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How to Say ‘I went cycling’ in French

J'ai fait du vélo

zhay ay feh dew vay-LOH

[zhay ay feh dew vay-LOH]

💬 Usage Tip: Activities often use faire du "to do some" plus the activity. Swap it: J'ai fait du ski "I went skiing", J'ai fait du yoga "I did yoga".

Phrase Breakdown

J'ai fait

zhay ay feh

I did / I went

Passé composé of 'faire'. Say it 'jé fè'.

Example

J'ai fait du sport.

I did some sport.

Words in this phrase

[zhay]

Pronoun used by the speaker to refer to himself or herself.

Example

J'aime les bonbons.

I like candies.

[ay]

have

Form of 'avoir' used with past participles to make the past tense.

Example

J'ai beaucoup appris grâce à notre discussion.

I learned a lot thanks to our discussion.

fait

[feh]

done, made

Past participle of 'faire', used with 'avoir' for the past.

Example

J'ai fait mes devoirs.

I did my homework.

du vélo

dew vay-LOH

cycling

'Faire du vélo' means 'to go cycling'.

Example

On fait du vélo ?

Shall we go cycling?

Words in this phrase

[dew]

some / (partitive, used with faire + activity)

Contraction of 'de + le', used after 'faire' to name an activity or sport.

Example

Il fait du vélo.

He cycles.

vélo

[vay-LOH]

bike

Casual everyday word for a bicycle.

Example

Je vais au travail à vélo.

I go to work by bike.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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