroc. (This summer, we are going to travel to Morocco.)

Memory Aid: Think of the structure literally: "I am going [to do]..." This simplifies future planning significantly and is very high-scoring in communicative tasks.

V. Communicative Application and Exam Practice

How will you use this vocabulary and grammar in your assessments?

1. Productive Skills (Paper 1 Writing & IO)

The topic of Leisure frequently appears in Paper 1 tasks (emails, letters, reports) and as visual stimulus for the Individual Oral (IO).

A. Paper 1 Prompts (Email/Postcard)

You may be asked to describe your leisure habits or invite a friend to an activity. You need to use:

1. Greetings/Closings (essential Ab Initio writing conventions).
2. Verbs of preference (Section II).
3. Time/Frequency expressions (Section III).
4. The futur proche (Section IV) to propose plans.

Example Sentence Chain: Salut ! Le week-end, j'adore écouter de la musique parce que c'est relaxant. Est-ce que tu veux aller au cinéma avec moi ce soir ? Nous allons regarder le nouveau film d'action. À bientôt !

B. Individual Oral (IO) Preparation

If your visual stimulus shows people engaging in a leisure activity (e.g., playing music, reading, hiking), you must be able to:

• Describe the action: Ils font du sport. (They are doing sport.)
• Express relevance to yourself: J'aime aussi cette activité. Je fais du sport trois fois par semaine.
• Explain why it is important (linking to the theme *Experiences*): C'est important pour la santé et le bien-être. C'est une bonne expérience.

2. Receptive Skills (Paper 2 Reading & Listening)

In Paper 2, texts and audio clips often describe schedules, holiday plans, or cultural celebrations. Focus on identifying the keywords:

• Look for verbs related to movement (aller, sortir, visiter).
• Look for frequency words (souvent, rarement).
• Look for specific dates or times (samedi, à 18h00).

Don't worry if this seems tricky at first! The key is recognition. If you see the verb lire and the noun livre, you know the topic is 'reading,' regardless of the surrounding complex grammar.

VI. Key Takeaway: The 'Experiences' Connection

Remember that "Leisure" is a sub-topic of the theme Experiences. When you discuss your hobbies or free time, try to explain how these activities shape your life or broaden your horizons (as suggested by the syllabus questions).

• Focus Question: How do I achieve a balanced and healthy lifestyle?
• Your Answer Must Include: Mentioning physical activity (faire du sport) and mental relaxation (se reposer, lire).

By connecting your specific leisure activities back to the broader concept of healthy experiences, you demonstrate a stronger conceptual understanding demanded by the IB curriculum.