Lesson 10: Hobbies and Free Time

Learn to talk about what you like doing and what skills you have using 喜欢 and 会.

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Overview

Talking about hobbies and interests is one of the most natural ways to connect with people. This lesson covers how to say what you enjoy with 喜欢, and how to say you know how to do something using 会. These two patterns together let you have a real conversation about your personality and free time. You will be surprised how far a few hobby sentences can take you in making Chinese friends.

The distinction between 喜欢 (like/enjoy) and 会 (can/know how to) is worth internalising carefully. They answer different questions: 喜欢 answers "do you enjoy it?" while 会 answers "are you able to do it?"

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson you can:

  • Talk about your hobbies using 喜欢 + verb or noun
  • Say what skills you have using 会 + verb
  • Ask someone about their free-time activities
  • Express degrees of liking something

Vocabulary

Character Pinyin Type Meaning Example
喜欢 xǐhuan verb to like, to enjoy 我喜欢看书。
会 huì modal can, know how to 我会游泳。
看书 kàn shū verb phrase to read books 我喜欢看书。
运动 yùndòng noun/verb sport, to exercise 你喜欢运动吗？
音乐 yīnyuè noun music 我喜欢听音乐。
电影 diànyǐng noun movie, film 我们去看电影吧。
游泳 yóuyǒng verb to swim 我会游泳。
跑步 pǎobù verb to run, jogging 我每天跑步。
唱歌 chànggē verb to sing 她喜欢唱歌。
跳舞 tiàowǔ verb to dance 你会跳舞吗？
打球 dǎ qiú verb phrase to play ball sports 我喜欢打篮球。
画画 huà huà verb to draw, to paint 他会画画。
玩 wán verb to play, to have fun 周末我喜欢玩。
最 zuì adverb the most 我最喜欢音乐。

Grammar Focus

Pattern 1: 喜欢 + verb or noun

Structure: Subject + 喜欢 + Verb/Noun

喜欢 works directly before either a verb or a noun. When followed by a verb, it means "to enjoy doing something." When followed by a noun, it means "to like something." Both patterns are straightforward. To express "like... the most," add 最 before 喜欢.

Example Pinyin English
我喜欢看电影。 Wǒ xǐhuan kàn diànyǐng. I enjoy watching movies.
她最喜欢音乐。 Tā zuì xǐhuan yīnyuè. She likes music the most.
你喜欢什么运动？ Nǐ xǐhuan shénme yùndòng? What sport do you like?

Common mistake: adding 的 after 喜欢 at HSK 1 level. 我喜欢的看书 is incorrect. Keep it clean: 我喜欢看书.

Pattern 2: 会 + verb for ability

Structure: Subject + 会 + Verb

会 expresses a learned skill or ability. It answers "can you do this?" from the perspective of knowing how, not from the perspective of having permission or physical capacity. If someone asks 你会游泳吗, they are asking whether you know how to swim, not whether you are physically able to or allowed to at this moment.

Example Pinyin English
我会说中文。 Wǒ huì shuō Zhōngwén. I can speak Chinese.
你会开车吗？ Nǐ huì kāi chē ma? Can you drive? (do you know how)
他不会唱歌。 Tā bú huì chànggē. He cannot sing. (does not know how)

Common mistake: confusing 会 (learned ability) with 能 (situational ability) or 可以 (permission/possibility). At HSK 1 level, just focus on 会 for skills and hobbies.

Pattern 3: Frequency expressions with hobbies

Structure: Time word + Subject + Verb

To say how often you do something, place the time word or frequency word before the verb. Common frequency words at this level: 每天 (every day), 经常 (often), 有时候 (sometimes), 很少 (rarely). These all follow the time-before-verb rule from Lesson 4.

Example Pinyin English
我每天跑步。 Wǒ měitiān pǎobù. I run every day.
她经常听音乐。 Tā jīngcháng tīng yīnyuè. She often listens to music.
我有时候画画。 Wǒ yǒushíhou huà huà. I paint sometimes.

Common mistake: placing frequency words after the verb. 我跑步每天 is wrong. The time or frequency expression must come before the verb.

Dialogue

Two classmates chatting during a break.

马克: 你周末一般做什么？ Nǐ zhōumò yībān zuò shénme? What do you usually do on weekends?

晓云: 我喜欢看电影和听音乐。你呢？ Wǒ xǐhuan kàn diànyǐng hé tīng yīnyuè. Nǐ ne? I like watching movies and listening to music. What about you?

马克: 我喜欢运动，特别是游泳。你会游泳吗？ Wǒ xǐhuan yùndòng, tèbié shì yóuyǒng. Nǐ huì yóuyǒng ma? I like sports, especially swimming. Can you swim?

晓云: 我不太会，但是我想学。你会跳舞吗？ Wǒ bú tài huì, dànshì wǒ xiǎng xué. Nǐ huì tiàowǔ ma? Not very well, but I want to learn. Can you dance?

马克: 哈哈，我不会跳舞！我最不喜欢跳舞。 Hāhā, wǒ bú huì tiàowǔ! Wǒ zuì bù xǐhuan tiàowǔ. Haha, I cannot dance! I dislike dancing the most.

晓云: 那你喜欢唱歌吗？ Nà nǐ xǐhuan chànggē ma? Do you like singing then?

Practice

Exercise 1: Fill in the blank

  1. 我 __ 看书，每天都看。(like)
  2. 她 __ 弹钢琴，弹得很好。(can)
  3. 你 __ 什么运动？(like)
  4. 我 __ 游泳。(cannot)
  5. 他 __ 喜欢跑步。(every day)

Exercise 2: Translate to Chinese

  1. I like watching movies very much.
  2. Can you play the guitar?
  3. She enjoys dancing and singing.
  4. I do not know how to draw.
  5. What do you like to do on weekends?

Exercise 3: Answer these questions

  1. 你最喜欢什么运动？
  2. 你会什么乐器？
  3. 你的朋友喜欢什么爱好？

Cultural Note

Karaoke (卡拉OK, kǎlā OK) occupies a special place in Chinese social life. It is not the same as the Western bar experience: in China, groups rent private rooms with their own sound system, microphones, and song catalogue, usually for two to four hours. Going to KTV (as it is commonly called) is a bonding activity for friends, coworkers, and family alike, and the standard expectation is that everyone participates regardless of their singing ability. Refusing to sing is considered antisocial. If you are learning Chinese, knowing a few Chinese songs will earn you enormous credit at a KTV night, and it is also one of the most enjoyable ways to practice tones. A firm favourite for beginners is 朋友 (Péngyou) by Beyond or any song by popular Mandopop artists.