jouer
play
The word 'jouer' means 'play' in French. This verb can be used in a variety of contexts, including playing a sport or a game ('jouer au football'), playing an instrument ('jouer du piano'), or play in the sense of acting in a theater ('jouer dans une pièce de théâtre'). It also can mean 'to gamble' ('jouer de l'argent'). Note, however, it does not translate all uses of 'play', as French often uses other verbs for more specific types of play.
Example sentences using: jouer
Je vais jouer au football ce week-end.
I am going to play football this weekend.
In this sentence, 'jouer' is used to express the action of playing a sport or a game, in this case, football. Note the use of 'au' before 'football'. This contraction of 'à' and 'le' is used because football is a masculine noun in French.
Pouvez-vous jouer de la guitare?
Can you play guitar?
In this question, 'jouer' is used to ask if someone is able to play a musical instrument, in this case, a guitar. Here, 'de la' is used instead of 'au' because guitar is a feminine noun in French.
On va jouer un jeu de société après le dîner.
We are going to play a board game after dinner.
In this sentence, 'jouer' is used to refer to the action of engaging in a board game. The phrase 'un jeu de société' means 'a board game' in English.
Il adore jouer aux échecs.
He loves playing chess.
Here, 'jouer' is indicating the action of playing chess. Following 'jouer', 'aux' is used, which is the contraction of 'à les' due to the plural noun 'échecs' (chess) following it.
Elle joue la comédie très bien.
She acts very well.
In this instance, 'jouer' is used to mean 'act', showing its versatility as a verb. 'La comédie' translates directly to 'the comedy', but in this context means 'acting' in English.
Si tu aimes jouer du piano, prouve-le.
If you like playing piano, prove it.
In this sentence, 'jouer' is used with 'du', meaning 'of the', to describe the action of playing a musical instrument. This is a common usage when the instrument is masculine and singular, like 'piano'.
Nous avons décidé de jouer à cache-cache.
We decided to play hide and seek.
This is another example where 'jouer' is used to indicate the action of playing a game. The game 'hide and seek' is translated as 'cache-cache' in French.
Je veux apprendre à jouer de la flûte.
I want to learn how to play the flute.
In this sentence, 'jouer' is used to describe the action of playing a musical instrument, the flute. The prepositional phrase 'de la' here signifies 'of the'.
Elle aime jouer de la harpe le soir.
She likes to play the harp in the evening.
In this sentence, the word 'jouer' is used to express the action of playing a musical instrument, in this case, the harp. The phrase 'de la' is used because harp is a feminine noun in French.
Je dois pratiquer pour jouer au match de demain.
I need to practice to play in tomorrow's match.
Here, 'jouer' is used to refer to playing in a competitive setting, specifically a sports match. The contraction 'au' is used before 'match' which is masculine singular in French.