B1 Vocabulary — Free time activities
Verbs and phrasal verbs to talk about how you spend your free time — at home, with friends, doing sports, hobbies or going online.
B1 Intermediate
Leisure
Free time
1. Staying in or going out
- stay in = spend the evening at home, not outside. I stayed in last night and finished my book.
- go out = leave home to do something enjoyable. We’re going out for dinner tomorrow.
- eat out = have a meal in a restaurant or café. They usually eat out on Saturdays.
2. Social time with friends
- hang out (with) = spend time in a relaxed way with people or in a place. I’m going to hang out with my friends at the mall.
- chill out = relax and do nothing difficult. After work I just want to chill out on the sofa.
- get together = meet to spend time as a group. We try to get together every Sunday for lunch.
- spend time (with / doing) = use part of your day with someone or on an activity. She spends a lot of time with her grandparents.
3. Hobbies & learning
- play an instrument = make music with a guitar, piano, drums, etc. He plays the guitar in his free time.
- take up (a hobby) = start a new activity as a hobby. I’d like to take up photography this year.
- have lessons = learn something regularly with a teacher. She has piano lessons every Thursday.
4. Screens & games
- watch TV / a movie = look at a screen for entertainment. We watched a great film on TV last night.
- play computer games = play games on a computer or console. He spends his evenings playing computer games.
- go online, browse the web = use the internet to read, watch or communicate. In the evening I go online to check the news.
5. Sport & exercise
- work out = do physical exercise to stay fit. I work out at the gym three times a week.
- play sports = take part in games like football, tennis, etc. We play football in the park every Sunday.
- go + -ing = talk about many activities. We often go swimming in the local pool. Would you like to go hiking this weekend?
- go for a walk / run = walk or run for exercise or pleasure. I usually go for a run before work.
6. Going to places
We use go to for free time places.
- go to the park / beach Let’s go to the beach this afternoon.
- go to the cinema / theatre Tonight we’re going to the cinema to see a comedy.
- go to a concert / party We went to a great party last night.
7. Enjoying yourself
- have fun, have a great time = enjoy what you are doing. We had a great time at the amusement park.
- enjoy yourself = feel happy and relaxed when you do something. I really enjoyed myself at your party.
👉 Try to learn each verb together with a typical phrase (hang out with friends, go for a walk, have a great time). This makes it easier to remember and use them naturally.
Exercises:
Free time activities
Choose the correct option to complete each sentence below.
1
I’m tired tonight. I don’t want to go anywhere, I just want to
and read a book.
Correct:
To stay in is to spend the evening at home, not go anywhere.
2
It’s Friday night, let’s
and meet some friends in town.
Correct:
To go out is to leave home to do something social.
3
We don’t want to cook tonight. Let’s
at that new restaurant.
Correct:
To eat out is to have a meal in a restaurant, not at home.
4
On Saturdays I usually
my friends at the shopping centre.
Correct:
To hang out (with) people is to spend relaxed time with them.
5
After a long week I just want to
on the sofa and watch something.
Correct:
To chill out is to relax and do nothing difficult.
6
Every Sunday our family likes to
for a big lunch.
Correct:
To get together is to meet friends or family in one place.
7
I try to
my grandparents at the weekend.
Correct:
To spend time with someone is to be with a person for a while.
8
In the evening I often
reading books in English.
Correct:
You spend time doing something when you use time on an activity.
9
She can
like the piano and the guitar very well.
Correct:
To play an instrument is to play something like a piano or guitar.
10
This year I want to
and start photography classes.
Correct:
To take up a hobby is to start doing a new hobby.
11
Twice a week I
in English with an online teacher.
Correct:
To have lessons is to study with a teacher regularly.
12
In the evening I often
and change between different channels.
Correct:
You watch TV when you watch different programmes on television.
13
On Saturday night we usually
together on Netflix.
Correct:
To watch a movie is to watch one film from start to finish.
14
Teenagers often
for hours on their phones or laptops.
Correct:
To play computer games is to play games on a computer or console.
15
In the morning I first
to check my email.
Correct:
To go online is to connect to the internet.
16
Sometimes I
and read random news and blogs on different websites.
Correct:
You browse the web when you look at different websites for a while.
17
Three times a week I
at the gym after work.
Correct:
To work out is to do physical exercise, often in a gym.
18
At the weekend I
like football and basketball with my friends.
Correct:
To play sports is to do games like football or tennis.
19
In summer we often
in the lake near our town.
Correct:
To go swimming is to swim for fun or sport.
20
In the mountains we like to
for hours along the paths.
Correct:
To go hiking is to walk for a long time in nature or in the mountains.
21
In winter they
in the mountains when there is a lot of snow.
Correct:
To go skiing is to move on snow using skis.
22
After dinner we often
around the neighbourhood for twenty minutes.
Correct:
To go for a walk is to walk for a short time, usually for pleasure.
23
I put on my running shoes and
in the park before work.
Correct:
To go for a run is to run for exercise.
24
When the weather is nice, we
to play on the grass and the swings.
Correct:
You go to the park to relax or play in a green city area.
25
On holiday we
to swim in the sea and lie on the sand.
Correct:
You go to the beach to be by the sea on the sand.
26
On Friday night we
to watch the new film on a big screen.
Correct:
You go to the cinema to watch films.
27
Once a year we
to see a live play on stage.
Correct:
You go to the theatre to watch live plays.
28
Next month we will
to hear our favourite band live.
Correct:
You go to a concert to listen to live music.
29
On Saturday evening we will
at our friend’s house with music and dancing.
Correct:
You go to a party to celebrate and have fun with people.
30
Children always
in the park when they play on the swings.
Correct:
To have fun is to enjoy yourself and be happy.
31
We usually
on holiday and don’t want to go home.
Correct:
If you have a great time, you really enjoy an experience.
32
It’s your birthday –
at the party!
Correct:
Enjoy yourself is what we say when we want someone to have a good time.
Free time activities
Match the sentences with the free time expressions
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