How do you say "play" in French?

jouer

Verb Noun

In French, "play" is jouer.

Listen to the pronunciation:

Free French learning game. No sign-up, play in browser. See all games

Pronunciation

Pronounce it zhoo-AY, with a soft French j like the s in measure, and stress the final vowel instead of the first.

Grammar notes

jouer is a verb used the same way as its English equivalent.

Example sentence

Les enfants jouent dans le jardin.

The children play in the garden.

Test your French knowledge in our free browser games.

How to remember jouer

Think of a French DJ who loves to jouer with the crowd, spinning tunes all night.

Related words

Browse all French words in the glossary.

Questions about jouer

How do you pronounce jouer?

Pronounce it zhoo-AY, with a soft French j like the s in measure, and stress the final vowel instead of the first.

Is jouer formal or casual?

jouer is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.

How is jouer used in French?

jouer is used the same way as the equivalent English verb. For example: Les enfants jouent dans le jardin. (The children play in the garden.).

Where can I practice French words for free?

You can play free French minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the French glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Play" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the French language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

Noun Town language-learning game on PC, Mac and VR

The full experience

Noun Town on PC, Mac & VR

These browser games are just a taste. The full Noun Town is a bigger, deeper 3D world: explore a living town, talk to its characters and learn thousands of words in immersive VR, Mixed Reality, or on your computer. It's an award-winning game with 590+ reviews on Steam and 12 languages to learn.

See the full game ▶

Spot an error? Email us at contact@noun.town