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Sporty French Vocabulary
Tennis, anyone? No matter if you love to play or just enjoy watching, knowing some essential French tennis vocabulary will make the game a lot more interesting.
| tennis | le tennis | |
| men’s singles | simple messieurs | |
| women’s singles | simple dames | |
| men’s doubles | double messieurs | |
| women’s doubles | double dames | |
| People and Players | Gens et joueurs | |
| ball boy | le ramasseur de balles | |
| line judge | un juge de ligne | |
| referee | un arbitre | |
| seed, seeded player top seed, number one seed number two seed |
la tête de série la tête de série numéro un la tête de série numéro deux |
|
| server | le serveur | |
| tennis player | un joueur de tennis | |
| wild card | une invitation | |
| Courts and Equipment | Courts et équipement | |
| alley, tramlines | le couloir | |
| baseline | la ligne de fond | |
| choice of service | le choix de service | |
| choice of sides | le choix de côtés | |
| court clay court hard court grass court |
le court, le terrain le court de terre battue le court en dur le court en gazon |
|
| net | le filet | |
| service box | le carré de service | |
| service line | la ligne de service | |
| tennis ball | la balle de tennis | |
| tennis racket | la raquette | |
| Serves and Shots | Service et coups | |
| ace | un ace | |
| backhand | le revers | |
| double fault | une double faute | |
| drop shot | un amorti | |
| fault, error, out | une faute | |
| forehand | le coup droit | |
| let | un let | |
| lob | un lob | |
| second serve | la deuxième balle | |
| service, serve | le service | |
| service ball | la balle de service | |
| slice | le slice | |
| smash | un smash | |
| spin | un effet | |
| stroke | un coup | |
| topspin | le lift | |
| two-handed backhand | le revers à deux mains | |
| volley | la volée | |
| Scoring | Points | |
| love | rien, zéro | |
| fifteen | quinze | |
| thirty | trente | |
| forty | quarante | |
| all fifteen all |
A / partout quinze A / quinze partout |
|
| deuce | égalité | |
| ad-in, advantage in | avantage service | |
| ad-out, advantage out | avantage dehors | |
| break point | la balle de break | |
| call | une décision | |
| game | le jeu | |
| game point | la balle de jeu | |
| game, set, match | jeu, set, match | |
| match | le match | |
| match point | la balle de match | |
| on the line | sur la ligne | |
| out | out | |
| set | le set, la manche | |
| set point | la balle de set | |
| tie-breaker | un jeu décisif | |
| Verbs | Verbes | |
| to break someone’s serve | prendre le service de quelqu’un | |
| to have the service, to be serving | être au service | |
| to hit | frapper | |
| to keep score | tenir le score | |
| to play (tennis) | jouer (au tennis) | |
| to put spin (on a ball) | donner de l’effet (à une balle) | |
| to serve |
servir |
| French Open | (le tournoi de) Roland Garros, les Internationaux de France | |
| Wimbledon | (le tournoi de tennis de) Wimbledon | |
| Grand Slam tournament | un tournoi du Grand Chelem un tournoi majeur |
French practice
- French Open à fond
- Roland-Garros (listening practice)
- Jouer au tennis en France (reading practice)
- Quiz du Tennis : 367 Questions pour les amoureux du tennis (Kindle Unlimited)
Tennis books
- Carnet de notes tennis : Pour les amoureux du tennis (blank notebook)
- Guga : Un Brésilien, une passion française
- L’histoire de Roland Garros au rythme d’ace
- La Saga des mousquetaires : La Belle Époque du tennis français
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Practice is the key to improving your French, and just 15 minutes a day on some kind of French activity can make a huge difference. Check out these ideas and draw up your own schedule.