Hobbies & Free Time — Easy English Conversation

Transcript

Introduction

A: Today we’re talking about hobbies and free time — a common small-talk topic that can be surprisingly hard to answer naturally.

B: You’ll learn which verb goes with which activity, how to say what you like without saying “I like”, and how to talk about starting, stopping, and starting again.

A: Listen for six of them: to go running, to play tennis, to do yoga, to be into something, to take up a hobby, and to be out of practice.

B: After that, five short role-plays as a quick review, so you can practice out loud.

A: You can practice today’s phrases in Recursio — link in the description.

Play, go, or do?

B: Let’s start with a choice that often causes trouble. In English, we don’t use one verb for all activities.

A: Right. I still stop for half a second before I say it.

B: Three verbs do most of the work: play, go, and do. And there’s a pattern.

A: Give me the first one.

B: Play goes with most ball games, board games, and card games. Play tennis. Play basketball. Play chess.

A: “I play tennis on Saturdays.”

B: Exactly. And play also goes with musical instruments — play the guitar, play the piano.

A: With “the” in the middle.

B: “Play the guitar” is standard. In American English, “play guitar” is also common in casual speech. Both are correct; the form with “the” is a safe one to learn first.

A: Does that work for team sports too?

B: Most of them, yes — play soccer, play basketball, play volleyball.

A: Soccer, not football?

B: In American English, soccer. In British English and many other places, football. In the US, football usually means American football. Use the word your listener uses.

A: Does every sport use “play”?

B: No. We say “do yoga” and “do gymnastics,” and we often say “box” rather than “do boxing.” It is better to learn each activity as a whole phrase.

A: And board games?

B: For board and card games, use “play”: play chess, play cards, play Monopoly.

A: Okay. What about go?

B: Go often goes with leisure activities ending in -ing: go running, go swimming, go hiking, go biking.

A: “I go running before work.”

B: That’s it. It is a useful pattern, even when you stay near home.

A: Before we leave “go” — is it only sports?

B: No. It also works in go shopping, go dancing, and go fishing.

A: And the third one?

B: Do goes with activities such as yoga, karate, and gymnastics.

A: “I do yoga twice a week.”

B: And that’s the one people get wrong most. Not “I make yoga”, not “I play yoga”.

A: Is there a quick test when I’m not sure?

B: Remember common pairs rather than one perfect rule: play for many games and team sports, go with many -ing leisure activities, and do with yoga, martial arts, and some exercise activities.

A: So anything ending in -ing takes “go”?

B: That’s exactly the trap. We say “do some gardening” or “work in the garden,” and “lift weights” or “do weight training.” The ending is only a clue.

A: And if neither?

B: If you’re unsure, learn the whole phrase. The three examples from today — play tennis, go running, and do yoga — are reliable models.

A: What’s the most common mistake you hear?

B: “I make sport.” It’s a direct translation from several languages, and it doesn’t work in English.

A: What should it be?

B: “I play sports” if you mean games, or “I exercise” or “I work out” if you mean training. And for the building itself: “I go to the gym.”

A: Is the pattern a rule?

B: These are useful patterns, not strict rules. Some activities are used in more than one way, and regional differences exist.

A: That’s enough to stop me from freezing mid-sentence.

Saying what you like

B: Now, “I like running” is correct, and it’s also the most forgettable sentence in the language.

A: It’s what I say every time.

B: So here’s an everyday alternative. To be into something means to be very interested in it. It’s common in informal speech.

A: “I’m really into photography.”

B: It suggests a real interest, not just something you don’t mind.

A: Can I use it about people?

B: Careful there. “I’m into him” usually means romantic interest, so with a person it can say something you didn’t mean. With activities and subjects there’s no ambiguity.

A: Good to know. What if I only like it a little?

B: Then say “I’m not really into it” — that’s a soft no. Or use the phrase for things that are just not for you: it’s not really my thing.

A: “Camping? It’s not really my thing.”

B: It works because it makes it about your taste, not about the activity being bad. And it doesn’t leave the other person waiting for a longer answer.

A: Is there a stronger way to say I love something?

B: “I’m a big fan of” works for almost anything — “I’m a big fan of long walks.”

A: That sounds like sports teams.

B: It’s common with sports, but now it can describe almost anything you like. And there’s a quieter one: “I really enjoy it.”

A: What if I’m somewhere in the middle?

B: “I don’t mind it.” That means it’s fine, you’re not excited, you’re not against it.

A: That’s a useful piece of honesty.

B: It saves you from pretending. English gives you a whole range between love and hate, and most conversations live in the middle of it.

A: I’ve also heard “keen on”.

B: Yes — to be keen on something. It’s close to “into”: it means you like something or are interested in it.

A: Is it the same word everywhere?

B: It’s especially common in British English. American speakers understand it, but “really into” is often more common in casual American speech.

A: “My sister’s really keen on birdwatching.”

B: You can also say, “I’m not keen on that idea.” “Into” is less common with plans and ideas.

A: So both are useful, but “into” sounds more American?

B: Right. Choose the one that fits the variety of English you want to use.

A: One more thing about “into”. Does it work in questions?

B: It does, and it’s a good one. “What are you into?” is a natural way to ask about hobbies without sounding like a form.

A: Better than “What are your hobbies?”

B: Both are natural. “What are you into these days?” is more informal and open-ended.

Starting a hobby

A: Let’s say I want to start something new. What do I say?

B: To take up a hobby means to begin it, usually with the idea of doing it regularly. You can take up running or chess.

A: “I took up swimming last year.”

B: It suggests more than trying something once, but it does not mean you kept doing it forever.

A: So one tennis lesson isn’t taking up tennis.

B: Not really, no. If you played once and stopped, “I tried tennis” is the honest sentence.

A: And if I got interested first, and then started?

B: Then you got into it. To get into something means to become interested in it or start enjoying it more.

A: “I got into cooking during the winter.”

B: Notice the difference. “Take up” is about the activity starting. “Get into” is about your interest growing.

A: Can both be true at the same time?

B: Often they are. “I got into chess online, and then I took up playing at a club.” They sit next to each other comfortably.

A: What if I want to ask someone about this?

B: “How did you get into that?” is one of the most useful questions in English small talk.

A: Because it asks for a story, not a yes or no.

B: Exactly. And people like telling that story. Two more questions in the same family: “How long have you been doing that?” and “Is it hard to get started?”

A: What about “Are you any good?”

B: That one’s friendly between people who know each other, and a bit direct with a stranger. Most people answer it with a joke anyway.

A: What’s the safe version?

B: “How’s it going?” or “Are you enjoying it?” You get the same conversation without asking anyone to rate themselves.

A: If you want these to stay with you, save them in Recursio — it brings them back before you forget them.

Stopping, and starting again

B: Now the other direction. You stop doing something you used to do regularly.

A: That’s most of my hobbies, honestly.

B: Then you gave it up. To give something up.

A: “I gave up the guitar after two years.”

B: And watch the word order, because this one moves. “I gave up the guitar” is the everyday order; “I gave the guitar up” is also fine, though it gets awkward if the object is long. With a pronoun it has to split: “I gave it up”, never “I gave up it”.

A: That’s the part I always get wrong.

B: Most learners do. Say it out loud a few times with “it” in the middle and it starts to feel normal.

A: Now, if I stop for a while and come back — I can still do it, but badly.

B: Then you’re out of practice. To be out of practice.

A: “I haven’t played in years. I’m really out of practice.”

B: It’s a kind sentence about yourself. It says the skill is still there, it’s just gone quiet.

A: Is there a shorter way to say it?

B: “I’m rusty.” Or “I’m a bit rusty.” Same meaning, one word, and you’ll hear it constantly.

A: And when I start again?

B: You get back into it. To get back into something.

A: “I’m trying to get back into running.”

B: “Trying to get back into it” is a sentence you’ll hear often, because many people return to hobbies after a break.

A: Is there a phrase for doing something, then stopping, then doing it again, over and over?

B: On and off. “I’ve been learning Spanish on and off for years.”

A: That is exactly my situation.

B: It’s a very common situation, and it’s not a confession. It’s just a description.

A: And if I stopped because life got busy?

B: “I haven’t had time lately.” Simple and natural.

A: So if I stopped for six months and came back — I gave it up and then I took it up again?

B: You could say that, but it sounds heavier than it is. “I took a break, and now I’m getting back into it” is what most people would actually say.

A: Is “give up” always about hobbies?

B: No, it’s wider. You can give up smoking or sugar, and you can give up trying. For a job, people normally say “quit” or “leave.”

A: And if I stopped without deciding to?

B: Then say, “I just stopped.” “Give up” suggests a decision; many hobbies end without one.

A: That’s comforting.

B: It should be. Nobody expects your hobby to be a straight line.

How often, and when

A: So far I can say what I do and how I feel about it. What about how often?

B: The everyday pattern is a number plus “a week” or “a month”. Once a week. Twice a week. Three times a week.

A: “I swim twice a week.”

B: “Once” and “twice” are the most natural forms for one and two: once a week, twice a week. “Two times a week” is grammatical, but “twice a week” is usually more idiomatic. From three up, use “times”: three times a week.

A: And for something less regular?

B: Every other weekend. That means one weekend yes, the next weekend no, then yes again.

A: So “every other weekend” is not every weekend.

B: That’s the trap, and it’s a common one. “Every other” means alternate — one, skip, one, skip. Same with “every other day”.

A: Is there a way to say it that’s less exact?

B: “Every couple of weeks” is nicely vague, and very common. So is “now and then”.

A: And if it depends on the week?

B: “Whenever I get the chance.” That’s the honest answer for a busy person, and it sounds natural.

A: Where do these go in the sentence?

B: Usually at the end. “I go running twice a week.” You can put them at the front for emphasis — “Twice a week, I go running” — but the end is the safe place.

A: And how do I open the whole subject?

B: In my free time. It’s the simplest frame there is.

A: “In my free time, I play the guitar and go running.”

B: One phrase, and now the sentence has a shape. You can also answer the question with it: “What do you do in your free time?”

A: What if my honest answer is “nothing”?

B: Then say the true thing in a friendly way. “Not much at the moment, but I’m trying to get back into running.” Now you’ve answered and given the other person something to ask about.

A: So even “nothing” has a good version.

Practice and quick review

B: Five short ones. I’ll play the other person, and you answer out loud in the gap.

A: Ready.

B: Someone at work asks what you do in your free time. What do you say?

A: In my free time I go running, and I’m learning to play the guitar.

B: Good — one activity you do, one you’re starting. That’s a complete answer.

A: Next.

B: Someone asks whether you play any sports. What do you say?

A: I used to play tennis, but I gave it up. I do yoga now, twice a week.

B: Notice how much that says in two short sentences. Past, present, and how often.

A: One more.

B: Someone asks whether you’ve ever tried skiing. What do you say?

A: I tried it once. It’s not really my thing.

B: Polite, honest, finished. You’re talking about you, not about their hobby — which is usually what keeps it friendly.

A: And another.

B: A friend remembers that you used to swim a lot. What do you say now?

A: I did. I’m out of practice now, but I’m trying to get back into it.

B: That’s a useful sentence whenever you return to something after a break, and it often gets a warm answer.

A: Last one.

B: You’re at a party and somebody says: “I’ve just taken up climbing.” What do you ask?

A: How did you get into that?

B: Perfect. It’s a short question, and often they’ll talk for two minutes while you just listen.

A: Which is the easiest English there is.

B: It really is. A good question does more work than a good answer.

Outro

A: Today’s phrases: to play tennis, to go running, to do yoga, to be into something, it’s not really my thing, to be keen on something, to take up a hobby, to get into something, to give something up, to be out of practice, to get back into something, twice a week, every other weekend, and in my free time.

B: Fourteen phrases — and one bonus question worth all of them: “How did you get into that?”

A: Open the link below and practice them in Recursio.

B: See you in the next one.