Published March 17, 2025 • Updated September 4, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier
Jouer Meaning
Jouer means “to play” in French. Use jouer à for sports and games, as in jouer au tennis (to play tennis), and jouer de for musical instruments, as in jouer du piano (to play the piano).
Jouer Pronunciation
The IPA pronunciation of jouer is /ʒu.e/, which sounds approximately like “zhoo-ay.”
How to use jouer with instruments, sports, and games
The verb jouer uses different prepositions depending on what you’re playing. Use jouer de for musical instruments and jouer à for sports and games. The preposition then combines with the noun’s article.
| Usage | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Musical instrument | jouer du + masculine noun | jouer du piano |
| Musical instrument | jouer de la + feminine noun | jouer de la guitare |
| Musical instruments | jouer des + plural noun | jouer des percussions |
| Sport or game | jouer au + masculine noun | jouer au tennis |
| Sport or game | jouer à la + feminine noun | jouer à la pétanque |
| Sports or games | jouer aux + plural noun | jouer aux échecs |
Example sentences
Je joue trois instruments de musique. Je joue du piano, du violon et de la guitare.
I play three musical instruments. I play the piano, the violin and the guitar.
Tu veux jouer aux échecs ? — Non, je veux jouer aux dames.
Do you want to play chess? — No, I want to play checkers.
Martin est un homme très sportif et il adore jouer au football.
Martin is a very athletic man and he loves playing soccer.
Dans le temps, les gamins jouaient toujours à l’extérieur.
Kids used to always play outside back in the day.
👉 See also: Jouer conjugation »
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🔗 Related words and expressions
- s’amuser — to have fun
- se divertir — to have fun, to entertain oneself
- un jeu — a game
- un jouet — a toy
- un joueur / une joueuse — a player
- jouer un rôle — to play a role
- jouer le jeu — to play along, to play the game
📚 Related lessons
👉 Jouer conjugation »
👉 Jouer l’arlésienne (expression) »
👉 French sports vocabulary »
👉 French musical instruments vocabulary »
👉 Card and board games vocabulary »
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