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Sports in French: 250 Words and Phrases
France is no stranger to sports fanatics and great athletic teams, boasting the ever-famous Paris Saint-Germain soccer team among others for its soccer-crazed citizens and also home to the renowned Tour de France.
But let’s face it: people talk about sports more than they play them, just like in this clip below of Paul Mirabel from our YouTube channel.
If you’re into sports, the following French sports vocabulary will be an ace/home run/goal for you.
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Types of Sports
Luckily for you, most French words for sports are extremely similar to their English counterparts, so you should be able to memorize this first list pretty quickly!
| French noun | English translation |
|---|---|
| Le baseball | Baseball |
| Le basket-ball | Basketball |
| Le football / le foot | Football/soccer |
| La danse | Dance |
| La gymnastique | Gymnastics |
| Le tennis | Tennis |
| La natation | Swimming |
| La plongée | Diving |
| Le golf | Golf |
| Le rugby | Rugby |
| Le football américain | American football |
| Le hockey | Hockey |
| Le patinage artistique | Figure skating |
| Le volley-ball | Volleyball |
| La boxe | Boxing |
| La lutte | Wrestling |
| Le cyclisme | Cycling |
| La course | Track |
| La voile | Sailing |
| Le surf | Surfing |
| Le handball | Handball |
| L'escrime | Fencing |
| Le judo | Judo |
| Le karaté | Karate |
| Le haltérophilie | Weightlifting |
| Le tennis de table | Table tennis |
| Le hockey sur gazon | Field hockey |
| L'athlétisme | Athletics |
| Le canoë | Canoeing |
| Le tir à l'arc | Archery |
| Le badminton | Badminton |
| Le squash | Squash |
| Le hockey sur glace | Ice hockey |
| Le triathlon | Triathlon |
| La planche à voile | Windsurfing |
| La plongée sous-marine | Scuba diving |
| L'aviron | Rowing |
| Le ski acrobatique | Freestyle skiing |
| Le skateboard | Skateboarding |
| Le roller | Rollerblading |
| Le softball | Softball |
| La course automobile | Car racing |
| Le moto-cross | Motocross |
| Le fitness | Fitness |
| La randonnée | Hiking |
| Le camping | Camping |
| La pétanque | Boules |
| Le billard | Billiards |
| Le golf miniature | Miniature golf |
| Le saut à la perche | Pole vault |
| La voltige | Aerobatics |
| Le wing-suit | Wing-suit |
| La natation synchronisée | Synchronized swimming |
| Le tir sportif | Shooting sport |
| Le stand-up paddle | Stand-up paddleboarding |
| Le taekwondo | Taekwondo |
| Le kickbox | Kickboxing |
| L'autodéfense | Self-defense |
| La nage en eau libre | Open water swimming |
| Le vélo tout terrain | Mountain biking |
| Le karting | Go-karting |
| Le frisbee | Frisbee |
| Le saut en hauteur | High jump |
| Le saut en longueur | Long jump |
| La course de relais | Relay race |
The People in Sports
Without these people, sports would cease to exist, so learning the following vocabulary is a must. Pay special attention to the words that change their spelling depending on gender.
| French noun | English translation |
|---|---|
| Les spectateurs | The spectators |
| Le public | The crowd |
| Le supporteur/La supportrice | Fan |
| Le joueur/La joueuse | Player |
| Le coach | The coach |
| L'équipe | The team |
| Le coéquipier/La coéquipière | Teammate |
| Le danseur/La danseuse | Dancer |
| Les adversaires | Opponents |
| Le rival/La rivale | Rival |
| Les athlètes | Athletes |
| Le cycliste | Cyclist |
| Le nageur/La nageuse | Swimmer |
| Un champion/Une championne | A champion |
| Un annonceur sportif | A sports announcer |
| La défense | The defense |
| L'attaque | The offense |
| Le gardien/La gardienne | The goalie |
| Le capitaine de l'équipe | The team captain |
| Le lanceur/La lanceuse | The pitcher |
| L'arbitre | The referee |
| Le vainqueur | The winner |
| Le basketteur/La basketteuse | Basketball player |
People in American Football
| French noun | English translation |
|---|---|
| Le quarterback | The quarterback |
| La ligne offensive | Offensive line |
| La ligne défensive | Defensive line |
| Le receveur | Wide receiver |
| Le running back | Running back |
| Le receveur rapproché | Tight end |
| Le secondeur | Linebacker |
| Le cornerback | Cornerback |
| Le safety | Safety |
People in Soccer
| French noun | English translation |
|---|---|
| Le footballeur | Football player/footballer |
| Le gardien de but | Goalkeeper |
| Le défenseur | Defender |
| Le latéral | Full-back |
| Le libéro | Sweeper |
| Le défenseur central | Center-back |
| Le milieu de terrain | Midfielder |
| Le milieu défensif | Defensive midfielder |
| Le milieu offensif | Attacking midfielder |
| L'ailier | Winger |
| L'attaquant | Forward |
| L'avant-centre | Center forward |
| Le buteur | Striker |
Athletic Actions
Verbs are very important not only for sports but also for everyday life. The following list is made up of the essential and most commonly used French action words in sports.
| French verb | English translation |
|---|---|
| Courir | To run |
| Faire | To do |
| Jouer | To play |
| Marcher | To walk |
| Bondir | To leap |
| Sauter | To jump |
| Nager | To swim |
| Plonger | To dive |
| Donner un coup de pied | To kick |
| Lancer / Jeter | To throw |
| Attraper | To catch |
| Pousser | To push |
| Tirer | To pull |
| Frapper | To hit |
| Marquer | To score |
| Donner un coup de poing | To punch |
| Gagner | To win |
| Perdre | To lose |
| Faire du patin à glace/du patinage | To ice skate |
| Acclamer | To cheer |
| Applaudir | To applaud |
| Faire un flip | To flip |
| S'étirer | To stretch |
| Danser | To dance |
| Bouger | To move |
| Se battre | To compete |
| Pousser | To push |
| Plaquer | To tackle |
| Passer | To pass |
| S'affronter | To fight |
| Compter les points | To keep score |
| Chronométrer | To time |
| Faire de l'exercice | To exercise |
| Nager le crawl | To swim freestyle |
| Nager la brasse | To swim breaststroke |
| Nager le dos | To swim backstroke |
| Nager le papillon | To swim butterfly stroke |
Equipment, Locations and Things
Certain equipment and places are necessary for each sport. Here are some items and locations needed for the most popular sports.
| French term | English translation |
|---|---|
| Le vélo | Bicycle |
| La raquette | Racket |
| La batte de baseball | Baseball bat |
| Le filet | Net |
| Le palet | Puck |
| L'uniforme | Uniform |
| Les patins à glace | Ice skates |
| La balle | Ball |
| Le tableau d'affichage | The scoreboard |
| La piscine | The pool |
| Le terrain | The field |
| Le gymnase | The gym |
| Le stade | The stadium |
| La patinoire | The ice rink |
| L'étape | The stage |
| La piste | The trail |
| Le sac à dos | Backpack |
| Les chaussures de randonnée | Hiking shoes/boots |
| La carte topographique | Topographic map |
| La boussole | Compass |
| Les jumelles | Binoculars |
| Le pique-nique | Picnic |
| Le refuge | Shelter |
| Le balisage | Trail marking |
| Le dénivelé | Elevation gain |
| Le sommet | Summit |
| Le col | Mountain pass |
| La cascade | Waterfall |
| La vue panoramique | Panoramic view |
| La faune | Wildlife |
| La flore | Flora |
| La rivière | River |
Ski Equipment and Locations
| French term | English translation |
|---|---|
| Les skis | Skis |
| Les bâtons | Ski poles |
| Les chaussures de ski | Ski boots |
| Le casque | Helmet |
| Les lunettes de ski | Ski goggles |
| La veste de ski | Ski jacket |
| Le pantalon de ski | Ski pants |
| La station de ski | Ski resort |
| La remontée mécanique | Ski lift |
| La piste | Slope |
| La neige | Snow |
| La neige fraîche | Fresh snow |
| La poudreuse | Powder snow |
| La descente | Descent |
| Le virage | Turn |
| Le parc à neige | Snowpark |
Swim Equipment and Locations
| French noun | English translation |
|---|---|
| Les palmes | Fins |
| Les lunettes de natation | Goggles |
| Le bonnet de bain | Swim cap |
| Le maillot de bain | Swimsuit |
| La ligne d'eau | Lane |
| Le départ | Start |
| La planche | Kickboard |
| Le chronomètre | Stopwatch |
Cycling Equipment and Locations
| Le vélo de route | Road bike |
|---|---|
| Le VTT (vélo tout-terrain) | Mountain bike |
| Le maillot de cyclisme | Cycling jersey |
| Le cuissard | Cycling shorts |
| Les gants de cyclisme | Cycling gloves |
| Les lunettes de cyclisme | Cycling glasses |
| Le bidon d'eau/La gourde | Water bottle |
| La roue | Wheel |
| Les freins | Brakes |
| Le peloton | Group of cyclists |
| La course cycliste | Cycling race |
Talking About Matches
How’s the game going? Where are we? Who’s winning? This vocabulary will help you keep up.
| French term | English translation |
|---|---|
| Le score | The score |
| La mi-temps | Halftime |
| Les prolongations | Overtime |
| Le quart temps | The quarter |
| La manche | An inning |
| Un match nul | A tie |
| Le jeu | The game |
| La compétition | The competition |
| La course | The race |
| Le match | The match |
Trophies and Tournaments
Even if you’re not a huge sports fan, you’ve probably watched some of the big games below.
| French term | English translation |
|---|---|
| Un trophée | A trophy |
| Le prix | The prize or award |
| La médaille | The medal |
| Le championnat | The championship |
| Coupe du monde | World Cup |
| Série mondiale | World Series |
| Les Jeux Olympiques | The Olympics |
| Le fair-play | Sportsmanship |
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Common Sports Sayings
| French sentence | English translation |
|---|---|
| Allez, on se donne à fond ! | Let's give it our all! |
| C'est un match serré. | It's a close game. |
| On est les champions ! | We are the champions! |
| Il a marqué un but incroyable ! | He scored an incredible goal! |
| Elle a réalisé un record personnel. | She achieved a personal record. |
| Nous avons remporté la victoire ! | We achieved victory! |
| Il a effectué une superbe passe décisive. | He made a superb decisive pass. |
| C'est un match nul. | It's a tie. |
| Elle a été disqualifiée pour faute. | She was disqualified for a fault. |
| L'équipe a fait preuve d'une grande cohésion. | The team demonstrated great cohesion. |
| On y croit jusqu'au bout ! | We believe until the end! |
| Il a réalisé une performance exceptionnelle. | He achieved an exceptional performance. |
| Il a remporté la médaille d'or. | He won the gold medal. |
| Elle a réussi un tir parfait. | She made a perfect shot. |
| On a besoin d'un coup de pouce. | We need a boost/help. |
| C'est un moment historique dans le sport. | It's a historic moment in sports. |
| Il a été nommé le meilleur joueur du tournoi. | He was named the tournament's best player. |
| Le public est en délire ! | The crowd is going wild! |
Keep practicing your vocabulary and who knows, you may just find yourself seated at the 2024 Olympics in Paris!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
And One More Thing...
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One of the features I find most helpful is the interactive captions—you can tap on any word to see its meaning, an image, pronunciation, and other examples from different contexts. It’s a great way to pick up French vocab without having to pause and look things up separately.
FluentU also helps reinforce what you’ve learned with personalized quizzes. You can swipe through extra examples and complete engaging exercises that adapt to your progress. You'll get extra practice with the words you find more challenging and even be reminded you when it’s time to review!
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