French Sports Vocabulary
Here are French words for sports to start with: basket-ball (basketball), football (football), but (goal), jouer (play). Below are 64 words (A1–C1) with their English translations and part of speech, across 8 themed lists.
Here are French words for sports to start with: basket-ball (basketball), football (football), but (goal), jouer (play). Below are 64 words (A1–C1) with their English translations and part of speech, across 8 themed lists.
| English | French | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| basketball | basket-ball | noun | A1 |
| fan | supporter | noun | A1 |
| field | terrain | noun | A1 |
| football | football | noun | A1 |
| goal | but | noun | A1 |
| play | jouer | verb | A1 |
| run | courir | verb | A1 |
| tennis | tennis | noun | A1 |
| English | French | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| ball | ballon | noun | A1 |
| game | match | noun | A1 |
| player | joueur | noun | A1 |
| swimming | natation | noun | A1 |
| team | équipe | noun | A1 |
| running | course à pied | noun | A2 |
| training | entraînement | noun | A2 |
| agility | agilité | noun | B1 |
| English | French | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| exercise | exercice | noun | A2 |
| match | match | noun | B1 |
| formidable | redoutable | adj | B2 |
| perseverance | persévérance | noun | B2 |
| qualifier | match de qualification | noun | B2 |
| wildcard | wild card | noun | B2 |
| win | gagner | verb | B2 |
| athleticism | qualités athlétiques | noun | C1 |
| English | French | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| baseball | base-ball | noun | A1 |
| volleyball | volley-ball | noun | A1 |
| hockey | hockey | noun | A2 |
| shoot | tirer | verb | A2 |
| assist | passe décisive | noun | B1 |
| defender | défenseur | noun | B1 |
| goalkeeper | gardien de but | noun | B1 |
| handball | handball | noun | B1 |
| English | French | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| skiing | ski | noun | A2 |
| surfing | surf | noun | A2 |
| table tennis | tennis de table | noun | A2 |
| diving | plongeon | noun | B1 |
| martial arts | arts martiaux | noun | B1 |
| biathlon | biathlon | noun | B2 |
| fencing | escrime | noun | B2 |
| triathlon | triathlon | noun | B2 |
| English | French | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| serve | servir | verb | A2 |
| knockout | knock-out | noun | B1 |
| umpire | arbitre | noun | B1 |
| birdie | birdie | noun | B2 |
| bogey | bogey | noun | B2 |
| handicap | handicap | noun | B2 |
| standings | classement | noun | B2 |
| sudden death | mort subite | noun | B2 |
| English | French | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| snowboarding | snowboard | noun | A2 |
| bungee jumping | saut à l'élastique | noun | B1 |
| kayaking | kayak | noun | B1 |
| paragliding | parapente | noun | B1 |
| rock climbing | escalade | noun | B1 |
| skydiving | parachutisme | noun | B1 |
| windsurfing | planche à voile | noun | B1 |
| base jumping | base jump | noun | B2 |
| English | French | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| club | club | noun | A1 |
| basket | panier | noun | A2 |
| bat | batte | noun | A2 |
| jersey | maillot | noun | A2 |
| mat | tapis | noun | A2 |
| net | filet | noun | A2 |
| racket | raquette | noun | A2 |
| ring | ring | noun | A2 |
Emoji: Twemoji, CC-BY 4.0
Watch Your LanguageVocabulary widgets for iPhone & Apple Watch
These lists show a sample of the A1–C1 words for sports. The packs in Watch Your Language hold more and reach the advanced levels, along with every other topic.
The app shows them to you a few at a time, in a widget on your iPhone Lock Screen and on your Apple Watch face, and brings back the ones you keep forgetting.
You could start with words like basket-ball (basketball), football (football), but (goal), jouer (play). This page lists 64 French words for sports (A1–C1), each with its English translation and part of speech.
Reading a list once is rarely enough. Watch Your Language shows French words like these in a widget on your iPhone Lock Screen and on your Apple Watch face, and schedules repeats so the words you keep forgetting come back more often.
Yes. The lists on this page are free to read, with no sign-up. The app holds more words for each topic.