So, how can you talk about what you do in your free time?
Well here are some common and also more advanced phrases to help you talk about your hobbies.
I get up to a lot of things
I don’t get up to much
- To get up to = to do an activity
Of course, it is always better to say something and describe an activity you do, rather than say, ‘I don’t have any hobbies’.
The most common way to talk about a hobby is
I like to do yoga
I like doing yoga
What’s the difference between ‘like doing‘ and ‘like to do’?
- We can use both to express enjoyment.
- When I say, ‘I like doing yoga’ the focus is always on my enjoyment of the activity.
- However, if I say, ‘I like to do yoga’ this can also mean that I am describing either a choice or a habit
For example,
I like to do yoga on Thursdays
This focuses on the fact that I choose to do it on Thursdays, not any other day, or that I have the habit of practicing on Thursdays.
Here are some more useful expressions to describe hobbies you love.
- I’m fond of playing video games
- I’m into playing video games
- I’m passionate about playing video games
Learning tip: When a verb follows a preposition it must be a gerund (verb+ing)!
If you are less serious about doing a hobby and it is something you do casually, not seriously, you can say…
I like to dabble in cooking
I like to dabble in painting
Sometimes, I dabble in investing
I play the guitar, but I am just an aficionado
I play the guitar, but I am just an amateur
Adverbs to Talk About Your Free Time Activities
When talking about your hobbies, you can also go into more detail and say how often you do it, using different frequency adverbs.
Here are some simple ones
I regularly paint
I often paint
I frequently paint
Here are some more advanced ones
I paint whenever I can
I paint as often as I can
I paint whenever I get a chance
I don’t paint as much as I would like
I don’t get round to painting as much as I would like
