German Hobbies Vocabulary: Hobbies Words in German

German Hobbies Vocabulary

Start with the most common words, then expand your knowledge with intermediate and advanced vocabulary.

Beginner (A1)

play baseball Baseball spielen
play basketball Basketball spielen
to chat sich unterhalten
to cook kochen
to dance tanzen
to draw zeichnen
to fish angeln
to garden gärtnern
go for a walk spazieren gehen
go to the movies ins Kino gehen
go to the theater ins Theater gehen
listen to music Musik hören
to paint malen
play cards Karten spielen
play guitar Gitarre spielen
play video games Videospiele spielen
to read lesen
dance salsa Salsa tanzen
to sing singen
play soccer Fußball spielen
to swim schwimmen
take pictures fotografieren
take care of pets sich um Haustiere kümmern
dance tango Tango tanzen
play tennis Tennis spielen
go camping zelten gehen
go shopping einkaufen gehen
practice yoga Yoga machen
go to the beach an den Strand gehen
go to the disco in den Club gehen
work out Sport machen
travel reisen
visit museums Museen besuchen
play volleyball Volleyball spielen
watch films Filme schauen
do arts and crafts basteln
bake backen
cycle Rad fahren
play piano Klavier spielen
ski Ski fahren

Elementary (A2)

play badminton Badminton spielen
play beach volleyball Beachvolleyball spielen
play board games Brettspiele spielen
box boxen
play chess Schach spielen
go climbing klettern gehen
play darts Dart spielen
fly kites Drachen steigen lassen
play American football American Football spielen
play golf Golf spielen
do gymnastics turnen
play hockey Hockey spielen
listen to jazz Jazz hören
go jogging joggen gehen
knit stricken
play bass Bass spielen
play drums Schlagzeug spielen
play violin Geige spielen
play pool/billiards Billard spielen
do puzzles puzzeln
ride horses reiten
go sailing segeln gehen
go scuba diving tauchen gehen
skateboard Skateboard fahren
skate Inlineskaten
surf surfen
go out for a drink etwas trinken gehen
meditate meditieren
practice karate Karate machen
do track and field Leichtathletik machen

Intermediate & Advanced (B1-C1)

do carpentry mit Holz arbeiten
crochet häkeln
sew nähen
study astronomy Astronomie studieren
go bungee jumping Bungee-Jumping machen
create jewelry Schmuck herstellen
fix cars Autos reparieren
fly drones Drohnen fliegen lassen
hunt jagen
climb mountains Berge besteigen
write music Musik komponieren
write poetry Gedichte schreiben
watch birds Vögel beobachten
build models Modelle bauen
write songs Lieder schreiben

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Example Sentences

In proper context. With highlighted verbs and adjectives.

Beginner & Elementary (A1-A2)

Basic sentences describing common everyday hobbies, actions, and simple characteristics.

Ich backe am Wochenende einen Kuchen. I bake a cake on the weekend.
Wir tanzen jeden Freitagabend Salsa. We dance salsa every Friday evening.
Mein Bruder kocht sehr gern für Freunde. My brother likes cooking for friends very much.
Die Kinder malen schöne Bilder. The children paint beautiful pictures.
Im Sommer schwimme ich oft im See. In summer I often swim in the lake.
Das Kartenspiel ist wirklich lustig. The card game is really fun.
Das Training war heute sehr anstrengend. The training was very exhausting today.
Fußball ist in Deutschland sehr beliebt. Soccer is very popular in Germany.
Beim Lesen ist es im Zimmer ganz leise. While reading, it is very quiet in the room.
Dieser Film ist unglaublich spannend. This movie is incredibly exciting.

Intermediate & Advanced (B1-C1)

More complex constructions featuring specialized leisure activities and descriptive terms.

Sie näht ihre Kleidung oft selbst. She often sews her clothes herself.
Im Herbst jagt der Förster im Wald. In autumn, the forester hunts in the forest.
Meine Großmutter häkelt eine warme Decke. My grandmother crochets a warm blanket.
Er komponiert moderne Musik am Klavier. He composes modern music on the piano.
Wir beobachten seltene Vögel im Naturschutzgebiet. We observe rare birds in the nature reserve.
Handarbeit ist eine sehr kreative Beschäftigung. Crafting is a very creative activity.
Sie ist beim Tanzen sehr leidenschaftlich. She is very passionate when dancing.
Das Bauen von Modellen ist ziemlich zeitaufwendig. Building models is quite time-consuming.
Mein neues Hobby ist extrem abwechslungsreich. My new hobby is extremely varied.
Das Tauchen kann ein recht kostspieliges Hobby sein. Diving can be quite an expensive hobby.

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about talking about leisure activities and hobbies in German.

There are a few standard ways to ask what someone likes to do in their free time depending on formality:

Informal: Was machst du in deiner Freizeit? (What do you do in your free time?)
Informal: Was sind deine Hobbys? (What are your hobbies?)
Formal: Was machen Sie in Ihrer Freizeit? (What do you do in your free time?)
Asking preference: Was machst du am liebsten? (What do you like doing most?)

German uses three primary verbs to talk about pursuing hobbies:

spielen (to play): Used for games, sports with balls, and instruments (e.g., Fußball spielen, Gitarre spielen, Schach spielen).
machen (to do/make): Used for general sports, fitness, and activities (e.g., Sport machen, Yoga machen, Fotos machen).
gehen (to go): Used with infinitives for outings or outdoor movement (e.g., spazieren gehen, zelten gehen, schwimmen gehen).

Unlike English, standard German does not require prepositions like 'on' or 'the' when stating that you play a sport or instrument:

Say Ich spiele Klavier. (NOT Ich spiele auf dem Klavier).
Say Er spielt Tennis. (NOT Er spielt das Tennis).
For listening, however, use hören direct or with zu: Ich höre Musik or Ich höre der Musik zu.

To share your opinions on activities, these common descriptive adjectives are very useful:

entspannend (relaxing) — Gärtnern ist sehr entspannend.
anstrengend (exhausting/demanding) — Boxen ist ziemlich anstrengend.
kreativ (creative) — Malen ist ein kreatives Hobby.
zeitaufwendig (time-consuming) — Modellbau ist zeitaufwendig.

Yes, German-speaking regions often use distinct vocabulary for common recreational activities:

In Switzerland, 'cycling' is Velo fahren, whereas in Germany and Austria it is Rad fahren or Fahrrad fahren.
In Austria and Southern Germany, casual kickaround soccer is often called tschutten or bolzen.
Sledding in winter is called rodeln in Germany and Austria, but schlitteln in Switzerland.

German Hobbies Vocabulary