aimer + definite article (le, la, l', les) · faire + article (du, de la, de l', des) · negation patterns (pas le vs pas de)
🗺 Your pathway
1.💡 Le concept — Understand the conceptual difference.2.📖 Les formes — Learn the rule system.3.📝 L'exercice — Practise until automatic.4.⭐ Le bonus — Extend and challenge yourself.5.📚 Le lexique — Review all vocabulary with the interactive table.
📖
Les formes — How to use this tab
Use the Explorer dropdowns to build sentences and see how the article changes. Switch to Conjuguer to study the full conjugation tables — watch the animations showing how articles merge or vanish in the negative. When you can answer all the self-check questions, head to L'exercice.
🔎 Découvertes : ❤️ Aimer vs 💪 Faire
❤️ Verbs of Liking
Talking about a category or type — le, la, l', les (definite article)
❤️❤️❤️
❤️❤️❤️🩷🩷🤍💔💀
💀
Sujet
Verbe
Art.
Nom
je / j'
adore
le
ski
tu
adores
le
yoga
il / elle
adore
le
vélo
nous
adorons
la
boxe
vous
adorez
l'
opéra
ils / elles
adorent
les
films
💪 Verbs of Doing (faire)
Talking about doing an activity — du, de la, de l', des (doing some of an activity)
Pick a subject, verb & object
Sujet
Verbe
de
Art.
Nom
je
fais
le→du
ski
tu
fais
le→du
yoga
il / elle
fait
le→du
vélo
nous
faisons
la→la
boxe
vous
faites
l'→l'
escrime
ils / elles
font
les→des
arts m.
❤️ Section 1 — Aimer (Liking)
Verbs of liking use the definite article. The article stays the same in negation.
Sujet
✅ Affirmatif
❌ Négatif
je
J'aime le ski.I like skiing.
Je n'aime pas le ski.I don't like skiing.
tu
Tu aimes le yoga.You like yoga.
Tu n'aimes pas le yoga.You don't like yoga.
il / elle
Il aime la danse.He likes dance.
Il n'aime pas la danse.He doesn't like dance.
nous
Nous aimons l'escrime.We like fencing.
Nous n'aimons pas l'escrime.We don't like fencing.
vous
Vous aimez les films.You like films.
Vous n'aimez pas les films.You don't like films.
💪 Section 2 — Faire (Doing)
Uses du, de la, de l', des (doing some of an activity). In negation, these become de.
Sujet
✅ Affirmatif
❌ Négatif
je
Je fais du ski.I do (some) skiing.
Je ne fais pas de ski.I don't do (any) skiing.
tu
Tu fais du yoga.You do (some) yoga.
Tu ne fais pas de yoga.You don't do (any) yoga.
il / elle
Il fait de la danse.He does (some) dance.
Il ne fait pas de danse.He doesn't do (any) dance.
nous
Nous faisons de l'escrime.We do (some) fencing.
Nous ne faisons pas d'escrime.We don't do (any) fencing.
vous
Vous faites des arts martiaux.You do (some) martial arts.
Vous ne faites pas d'arts martiaux.You don't do (any) martial arts.
🚫 Section 3 — Negation
Je n'aime pas le yoga.I don't like yoga.
Category stays → article unchanged
Je ne fais pas de yoga.I don't do (any) yoga.
Zero participation → du/de la/des become de
After negation, du/de la/des → de (or d' before a vowel).
📋 Article Cheatsheet
Gender / Number
❤️ Verbs of liking
💪 Verbs of doing
🚫💪 Ne pas faire
Masculine sing.
le
du
de
Feminine sing.
la
de la
de
Vowel / h muet
l'
de l'
d'
Plural
les
des
de / d'
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ Don't say
✅ Say instead
Why
*J'aime du yoga.
J'aime le yoga.
Liking = category → le/la/les
*Je fais le ski.
Je fais du ski.
Doing = episodes → du/de la/des
*Je ne fais pas du vélo.
Je ne fais pas de vélo.
Negation of faire → bare de
*Je n'aime pas de boxe.
Je n'aime pas la boxe.
Negation of liking → article unchanged
*Je aime le ski.
J'aime le ski.
Elision: je + vowel → j'
💡 The #1 rule: Ask yourself — am I expressing a feeling about the activity (category → le/la), or am I doing the activity (episodes → du/de la)? The verb tells you which mental image to use.
✅ Self-check: Are you ready for the exercises?
Before moving to the 📝 Exercise tab, check that you can answer these questions from memory: 3 on articles, 2 on conjugation.
Question
Answer (hover to reveal)
1. What articles follow verbs of liking?
le, la, l', les (definite articles — you're naming the category)
2. What articles follow faire (doing)?
du, de la, de l', des (doing some of — you're participating in episodes)
3. What happens to the article when you negate faire?
It collapses to bare de (or d') — zero instances remain
4. Conjugate aimer for nous (affirmative):
Nous aimons (we like)
5. Conjugate faire for je (affirmative):
Je fais (I do)
If you can answer all three: Head to 📝 L'exercice and start practicing! If not: Re-read the sections above, or revisit 💡 Le concept for the conceptual framework.
🎯 Ready to practise? Choose your level
Each button takes you straight to L'exercice at that difficulty. You can always change level once you're there.
💡
Le concept — What this tab is for
Understand the conceptual difference between aimer (liking a category) and faire (doing an activity). Read through the explanations, then move on to Les formes to see the grammar in action.
💡
Le concept
One question
Why does: J'aime le yoga become Je fais du yoga ?
The answer (in one sentence)
Because aimer talks about a category, and faire talks about participating in it.
1️⃣ Liking = The Activity as a Whole
When you use aimer / adorer / détester, you are talking about the activity in general.
You are naming the category.
J'aime le yoga.I like yoga.
— I like yoga (as a type of activity).
When you talk about a whole category in French, you use:
le / la / l' / les
Think: 🗂️ The idea of yoga.
2️⃣ Doing = Taking Part in It
When you use faire, you are talking about actually doing the activity.
You are participating in instances of it.
Je fais du yoga.I do (some) yoga.
— I do (some) yoga.
When you talk about participating in an activity, French adds de to the article:
Category
Doing
le yoga
du yoga
la danse
de la danse
l'escrime
de l'escrime
les arts martiaux
des arts martiaux
Think: 📅 Actual sessions of yoga.
3️⃣ What Happens in Negation?
Now look at the difference carefully.
Liking (category stays)
Je n'aime pas le yoga.I don't like yoga.
You still mean the category. So the article does not change.
Doing (zero participation)
Je ne fais pas de yoga.I don't do (any) yoga.
You are saying there are zero sessions. So French removes the article and keeps only:
de / d'
The Whole System in 20 Seconds
❤️ Aimer → category → le / la / les 💪 Faire → participation → du / de la / des 🚫 Ne pas faire → zero participation → de
If you remember only one thing
Liking = the activity as a whole. Doing = taking part in it. Everything else follows from that.
📖
Ready for Step 2?
Now that you understand why the article changes, head to Les formes to learn the exact forms — conjugation tables, article patterns, and vocabulary.
📝
L'exercice — Step 3 of 5: Practice
Use 🎲 to generate prompts, or pick your own. Start on ★ Facile. The 📋 cheat sheet (bottom-right) is available — use it freely at first, then try without it. When scoring 80%+, press 🚀 to move up. If struggling, press ⬇ or revisit 📖 Les formes.
👇 Choose your difficulty level to begin — then click 🎲🎲 Je génère une phrase
Not sure? Start on ★ Facile.
★ Facile — verb shown, pick the conjugation. ★★ Intermédiaire — pick verb + article. ★★★ Difficile — type the whole sentence from memory.
Étape 1 : Choisissez un sujet, un verbe et une activité — ou cliquez 🎲🎲.
Step 1: Choose a subject, a verb, and an activity — or click 🎲🎲.
OUor
Laissez choisir👇
Étape 2 : Formez la phrase correcte en français.
Step 2: Form the correct French sentence.
Score : 0%
Streak : 0
⭐
Le bonus — Step 4 of 5: The Final Test
Pure translation: You'll see an English sentence and must type the complete French sentence — correct verb form and article, no dropdowns, no hints. Scoring 80%+ here means you've mastered this unit. If not, return to 📝 L'exercice.
Traduisez la phrase anglaise en français. Cliquez 🎲🎲 pour une nouvelle phrase.
Translate the English sentence into French. Click 🎲🎲 for a new sentence.
💡 Note:quite like = aimer bien (weaker than aimer)
Écrivez votre traduction en français :
Write your French translation:
Score : 0%
Streak : 0
Unité 2 · Leçon 9
L09 — Faire + du / de la / des
Hobbies & Activities Vocabulary
💡
Study Tips — Le lexique
Use the column buttons to hide a column, then click individual cells to reveal them one by one. Use Sort or Shuffle to reorder the rows.
Hide French and try to recall the French word from the English
Hide Gender to test yourself on article rules
Use Sort to group by gender, or put Sports / Culture first
Click any French word to hear it spoken aloud
📚 Column Visibility & Order
Click any French word to hear it. Toggle columns to study.
💡 Click any French word to hear it. Hidden columns can be toggled above.
Emoji
Article
French (Français)
Gender
English (Anglais)
👉
🎮 How to Use This Lesson
Learning Pathway — Follow in Order
0
🗺 Vue d'ensembleStart here. See your full learning pathway and what each tab does before you begin.
1
💡 Le conceptUnderstand why the article changes — category vs participation. Use the interactive animation. Do not skip this.
2
📖 Les formesLearn the forms: conjugation tables, article rules. Use the Explorer widgets and pass the self-check.
3
📝 L'exercicePractice. Start on ★ Facile — pick it from the yellow banner. Use 📋 cheat sheet freely, then try without it.
4
⭐ Le bonusFinal test: translate English → French with no hints. Aim for 80%+.
📚
📚 Le lexiqueReference tab — available any time. Use the test modes to drill yourself: see French, recall English, or vice versa. Click any cell to reveal.
🎯 Difficulty Levels — click to jump to exercise
★
★ FacileSubject and article+noun are shown. Pick the correct verb from a dropdown.
★★
★★ IntermédiaireSubject and bare noun shown. Pick both the verb and the correct article.
★★★
★★★ DifficileType the complete sentence from memory. No help at all!
Control Buttons
🎲
🎲🎲 Je génère une phraseCreates a random sentence prompt for you to answer.
🔊
🔊 J'écoutePlays the pronunciation of the correct sentence.
✏️
✏️ Je refaisTry the same kind of sentence again.
⬇
⬇ Je régresseGo back to an easier difficulty level.
🚀
🚀 Je progresseMove up to a harder difficulty level.
🏁
🏁 Je termineEnd the session and see your summary with score and streak.
Bottom Bar & Cheat Sheet
📊
Score · Progress · StreakTrack your accuracy %, overall progress, and current streak of correct answers in a row.
📋
📋 Cheat SheetThe floating button at bottom-right opens a full conjugation and article reference. Use it freely on ★ Facile, then try without it on ★★ and ★★★.
If You're Stuck
💡
Go back a stepGetting 3+ wrong in a row? Drop a difficulty level with ⬇, open the 📋 cheat sheet, or revisit 📖 Les formes. There's no penalty for reviewing.
🇫🇷
Bienvenue !
This interactive lesson teaches you how to talk about hobbies using aimer and faire.
Start with the Overview to see your learning pathway, then the Le concept (why the article changes), the Les formes for the forms, and finally Practice. Let me give you a quick walkthrough.