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French Verb Play
Jouer is a regular -er French verb that can be a bit confusing when it comes time to decide which preposition should follow. Here’s everything you need to know.
Jouer = to play
Generally speaking, jouer is equivalent to "to play" or "to have fun."
Par exemple…
| Nous jouons souvent ensemble. | We often play together. | |
| Tu peux jouer après le dîner. | You can have fun after dinner. |
With regard to the arts – TV, movies, music, etc. – jouer means "to play" or "to perform."
Par exemple…
| Je n’aime pas l’actrice qui joue Karine. | I don’t like the actress who plays Karine. | |
| Le groupe qui a joué hier était excellent. | The band that played yesterday was excellent. |
Jouer also has some negative meanings. It can mean
1) "To fool around" or "to play around"
Par exemple…
| Il ne faut pas jouer en classe. | You shouldn’t fool around in class. | |
| Ne joue pas avec ses sentiments. | Don’t play around with her feelings. |
2) "To bet, gamble"
Par exemple…
| Je joue toujours impair. | I always bet on odd numbers. | |
| Il va jouer un cheval. | He’s going to bet on a horse. |
3) "To deceive, dupe" – though tromper and duper are more common.
Jouer à
Jouer à means to play a game or sport.
Par exemple…
| Ils jouent aux football. | They’re playing soccer. | |
| Je veux jouer au Scrabble. | I want to play Scrabble. |
Jouer de
In comparison, jouer de means to play music or a musical instrument.
Par exemple…
| Je joue de la musique celtique. | I play Celtic music. | |
| Elle joue du violon. | She plays the violin. |
Jouer avec
Jouer avec means "to play (around) with."
Par exemple…
| J’aime bien jouer avec les mots. | I love playing with words. | |
| Il ne faut jamais jouer avec le feu. | You should never play with fire. |
Jouer sur
Jouer sur means "to use, exploit."
Par exemple…
| Il joue sur la fibre nationaliste. | He’s exploiting nationalist sentiment. | |
| Dans Exercices de style, Raymond Queneau joue sur tous les registres. | In Exercices de style, Raymond Queneau uses (writes with) all styles / registers (of language). |
Jouer in expressions
Jouer is found in some idiomatic expressions:
- faire jouer – to invoke, bring into play
- jouer franc jeu – to play fair
- jouer le jeu – to play the game (literally and figuratively)
- jouer sur velours – to be sitting pretty
- jouer un mauvais/vilain tour à qqun – to play a dirty trick on someone
- se la jouer (informal) – to show off
Related lessons
- Jouer conjugations
- Regular -er verbs
- Verbs with prepositions
- Introduction to French verbs
- Games and sports
- Music
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