This page was updated in September 2022.
Using the Right Verbs to Talk About Hobbies
Bildlexikon | Picture Dictionary 
- Nouns:
- das Buch (-¨er)– book
- der Roman (e) – novel
- der Krimi (s) – crime novel
- das Fantasiebuch (-¨er) – fantasy book
- der Comic (s)
- Verbs:
- ein Buch / einen Roman lesen – to read a book / a novel
- Das Mädchen liest ein Fantasiebuch. → The girl is reading a fantasy novel.
- Note: The verb lesen is a vowel-changing verb: du liest, er/sie liest.
- Nouns:
- das Kino (s)– cinema
- der Film (e) – film
- Verbs:
- einen Film sehen → to see a film
- ins Kino gehen → to go to the movies
- Er sieht oft Filme. → He often sees / watches films.
- Sie geht gern ins Kino. → She likes going to the movies.
- Note: The verb sehen is a vowel-changing verb: du siehst, er/sie sieht.
- Nouns:
- das Fahrrad (¨er)– bike
- das Elektrofahrrad – electric bike
- das E-Bike (s) – electric bike
- Verbs:
- (mit dem) Fahrrad fahren → to cycle, ride a bike
- Rad fahren → to cycle, ride a bike
- Das Mädchen fährt gern Rad. → The girl likes cycling.
- Note: The verb fahren is a vowel-changing verb: du fährst, er/sie fährt.
- More Expressions for Hobbies:
- Fußball spielen → to play football
- ein Ballett tanzen → to dance a ballet
- Klavier / Geige spielen → to play the piano / violin
- ein Bild zeichnen → to draw a picture
- Sport machen → to play sport
- Musik hören → to listen to music
The Vowel-Changing Verbs 
The examples above illustrate a group of common and important verbs called the vowel-changing verbs. In the second and third person singular, their vowel sound changes. Once you know that a verb belongs to this group of friendly mutants, it is surprisingly easy to remember this little quirk and to apply it consistently.
Here are some of the stem-changers, listed according to the kind of vowel change:
a becomes ä in…
- fahren – to drive, to ride on a wheeled vehicle → du fährst, er/sie fährt
- tragen – to wear, to carry → du trägst, er/sie trägt
- schlafen – to sleep → du schläfst, er/sie schläft
e becomes ie in…
- sehen – to see → du siehst, er/sie sieht
- lesen – to read → du liest, er/sie liest
e becomes i in…
- essen – to eat → du isst, er/sie isst)
- sprechen – to speak → du sprichst, er/sie spricht)
- nehmen – to take → du nimmst, er/sie nimmt)
- helfen – to help → du hilfst, er/sie hilft)
Online Activities 
Quiz: Hobbys und Freizeit | Hobbies and Leisure 
In this quiz you can revise all the nouns and verbs listed above.
There is also a question in which you can practise the conjugation of können (can, to be able to).
Crossword: Hobbys und Freizeit | Hobbies and Leisure
By completing this crossword you can revise many of the nouns and verbs referred to above.
Written by Alice, Rachel and Seungho; recorded by Carolina Seez
Three Students and Their Hobbies 2
Alice, Rachel and Seungho describe their interests and pastimes in these short texts. Carolina Seez, our young German assistant teacher in 2014, checked their texts and recorded them with their permission for others to hear. Thank you, Alice, Rachel and Seungho.
Quiz: gern, lieber, am liebsten
Complete sentences that describe people’s hobbies and preferences by adding gern, lieber, lieber als or am liebsten.
Kahoot: Hobbys und Freizeit | Hobbies and Leisure
In this Kahoot you can practise choosing the correct word to complete sentences about hobbies.
