Talking about Hobbies and Interests in English

When you want to get to know someone, asking about their hobbies and interests is a great way to start. Talking about hobbies means you can share details about yourself and discover shared interests and free-time activities. In this blog post, we will discuss how to talk about your hobbies in English. We will provide you with some useful phrases that you can use to express your hobbies and interests.

Names of common hobbies

First, let’s share a full list of hobbies that are popular and common in English speaking countries:

• Reading books
• Blogging
• Dancing
• Singing
• Listening to music
• Playing musical instruments (piano, guitar etc.)
• Learning new languages
• Traveling
• Hiking
• Cycling
• Exercising
• Drawing
• Painting
• Collecting things
• Playing computer games
• Cooking
• Baking
• Gardening
• Doing crafts (handmade)
• Embroidering
• Sewing
• Knitting
• Playing board games
• Walking
• Writing stories
• Fishing
• Photography
• Skydiving
• Skating
• Skiing
• Roller skating
• Longboarding
• Surfing

Questions to Ask Someone About Their Hobbies

• Do you have any interests or hobbies?
• Why do you do your hobby?
• Is your hobby difficult?
• What skills does your hobby require?
• How did you get into your hobby?
• What’s the point of having a hobby?
• Why do people often give up their hobbies?

How to reply

In my free time I… When I have some spare time I… When I get the time, I… I relax by watching TV / listening to music, etc. My hobbies are bird-watching / playing sport, etc.

I’m interested in (+ noun / gerund) I’m keen on (+ noun / gerund) I’m into (+ noun / gerund) I enjoy (+ noun / gerund)

You can add “really” or “quite” after “I’m…” for emphasis. “I’m really keen on football.” “I’m really into geneaology.”

Talking about your favourite hobby

Introduce your hobby

First of all, say what your hobby or interest is:

• My favourite hobby has got to be gaming
• I’m really into board games.
• Yoga is my thing.
• Judo is the hobby that I spend most of my time doing.
• Chess is my main hobby.
• Skydiving is one of my biggest hobbies.
• I’m a huge fan of model making.

Adjectives to Describe Hobbies

These are some useful adjectives to describe your interest or hobby:

Describe Opinions About the Hobby

Here are some useful phrases you can use to describe your opinion about your interest.

Hobby synonyms

• an interest – stamp collecting is one of my oldest interests / i’ve had an interest in stamp collecting for ages.
• a pursuit – climbing is an example of an outdoor pursuit (formal)
• a leisure activity – people pursue leisure activities to relax and keep fit (formal)
• a pastime – drawing is a very relaxing pastime (formal)

Talking about personal interests

We can share our personal interests with various steps that eventually help us to speak about ourselves and eventually build our personal communication material. These steps are:

Starting with simple sentences

We can do this by forming sentences like these:

I like to watch . I love to go hiking . I like to relax at home .

Adding more details

We can do this by forming sentences like these:

I go to the gym 3 times a week when I’m not too busy at work . I go swimming maybe twice a month to relax and not spend too much money .

Add details

We can do this by adding additional information to our sentences like these:

I go to the gym down the street from my house after or before work if I’m not too busy. I like to go to the park to do my paintings and drawings because it’s more relaxing. I usually go to the beach in Antalya about once a month to get away from work.

Add more details

We can do this by adding additional information to our sentences like these:

I started going to the gym this year to improve my health My best friend loves to hike so started going with her and I absolutely loved it I’ve always loved traveling since I was very young, so I try to travel somewhere at least once a month I used to play soccer in middle school and I haven’t stopped since then

Talking about the hobbies we don’t like

We can do this by adding additional information about why we don’t prefer to do these activities to our sentences like these:

I hate going to the gym because it’s too crowded but I like to workout outside or at home I don’t like hiking because I always get lost, I’d rather go to the gym

Some common questions and answers related to hobbies in English:

Question: What are some popular hobbies? Answer: Popular hobbies include reading, cooking, gardening, painting, photography, hiking, playing musical instruments, and crafting.

Question: How do hobbies benefit people? Answer: Hobbies can provide relaxation, reduce stress, improve mental health, boost creativity, enhance skills, and create opportunities for social interaction.

Question: Can hobbies turn into careers? Answer: Yes, hobbies can sometimes evolve into careers if pursued with passion and dedication. Many successful professionals started by pursuing their hobbies.

Question: What are some indoor hobbies? Answer: Indoor hobbies include reading, painting, cooking, knitting, playing musical instruments, writing, coding, and indoor gardening.

Question: What are some outdoor hobbies? Answer: Outdoor hobbies include hiking, gardening, cycling, fishing, birdwatching, photography, camping, and playing sports like soccer or tennis.

Question: How do you find a hobby? Answer: Finding a hobby involves exploring your interests, trying out different activities, and seeing what resonates with you. It's about experimentation and enjoying the process.