How to Talk about Hobbies in German: A Comprehensive Guide

Talking about your hobbies and free-time activities is one of the first beginner German conversation topics you’ll encounter. Whether you’re introducing yourself, making new friends, or preparing for an exam, being able to discuss what you do in your free time is essential. This guide will walk you through German hobbies vocabulary, key sentence structures, and grammar tips so you can confidently talk about your interests. It’s primarily aimed at A1-A2 learners (absolute beginners and elementary level), but even more advanced students will find useful phrases and reminders here. By the end, you’ll know how to describe your hobbies in German – from the activities you love to how often you do them – and get tips to sound more fluent. Viel Erfolg! (Good luck!)

How to discuss hobbies in German

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1. Essential German Hobbies Vocabulary for Beginners (A1-A2)

Before diving into sentences, let’s learn some German hobbies vocabulary. Below is a list of common hobby-related words in German, grouped by category. (Remember: the article der, die, or das is part of the noun, so learn it together with each word.)

General Terms for Hobbies (Allgemeine Hobbys)

• Hobby – das Hobby

• Free time – die Freizeit

• Leisure activity – die Freizeitaktivität

• To enjoy – genießen

• To relax – sich entspannen (literally “to relax oneself”)

• To try something new – etwas Neues ausprobieren

Popular Hobbies (Beliebte Hobbys)

• Reading – das Lesen

• Writing – das Schreiben

• Cooking – das Kochen

• Photography – die Fotografie

• Drawing – das Zeichnen

• Painting – das Malen

• Playing an instrument – ein Instrument spielen (e.g. Gitarre spielen – to play guitar)

• Gardening – das Gärtnern

• Traveling – das Reisen

• Hiking – das Wandern

Sports and Outdoor Activities (Sport und Outdoor-Aktivitäten)

• Playing football (soccer) – Fußball spielen

• Playing tennis - Tennis spielen

• Playing basketball – Basketball spielen

• Jogging/Running – joggen (or laufen, contextually)

• Cycling (riding a bicycle) – Rad fahren

• Swimming – schwimmen

• Climbing – klettern

• Yoga – Yoga machen

• Gymnastics – Turnen

• Skiing – Ski fahren

• Horse riding – reiten

Creative and Indoor Activities (Kreative und Indoor-Aktivitäten)

• Playing video games – Videospiele spielen

• Watching films – Filme schauen (or Filme gucken)

• Watching series – Serien anschauen

• Listening to music – Musik hören

• Dancing – tanzen

• Playing board games – Brettspiele spielen

• Knitting – stricken

• Sewing – nähen

• Baking – backen

• Doing puzzles – puzzeln

Feel free to add any hobby-specific words you need. For example, if you love chess, you can add Schach spielen (to play chess) to your vocabulary list. If you’re into singing, use singen (to sing). Knowing the right noun or verb for your hobby is the first step to talking about it in German.

2. Talking About Your Hobbies in German: Basic Sentence Structures

Once you have some vocabulary, you’ll want to form sentences about your hobbies. To do this, you can use a few key sentence starters. Memorising these will help you speak more fluently about your free time without hesitation. Here are some of the most useful phrases for saying what your hobbies are and what you enjoy:

• Mein Hobby ist ... (My hobby is ...)

• Meine Hobbys sind ... (My hobbies are ...) – Use this to list multiple hobbies. Note that the plural Hobbys is spelled with -ys in German.

• Ich interessiere mich für ... (I am interested in ...) – Use für + [noun]. E.g. Ich interessiere mich für Musik (I’m interested in music).

• Ich verbringe meine Freizeit mit ... (I spend my free time with ...) – Use mit + [activity in noun form]. E.g. Ich verbringe meine Freizeit mit Lesen (I spend my free time reading).

• Ich habe Spaß daran, ... zu ... (I enjoy ...ing ...) – A slightly more advanced structure. What comes after zu is an infinitive verb at the end of the sentence. E.g. Ich habe Spaß daran, neue Rezepte auszuprobieren (I enjoy trying out new recipes).

• In meiner Freizeit ... (In my free time, ...) – A great sentence starter. E.g. In meiner Freizeit gehe ich gern spazieren (In my free time, I like to go for walks).

• Ich [verb]** gern ...** (I like ... ing) – Use this with a specific activity. We’ll explain gern in the next section, but note that gern is placed right after the verb. E.g. Ich spiele gern Fußball (I like playing football).

All of the phrases above can help you start talking about your hobbies. You can then finish the sentence with the hobby or activity from the vocabulary list. For example, if you want to say “My hobby is cooking,” you’d say Mein Hobby ist Kochen. If you have multiple hobbies: Meine Hobbys sind Lesen und Schwimmen (My hobbies are reading and swimming). To say “In my free time, I [do X],” you might say In meiner Freizeit gehe ich joggen (In my free time, I go jogging). Practice plugging different hobby words into these structures.

Examples – Basic Hobby Sentences

• Mein Hobby ist Gärtnern, weil ich gerne draußen bin.“My hobby is gardening because I like being outside.”

• Meine Hobbys sind Yoga und Lesen.“My hobbies are yoga and reading.”

• Ich interessiere mich für Musik, deshalb spiele ich Klavier.“I am interested in music, so I play the piano.”

• In meiner Freizeit male ich gern, weil es entspannend ist.“In my free time, I like painting because it’s relaxing.”

(Notice the structure in each German sentence: the verb is typically the second element. Also, weil (“because”) sends the verb to the end of the clause. These word-order rules are important in German grammar, even at A1-A2.)

3. Common Verbs Used for Hobbies: spielen, machen, gehen, fahren

To talk about what you do, it’s crucial to pick the correct verb. In German, a few verbs appear very frequently when describing hobbies and activities. Let’s look at four of the most useful ones – spielen, machen, gehen, and fahren – and how to use them with hobbies:

• spielen – (to play) Spielen is used for games and sports, as well as playing musical instruments. It’s a regular verb (ich spiele, du spielst, er/sie spielt, ...). You typically use it with a direct object (no preposition needed in German). For example:

  • Ich spiele Fußball. – “I play football.” (sports/game)

  • Ich spiele Gitarre. – “I play guitar.” (musical instrument)

  • Wir spielen gern Brettspiele. – “We like playing board games.”Tip: If you say Ich mag Fußball, it simply means “I like football” as a sport in general. It doesn’t necessarily mean you play it. To say you enjoy playing it, use spielen + gern: Ich spiele gern Fußball (I like to play football).

• machen – (to do or to make)Machen is a very handy verb for many hobbies and activities, especially those that don’t involve a ball or obvious action verb. It’s also regular (ich mache, du machst, ...). Use machen to talk about doing yoga, doing crafts, etc. For example:

  • Ich mache gerne Yoga. – “I like doing yoga.”

  • Wir machen oft Fotos. – “We often take photos.” (Literally, “make photos,” an informal way to say fotografieren.)

  • In meiner Freizeit mache ich viel Sport. – “In my free time, I do a lot of sports.”Note: Machen is a good default verb if you’re unsure – e.g. Ich mache gern Musik (“I like making music”) is a way to say you enjoy playing or creating music in general. However, if there’s a more specific verb (like spielen for an instrument or singen for singing), you can use that too.

• gehen – (to go)Gehen is used when talking about going somewhere or going to do something as a hobby. In German, you can use gehen with another verb in its basic form (infinitive) to indicate you “go do” that activity. Common combinations include schwimmen gehen (to go swimming), wandern gehen (to go hiking), or tanzen gehen (to go dancing). For example:

  • Ich gehe gern schwimmen. – “I like to go swimming.”

  • Wir gehen am Wochenende wandern. – “We go hiking on the weekend.”

  • Gehst du oft ins Kino? – “Do you often go to the cinema?” (Here, ins Kino gehen – to go to the movies – uses gehen with a place.)Grammar hint: Notice that in phrases like Ich gehe schwimmen, the second verb (schwimmen) stays in the infinitive and essentially functions like a noun (“I go to swim”). This is a common structure in German for activities. Also, if you mention the place, use the appropriate preposition (e.g. in + das Kino becomes ins Kino).

• fahren – (to drive, to ride, to go (via vehicle))Fahren is used for activities involving vehicles or rides, such as cycling or skiing. It’s irregular: note the du/er/sie form has an umlaut (du fährst, er fährt). Examples:

  • Ich fahre jeden Tag Rad. – “I ride a bike every day.” (Literally, “I drive wheel/bike every day.”)

  • Wir fahren im Winter Ski. – “We go skiing in winter.”

  • Er fährt gern Motorrad. – “He enjoys riding a motorcycle.”In many cases, English says “to go [cycling/skiing/etc.]” but German will use fahren (or occasionally gehen as in Schlitten fahren vs. Schlitten gehen – both heard for “to go sledding”). If it’s an activity with wheels or skis, fahren is likely the verb you need.

Remember: When using these verbs, conjugate them to match the subject (ich, du, wir, etc.). For A1-A2 level, you should be comfortable with present tense forms of regular verbs (like spielen, machen) and know the irregular forms for gehen (ich gehe, du gehst, er geht...) and fahren (ich fahre, du fährst, er fährt...). Practicing these conjugations will make your hobby talk more accurate.

Examples – Using spielen, machen, gehen, fahren:

• Ich spiele gern Tennis und manchmal spiele ich auch Gitarre.“I like to play tennis and sometimes I also play guitar.” (Used spielen for both a sport and an instrument, with gern to indicate liking.)

• Meine Freunde und ich machen jeden Freitag Brettspiele-Abende.“My friends and I do board game nights every Friday.” (Used machen for an activity; notice the time phrase jeden Freitag = every Friday.)

• Am Wochenende gehe ich wandern oder schwimmen.“On the weekend I go hiking or swimming.” (Used gehen ... wandern/schwimmen; the subject “ich” comes after the time phrase Am Wochenende.)

• Im Winter fahren viele Leute Ski, aber ich fahre lieber Snowboard.“ In winter, many people go skiing, but I prefer snowboarding.” (Used fahren for skiing/snowboard; lieber here means “rather/prefer” – an alternative way to express preference, see next section.)

By choosing the right verb, your sentences will sound much more natural. If you’re ever unsure which verb to use for a hobby, try looking up how Germans phrase that activity, or ask a tutor/teacher for guidance. With practice, it will become second nature!

4. Expressing Likes and Dislikes about Hobbies

When discussing your hobbies, you’ll want to say what you like or don’t like, what you love, or maybe what isn’t your cup of tea. German has a few different words for expressing likes/dislikes. Here are the key ones for A1-A2:

Talking About What You Like (Was du gerne machst)

• I like ... – Ich mag ...

• I love ... – Ich liebe ...

• I really enjoy ... – Ich genieße ... sehr (literally “I enjoy ... very much”)

• I prefer ... – Ich bevorzuge ... (or Ich ... lieber when used with a verb)

• My favourite hobby is ... – Mein Lieblingshobby ist ...

When using these: Ich mag is followed by a noun (or an activity turned into a noun, like Schwimmen “swimming”). The adverb "gern" follows the conjugated verb and expresses that you like to do something (Ich schwimme gern.). Ich liebe can be used with nouns or the es zu [verb] structure for activities (Ich liebe es, zu schwimmen. – I love to swim). Ich genieße is typically used with an es zu [verb] clause or a noun (e.g. Ich genieße lange Spaziergänge. – I really enjoy long walks). Ich bevorzuge is often followed by a noun when comparing options (e.g. Ich bevorzuge Tee statt Kaffee. – I prefer tea instead of coffee). The word Lieblings- means “favourite” (literally “dearest”); you can put it in front of a noun: Lieblingsfilm (favourite movie), Lieblingsbuch (favourite book), etc. So Mein Lieblingshobby ist Kochen means “my favourite hobby is cooking.”

Examples (Likes):

• Ich mag Schwimmen, weil es gesund ist.“I like swimming because it’s healthy.” (Ich mag + noun (Schwimmen) expresses a general liking for the activity.)

• Mein Lieblingshobby ist Kochen, weil ich gerne neue Rezepte ausprobiere.“My favorite hobby is cooking because I like trying out new recipes.” (Uses Lieblingshobby and shows weil sending ausprobiere to the end.)

• Ich liebe es, Musik zu hören.“I love listening to music.” (Literally, “I love it, to listen to music.” Ich liebe es, ... zu ... is a common way to say you love doing something.)

Talking About What You Dislike (Was du nicht magst)

• I don’t like ... – Ich mag ... nicht

• I hate ... – Ich hasse ...

• I am not a fan of ... – Ich bin kein Fan von ...

• I find ... boring. – Ich finde ... langweilig.

To express a dislike, Ich mag ... nicht is the easiest structure: put nicht after the thing you don’t like. For example, Ich mag Schach nicht – “I don’t like chess.” Alternatively, you can use "gern" again to say, Ich spiele nicht gern Schach, if you want to suggest that you don't like to play it. Ich hasse is strong (literally “I hate...”); use it sparingly for things you really strongly dislike (e.g. Ich hasse Spinnen – I hate spiders). kein Fan von is a softer way to say you’re not keen on something: Ich bin kein Fan von Horrorfilmen – I’m not a fan of horror movies. And Ich finde ... langweilig (I find ... boring) is useful to give an opinion: Ich finde Golf langweilig – I find golf boring.

Examples (Dislikes):

• Ich mag Fußball nicht, weil ich nicht so sportlich bin.“I don’t like football because I’m not very athletic.” (Note the word order: Ich mag Fußball nicht – nicht comes at the end here, after the direct object.)

• Ich finde Schach langweilig.“I find chess boring.” (An honest opinion – sorry, chess fans! 😄)

• *Ich bin kein Fan von Tanzen.“I’m not a fan of dancing.” (Uses kein Fan von with the noun form Tanzen.)

• Sie hasst es, früh am Morgen joggen zu gehen.“She hates going jogging early in the morning.” (An example with hasst es, ... zu ... for an activity.)

Tips on Talking about Preferences in German

German has a couple of nuances when it comes to likes and dislikes, so keep these in mind:

1. “Mögen” vs “gern”: The verb mögen (mag, magst, mag, etc.) is used with nouns. If you say Ich mag Tennis, it means “I like tennis” (the sport itself). But if you want to say you enjoy doing something, Germans often prefer gern with a verb. So “I like to play tennis” is Ich spiele gern Tennis, not Ich mag Tennis spielen. Think of gern as meaning “gladly” or “with pleasure” – Ich spiele gern Tennis literally “I play tennis gladly.” It’s the most natural way to say you like doing an activity. Always place gern right after the verb (second position in the sentence).

2. Using “lieben” for activities: You can say Ich liebe Wandern (“I love hiking”), but a very idiomatic way to express love for an activity is Ich liebe es, zu wandern. By inserting es and using zu with the infinitive at the end, you form a noun-like clause “to hike” that works with lieben. For example: Wir lieben es, neue Orte zu erkunden – “We love exploring new places.” Don’t worry if this feels a bit advanced; you can stick to sehr gern (very much) as well: Ich wandere sehr gern can convey a similar idea (“I really love hiking”).

3. Lieber and am liebsten: As you progress, you’ll encounter lieber (prefer/rather) and am liebsten (most of all). These are comparative and superlative forms of gern. For example: Ich spiele lieber Fußball – “I prefer to play football (rather than something else).” Am liebsten spiele ich Volleyball – “Most of all I like playing volleyball.” If you’re A1-A2, you might not need these immediately, but they are good to recognise. They often come up in conversations about hobbies when someone asks you to choose favourites.

4. Lieblings- for favourites: As mentioned, Lieblings turns something into “favourite.” It’s very handy: Lieblingsbuch (favourite book), Lieblingsstadt (favourite city). To ask someone about their favourites, you can use this too: Was ist dein Lieblingsfilm? (What’s your favourite movie?). In the hobbies context: Mein Lieblingssport ist Basketball – My favourite sport is basketball. It’s an easy way to specify the one you like the most.

By mastering mögen/gern/lieben and the Lieblings- construction, you’ll be able to articulate your preferences clearly. Try making a few sentences about your own hobbies: one about something you like, one about something you dislike, and one about your absolute favorite pastime. This will prepare you for real conversations.

5. Using Frequency Words to Describe How Often You Do Something

Another important aspect of talking about hobbies is saying how often you do them. Do you play guitar every day or just occasionally? German has a set of common adverbs for frequencies, similar to English:

• immer – always

• oft – often

• manchmal – sometimes

• selten – rarely

• nie – never

You can insert these words into your hobby sentences to specify frequency. They usually come after the verb (and after the subject if the subject starts the sentence). For example: Ich oft spiele Tennis is not the correct word order – it should be Ich spiele oft Tennis. Let’s see them in action:

Examples (Frequency):

• Ich gehe jeden Tag joggen.“I go jogging every day.” (Here, jeden Tag means “each day/every day.” It’s another way to express immer in context.)

• Ich spiele manchmal Schach mit meinem Bruder.“I sometimes play chess with my brother.”

• Wir gehen oft am Wochenende wandern.“We often go hiking on weekends.”

• Ich gehe nie ins Fitnessstudio.“I never go to the gym.”

• Sie malt selten während der Woche.“She rarely paints during the week.”

Notice where the frequency word appears in each sentence. In Ich gehe nie ins Fitnessstudio, nie comes right before the place/object. In Wir gehen oft am Wochenende wandern, oft comes after the verb gehen but before the time phrase am Wochenende. A simple rule: put these adverbs right after the verb (and after the subject if the subject comes first). If there’s a specific time phrase like “on weekends” or “every Tuesday,” that often comes either at the beginning or end of the sentence.

Practice adding these words to your hobby sentences. If someone asks Wie oft...? (“How often...?”), you’ll be ready to answer: Ich schwimme dreimal pro Woche (I swim three times a week), Ich spiele selten Videospiele (I rarely play video games), etc. This makes your hobby descriptions much more informative.

6. Talking About Hobbies in Different Tenses

So far, we’ve focused on the present tense – which is most common for talking about what you “do” generally. But you might also want to mention past hobbies or experiences (“I played in a band when I was younger...”) or future plans related to hobbies (“I will start learning guitar next year.”). Here’s how to handle basic past and future references for A1-A2 learners:

Present Tense (Präsens) – What you do now

This is straightforward and what we’ve been practising. Use the present tense for habits and current hobbies. For example:

• Ich spiele Fußball. – “I play football.” (Could mean regularly as a hobby.)

• In meiner Freizeit lese ich gerne. – “In my free time, I like reading.”

(Many German learners are happy to know that the German present tense can also cover the English “I am doing” form. Ich spiele Fußball can mean “I play football (generally)” or “I am playing football (right now),” depending on context.)

Past Tense (Perfekt) – What you did (usually at a specific time)

At the A2 level, you learn the Perfekt tense (the conversational past) to talk about things that happened in the past. It’s formed with haben or sein plus the past participle of the verb. Use it to describe past experiences or completed actions:

• Letztes Wochenende habe ich einen neuen Film gesehen.“Last weekend, I watched a new film.” (literally “have I a new film seen”)

• Ich habe gestern drei Stunden Gitarre gespielt.“I played guitar for three hours yesterday.”

• Als Kind bin ich viel geschwommen.“As a child, I swam a lot.” (Note: sein is used as the helper for schwimmen since it’s a movement verb here.)

To talk about past hobbies, you might start with a time phrase like Letztes Jahr... (Last year) or Früher... (Earlier/Back then) and then use Perfekt. For example: Früher habe ich in einer Band gespielt – “I used to play in a band.” This adds depth to your conversations about hobbies by letting you tell stories or past experiences.

Future Tense (Futur I) – What you will do or plan to do

German often uses the present tense with a future time word to indicate the future (Morgen gehe ich schwimmen. – I’ll go swimming tomorrow). But you can also use the Futur I form with werden for clarity or formality. At A2, you might learn werden + infinitive:

• Nächste Woche werde ich mit Yoga anfangen.“Next week I will start yoga.”

• Ich werde in Zukunft mehr Zeit mit Malen verbringen.“I will spend more time painting in the future.”

• Wir werden morgen wandern gehen.“We will go hiking tomorrow.” (Another example mixing future with the gehen + infinitive structure.)

If werden feels too difficult, it’s absolutely fine at A1/A2 to use the present tense with a future time marker: Nächste Woche fange ich mit Yoga an. means the same as the first example above and is commonly used in speech. The important part is being able to talk about your plans: What hobby you want to start, what you plan to do more, etc. You can use phrases like Ich möchte (I want to) or Ich habe vor (I intend to) for that as well: Ich möchte irgendwann tauchen lernen – “I’d like to learn diving someday.”

Being comfortable with at least the present and past will help if someone asks, “What did you do on the weekend?” or “How did you get into that hobby?” You’ll be able to respond with a past tense sentence. And if talking about future plans, you can express your intentions. For A1-A2, keep it simple: one clause at a time. As you advance, you can connect sentences with words like weil (because) or aber (but) more freely – as we’ve shown in some examples.

7. Sample German Sentences & Paragraphs about Hobbies (By Level)

To bring it all together, here are some sample answers someone might give about their hobbies. These examples go from beginner level to more advanced, showing how you can expand the complexity of your descriptions as you learn more German. Try reading them out loud and see how much you understand:

Beginner Level (A1)

In meiner Freizeit spiele ich oft Klavier und lese gerne Bücher. Ich höre auch viel Musik, weil es mich entspannt. Am Wochenende gehe ich manchmal mit meinen Freunden ins Kino oder wir spielen Brettspiele zusammen.

Translation: “In my free time I often play piano and enjoy reading books. I also listen to a lot of music because it relaxes me. On the weekend I sometimes go to the cinema with my friends, or we play board games together.”

Why this works: It uses simple sentences linked with und (and) and oder (or). It includes gern to express liking (lese gerne Bücher), a weil clause for a reason (weil es mich entspannt – because it relaxes me), and a frequency word (oft, manchmal). This is a solid A1/A2 response about hobbies – just three sentences cover what, when, and why.

Intermediate Level (A2-B1)

Jeden Tag verbringe ich mindestens eine Stunde mit meinem Lieblingshobby, dem Schreiben. Ich liebe es, kreativ zu sein, und arbeite oft an Kurzgeschichten oder Gedichten. Am Wochenende gehe ich manchmal joggen, weil ich dabei gut entspannen kann.

Translation: “Every day I spend at least an hour on my favorite hobby, writing. I love being creative and often work on short stories or poems. On weekends I sometimes go jogging because I can relax well while doing it.”

Why this works: The first sentence uses a more complex structure (verbringe ... mit meinem Lieblingshobby, dem Schreiben) to introduce a hobby with a relative clause feeling. It also shows a high-frequency time phrase Jeden Tag (every day) at the start. The second sentence uses Ich liebe es, kreativ zu sein – a higher-level construction. The third sentence uses weil ich dabei gut entspannen kann, introducing dabei (while doing that) – a nice intermediate linking word. This level of answer would impress in a conversation or exam because it goes beyond the basics but still stays on topic.

Advanced Level (B2 and above)

Seit meiner Schulzeit treibe ich leidenschaftlich gern Sport. Ich verbringe fast jeden Tag im Fitnessstudio oder auf dem Sportplatz und habe sogar an einigen Wettkämpfen teilgenommen. Sport bedeutet für mich den perfekten Ausgleich zum Berufsalltag und hilft mir, Stress abzubauen. Neben dem Sport reise ich auch sehr gerne, da ich neue Kulturen und Orte entdecken kann.

Translation: “Since my school days I have been passionately into sports. I spend almost every day in the gym or on the sports field, and I’ve even taken part in some competitions. For me, sport means the perfect balance to the work day and helps me reduce stress. Besides sports, I also really enjoy traveling, as I can discover new cultures and places.”

Highlights: This example starts with Seit (since) to give a timeframe and uses treibe Sport (literally “drive sport”) which is an idiomatic way to say “do sports”. It includes a past participle (teilgenommen – taken part) for a life experience. It uses helfen... abzubauen (helps me reduce [stress]) – an advanced structure with a verb at the end. Words like leidenschaftlich gern (passionately/with great passion) and Ausgleich (balance) elevate the vocabulary. Finally, it adds a second hobby with Neben dem Sport... and a da clause (because/since) giving a reason. This level of detail is well beyond A1, but it’s good to see where you can go with your descriptions as your German improves!

What about you? Try writing a short paragraph at your level. If you’re A1, keep it simple like the beginner example – just string 2-3 sentences with und or aber. If you’re A2, see if you can use a weil clause or a Lieblings- word. If you’re B1 or higher, challenge yourself to incorporate a relative clause or a past participle. Practising writing out your hobby description will also prepare you for speaking about it. You can adapt these examples to fit your own hobbies (e.g., change sports to music or arts, etc.).

8. Practice Exercises to Boost Your Skills

Here are a few practice ideas to help solidify what you’ve learned. These will train both your writing and speaking about hobbies in German:

1. Write a short paragraph about your own hobbies. Try to include at least one sentence about what you like, maybe one about a hobby you dislike, and mention how often you do something. Use both gern and nicht gern in your sentences. If you can, write one sentence in the past tense (e.g. Letzte Woche habe ich…) and one in the future (Nächstes Jahr möchte ich…). This will give you a well-rounded practice of tenses and vocabulary.

2. Practice speaking: Record yourself speaking about your hobbies for about one minute. Imagine you’re answering the question “Was machst du gern in deiner Freizeit?” (“What do you like to do in your free time?”). Listen to the recording and check: Did you use ich spiele, ich gehe, ich mache correctly? Did you remember to put gern in the right place? Listening to yourself can highlight pronunciation issues or parts where you had to hesitate. Try it a few times and see your fluency improve!

3. Use frequency words in context: Make at least five different sentences using immer, oft, manchmal, selten, and nie with different hobbies. For example, Ich oft lese am Abend (which should be Ich lese oft am Abend), etc. Check that the word order is correct. This will help you remember these adverbs and where to place them when speaking.

4. Optional: If you have a study buddy or a German private tutor, practice this as a mock dialogue. One of you asks, “What do you do in your free time?” and the other responds, then vice versa. Getting feedback from a native speaker or tutor on this topic can be incredibly helpful – they might teach you an even more natural expression or correct a small mistake, which helps you sound more fluent.

By doing these exercises, you’ll gain confidence in talking about hobbies. The goal is to be able to respond in German without much pause when someone asks about your interests. Since hobbies are a friendly, common topic, having a few sentences ready to go will serve you well in conversations!

Conclusion

Talking about your hobbies in German is a fantastic way to practice everyday vocabulary and make conversations more personal and fun. For beginner German conversation practice, it’s hard to beat discussing hobbies – after all, everyone enjoys talking about the things they love! By learning the German hobbies vocabulary above and using the sentence structures and verbs we covered (spielen, machen, gehen, fahren, etc.), you can introduce your interests with ease. Remember to use gern to talk about what you enjoy doing, and don’t shy away from giving reasons using weil – it adds substance to your answers. Also, sprinkle in those frequency words (immer, oft, manchmal, …) to paint a clearer picture of your routine.

Keep practising these phrases, and soon it will feel natural to discuss your leisure activities in German. The more you practice speaking or writing about this topic, the more fluent and confident you will become. So next time you meet a German speaker or in your next German class, go ahead and share a bit about your hobbies – ask others about theirs too (“Was sind deine Hobbys?” – What are your hobbies?). It’s an excellent ice-breaker. Viel Erfolg beim Deutschlernen und viel Spaß mit deinen Hobbys! (Good luck learning German and have lots of fun with your hobbies!)

🚀 Next Steps: Practice with Olesen Tuition & Beyond

Learning to talk about hobbies is just the beginning. If you want to learn German A1-A2 (or beyond) in a structured and enjoyable way, or if you need extra grammar support as you progress, Olesen Tuition is here to help! We offer a range of services to boost your German skills:

• Private German Lessons: Work one-on-one with an experienced German private tutor to get personalised practice. You can focus on conversational skills like talking about hobbies, pronunciation, grammar clarifications, or any other topic you want. Our private lessons (available in London or online) are tailored to your needs and schedule. You get immediate feedback and can progress at your own pace. It’s an excellent option if you prefer individual attention or have specific goals.

• Online German Courses: Join our interactive online German classes for beginners (A1-A2) and beyond. Learn in a small group with live instruction, so you can practice dialogues about hobbies, free time, and much more in a friendly environment. Our courses include comprehensive grammar explanations (so you’ll master verbs like spielen and machen in context), speaking practice, and cultural tips. Whether you’re starting from scratch or brushing up, our online courses let you learn from anywhere with expert guidance.

• Grammar and Writing Support: Stuck on German grammar? Need help writing a paragraph about your hobbies for homework? Olesen Tuition also provides dedicated grammar support sessions and resources. We can help clarify those tricky concepts (like word order or Infinitiv mit zu structures) and give you exercises to practice. Our German language blog is also a free resource you can explore for grammar tips, vocabulary lists, and learning strategies – it’s packed with articles that answer common questions and help you avoid mistakes. Check out our blog “Auf Deutsch, bitte!” for more posts like this one and continue learning new expressions every week.

Ready to take your German to the next level? Explore our German blog for more useful guides and tips on topics from holidays to daily routines. And when you’re ready for professional guidance, book a tutoring session with Olesen Tuition – our team of native-speaking tutors will help you become confident in speaking German, step by step. Whether it’s practising conversations about your hobbies or preparing for a German exam, we’ve got you covered. Contact us today to find the perfect lesson or course for you, and let’s keep your German learning journey fun and effective. Viel Spaß beim Lernen und hoffentlich bis bald! (Have fun learning and hopefully see you soon!)

#hobbiesingerman

1. Essential Hobby Vocabulary in German

General Hobbies (Allgemeine Hobbys)

English	German
Hobby	das Hobby
Free time	die Freizeit
Leisure activity	die Freizeitaktivität
To enjoy	genießen
To relax	sich entspannen
To try something new	etwas Neues ausprobieren

Popular Hobbies (Beliebte Hobbys)

English	German
Reading	das Lesen
Writing	das Schreiben
Cooking	das Kochen
Photography	die Fotografie
Drawing	das Zeichnen
Painting	das Malen
Playing an instrument	ein Instrument spielen
Gardening	das Gärtnern
Traveling	das Reisen
Hiking	das Wandern

Sports and Outdoor Activities (Sport und Outdoor-Aktivitäten)

English	German
Playing football	Fußball spielen
Playing basketball	Basketball spielen
Jogging	joggen
Cycling	Rad fahren
Swimming	schwimmen
Climbing	klettern
Yoga	Yoga machen
Gymnastics	Turnen
Skiing	Ski fahren
Horse riding	reiten

Creative and Indoor Activities (Kreative und Indoor-Aktivitäten)

English	German
Playing video games	Videospiele spielen
Watching films	Filme schauen
Watching series	Serien anschauen
Listening to music	Musik hören
Dancing	tanzen
Playing board games	Brettspiele spielen
Knitting	stricken
Sewing	nähen
Baking	backen
Doing puzzles	puzzeln

2. Talking About Your Hobbies in German

When discussing hobbies, you need to be able to express what you like, dislike, and how often you do certain activities.

Basic Sentence Structures

• Mein Hobby ist... → My hobby is...

• Meine Hobbys sind... → My hobbies are...

• Ich interessiere mich für... → I am interested in...

• Ich verbringe meine Freizeit mit... → I spend my free time with...

• Ich habe Spaß daran, ... zu + infinitive. → I enjoy ...ing.

• In meiner Freizeit... → In my free time...

• Ich spiele gern... → I like playing...

Examples

• Mein Hobby ist Lesen, weil ich Bücher liebe. → My hobby is reading because I love books.

• Ich interessiere mich für Musik, deshalb spiele ich Klavier. → I am interested in music, so I play the piano.

• In meiner Freizeit male ich gern, weil es entspannend ist. → In my free time, I like painting because it's relaxing.

3. Expressing Likes and Dislikes

Talking About What You Like

English	German
I like...	Ich mag...
I love...	Ich liebe...
I really enjoy...	Ich genieße... sehr
I prefer...	Ich bevorzuge...
My favourite hobby is...	Mein Lieblingshobby ist...

Examples:

• Ich mag Schwimmen, weil es gesund ist. → I like swimming because it's healthy.

• Mein Lieblingshobby ist Kochen, weil ich neue Rezepte ausprobieren kann. → My favourite hobby is cooking because I can try new recipes.

Talking About What You Dislike

English	German
I don’t like...	Ich mag ... nicht
I hate...	Ich hasse...
I am not a fan of...	Ich bin kein Fan von...
I find ... boring	Ich finde ... langweilig

Examples:

• Ich mag Fußball nicht, weil ich nicht sportlich bin. → I don’t like football because I’m not athletic.

• Ich finde Schach langweilig. → I find chess boring.

How To Express Likes and Dislikes in German:

1. When discussing general preferences regarding nouns, use the verb mögen

2. When you love to do something, use the verb “lieben” with zu and the infinitive of the main verb at the end of your sentence because this verb triggers a so-called infinitive clause in German.

3. When you want to say that you like to do something, use the adverb gern.

4. When something is your favourite, use Lieblings- as a prefix and attach it to a noun.

Examples of Discussing Hobbies in German:

1. “Ich mag Tennis. Ich spiele es ziemlich oft.” (I like Tennis. I play it pretty often)

2. ”Mein Hobby ist Fotografie. Ich liebe es, Landschaften zu fotografieren.“ (My hobby is photography. I love to photograph landscapes.)

3. ”In meiner Freizeit spiele ich gerne Tennis mit meinen Freunden.“ (In my free time, I enjoy playing tennis with my friends.)

4. ”Ich stricke gerne in meiner Freizeit. Es entspannt mich und ich kann dabei kreativ sein.“ (I enjoy knitting in my free time. It relaxes me, and I can be creative.)

5. ”Zelten ist mein Lieblingshobby. Ich liebe es, in der Natur zu sein und am Lagerfeuer zu sitzen." (Camping is my favourite hobby. I love being in nature and sitting by the campfire.)

6. ”Ich habe vor kurzem angefangen, Klavier zu lernen. Es ist herausfordernd, aber auch sehr befriedigend.“ (I recently started learning to play the piano. It's challenging but also very rewarding.)

4. Using Frequency Words to Describe How Often You Do Something

English	German
Always	immer
Often	oft
Sometimes	manchmal
Rarely	selten
Never	nie

Examples:

• Ich gehe jeden Tag joggen. → I go jogging every day.

• Ich spiele manchmal Schach mit meinem Bruder. → I sometimes play chess with my brother.

• Ich gehe nie ins Fitnessstudio. → I never go to the gym.

5. Talking About Hobbies in Different Tenses

Present Tense (Präsens)

• Ich spiele Fußball. → I play football.

• In meiner Freizeit lese ich gerne. → In my free time, I like reading.

Past Tense (Perfekt)

• Letztes Wochenende habe ich einen neuen Film gesehen. → Last weekend, I watched a new film.

• Ich habe gestern drei Stunden Gitarre gespielt. → I played the guitar for three hours yesterday.

Future Tense (Futur I)

• Nächste Woche werde ich mit Yoga anfangen. → Next week, I will start yoga.

• Ich werde in Zukunft mehr Zeit mit Malen verbringen. → I will spend more time painting in the future.

6. Sample Paragraphs: Talking About Your Hobbies

Beginner Level

In meiner Freizeit spiele ich oft Klavier und lese gerne Bücher. Ich höre auch viel Musik, weil es mich entspannt. Am Wochenende gehe ich mit meinen Freunden ins Kino oder wir spielen Brettspiele zusammen.

Intermediate Level

Jeden Tag verbringe ich mindestens eine Stunde mit meinem Lieblingshobby, dem Malen. Ich liebe es, kreativ zu sein, und male oft Landschaften oder Tiere. Am Wochenende gehe ich manchmal wandern, weil ich die Natur genieße.

Advanced Level

Seit meiner Kindheit interessiere ich mich für Musik. Ich spiele mehrere Instrumente, darunter Klavier und Gitarre. Musik bedeutet für mich Freiheit und Kreativität. Außerdem koche ich leidenschaftlich gern, da ich neue Rezepte aus aller Welt ausprobieren kann.

7. Practice Exercises

1. Write a short paragraph about your hobbies using different tenses.

2. Record yourself speaking about your hobbies and listen back to check pronunciation.

3. Try to use at least five different frequency words in sentences about your hobbies.

Conclusion

Talking about hobbies in German is a great way to improve your fluency. By mastering key vocabulary, sentence structures, and grammar, you can confidently discuss your interests in conversations and writing tasks. Keep practising and incorporating new phrases into your daily speaking!

Viel Erfolg! 🎯🇩🇪

Learn how to ask and talk about holidays in German in another post. You might also be interested in my related posts on how to introduce yourself in German, how to discuss daily routines in German, etc.

#hobbiesingerman