Jouer à vs Faire de
Jouer à vs Faire de (and Jouer de) — The Clear, No-Confusion Guide
English speakers often get confused about how French expresses “playing” and “doing” activities. For example:
- When talking about sports, sometimes you say jouer au football (playing a game) and sometimes faire du football (doing/practicing the sport).
- With musical instruments, you can say jouer du piano (playing the instrument) or faire du piano (practicing or studying piano).
- And with individual sports or activities, like swimming or yoga, you always say faire de la natation or faire du yoga, never jouer à la natation.
Once you see the pattern — games vs. practiced activities vs. instruments — it all starts to make sense.
You can download a PDF of this lesson guide in my private French Grammar Library.
PART 1 — The REAL Core Idea
There are two different questions you must ask:
A) Are you talking about a GAME?
If yes, use jouer à. This includes anything you “play”: games, team sports, competitive activities. This is about the game itself.
Examples:
- Je joue au foot.
- Nous jouons à un jeu vidéo.
- Elles jouent aux cartes.
- Il joue au basket.
B) Are you talking about DOING an activity (practice, hobby, discipline)?
If yes, use faire de. This is about the activity as a practice, not the “game.”
Examples:
- Je fais de la natation.
- Il fait du yoga.
- Nous faisons du cyclisme.
- Elle fait de la danse.
PART 2 — The Confusing but Important Truth
Some activities can be seen as:
- a game you play, OR
- a sport/hobby you practice
You will hear both jouer à and faire de, depending on meaning.
For example: tennis, football, basketball, badminton, ping-pong, rugby, golf.
✔ As a GAME, use jouer à
- Je joue au tennis.
- Ils jouent au foot.
✔ As a SPORT YOU PRACTICE, use faire de
- Je fais du tennis.
- Elle fait du foot.
- Nous faisons du basket.
Both are correct — they answer different questions.
French speakers use both depending on whether they’re thinking of the game or the sport/hobby.
This is the key idea learners usually miss.
PART 3 — Activities that ALWAYS use jouer à
These are pure games. You “play” them, you don’t “practice” them.
✔ board games
✔ card games
✔ video games
Examples:
- Je joue à cache-cache.
- On joue aux échecs.
- Ils jouent aux jeux vidéo.
You cannot say faire de cache-cache, faire des échecs, faire du Monopoly.
Unlike sports, board games cannot be viewed as a “practice.”
PART 4 — Activities that ALWAYS use faire de
These are not games and cannot be framed as something you “play.” These cannot take jouer à under any meaning.
Athletics:
- faire de la natation
- faire du cyclisme
- faire de la course à pied
Fitness / wellness:
- faire du yoga
- faire du Pilates
- faire de la musculation
Arts:
- faire de la danse
- faire du théâtre
- faire de la peinture
Hobbies:
- faire du jardinage
- faire de la couture
PART 5 — Musical Instruments (both jouer de AND faire de)
Here is the clear breakdown that avoids all confusion:
1. Jouer de + instrument = physically playing the instrument
- Je joue du piano.
- Il joue de la batterie.
- Elle joue de la harpe.
This is the standard and most common expression.
2. Faire de + instrument = taking lessons / practicing / being involved in the instrument as an activity
- Je fais du piano depuis trois ans. (I have been taking piano lessons for three years. / I have been studying piano for three years.)
- Elle fait du violon au conservatoire. (She is taking violin lessons at the conservatory. / She is studying violin at the conservatory.)
- Il fait de la guitare tous les lundis. (He takes guitar lessons every Monday. / He studies guitar every Monday.)
Meaning difference:
- jouer du piano – playing it right now or the ability to play
- faire du piano – doing piano as an activity, learning/studying/being involved in it
Both are correct. They are not interchangeable, but both exist for different meanings.
PART 6 — Summary Chart
| activity type | jouer à | faire de | jouer de | notes |
| Games | ✔ | ❌ | ❌ | board/card/video games |
| Team sports | ✔ (the game) | ✔ (the practice) | ❌ | both correct, different meanings |
| Individual sports | ✔ (the game) | ✔ (the practice) | ❌ | same logic as team sports |
| Arts | ❌ | ✔ | ❌ | dance, theater, painting |
| Hobbies | ❌ | ✔ | ❌ | gardening, sewing |
| Musical instruments | ❌ | ✔ (studying)✔ (practice) | ✔ (play)✔ (perform) | both exist, different meanings |
| Singing/music theory | ❌ | ✔ | ❌ | not “played,” only “done” |
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