# Talking about hobbies and weekend plans in English

Hobbies and weekend plans are the easiest topics to talk about with someone new. The “I like” pattern, hobby words, and sentences for future plans.

Author: Aslıgül Aşkın · Published: 2026-10-01 · Updated: 2026-10-12
Page address: https://grammardots.com/en/blog/hobbies-and-weekend-plans-in-english

Hobbies and weekend plans are the easiest small-talk topics with someone new. With the “I like” pattern and a few future sentences, you can talk about them comfortably.

## Hobbies

reading, swimming, cooking, drawing, playing football, playing the guitar, watching films, walking, gardening, photography.

## Hobby verbs: play, go and do

Turkish uses “yapmak” or “oynamak” for many hobbies; English picks one of three verbs depending on the activity.

Hobbies with play, go and do

| Verb | Used with | Examples |
| --- | --- | --- |
| play | ball games, board games, musical instruments | play football, play chess, play the piano |
| go | -ing activities you go somewhere to do | go swimming, go cycling, go fishing |
| do | yoga, martial arts and some other activities | do yoga, do karate, do puzzles |

## The “I like” pattern

After “like”, the verb takes -ing: “I like swimming.”, “She likes reading.” For stronger or weaker feelings: “I love cooking.”, “I don't like running.”, “I really enjoy drawing.” Question: “What do you like doing in your free time?”

From love to can't stand

| Phrase | Meaning | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| I love ... | the strongest liking | “I love baking bread.” |
| I like ... | a clear liking | “I like playing chess.” |
| I don't mind ... | it's fine with me | “I don't mind running in the rain.” |
| I don't like ... | a negative feeling | “I don't like jogging.” |
| I can't stand ... | the strongest dislike | “I can't stand loud music.” |

“Enjoy” and “don't mind” are followed only by -ing: “I enjoy reading.” is right, “I enjoy to read.” is wrong. For an interest, you can also say “I'm interested in”, and the preposition is always “in”: “I'm interested in photography.”

## Saying a little more

“I like cooking.” is a good start, but it ends the conversation in one line. A reason or an example brings the answer to life: “I like cooking because it relaxes me.”, “I love reading, especially detective stories.”, “I play the guitar, but I'm not very good yet.” Then pass the question back: “What about you?”

## Weekend plans

For decided plans, use “going to”: “I'm going to visit my grandmother on Saturday.” For arrangements, use the present continuous: “I'm meeting my friends on Sunday.” If it isn't decided yet: “Maybe I'll go to the cinema.”

Time expressions make a plan clear: “this weekend”, “next weekend”, “on Saturday morning”, “on Sunday afternoon”, “tomorrow evening”. With “this” and “next” there is no preposition: say “this weekend”, not “on this weekend”.

## Model text: my weekend plans

This short text uses all three ways of talking about plans; read it, then rewrite it for your own weekend.

“I love being outdoors, so my weekends are usually busy. This Saturday I'm going to go cycling with my brother. We're meeting at nine by the river. In the afternoon I'm going to do some gardening. On Sunday I don't have any plans yet. Maybe I'll bake a cake or watch a film. In the evening I'm having dinner with my friends.”

## A short conversation

A: “What are you doing this weekend?” B: “I'm going to the beach on Saturday. And you?” A: “I'm staying at home. I want to finish my book.” Say this conversation out loud, changing it to fit your own plans.

## Common mistakes Turkish speakers make

Frequent slips in hobby sentences

| Mistake | Correct | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| “I like swim.” | “I like swimming.” | After “like”, use -ing or “to”, never the bare verb. |
| “I go to swimming.” | “I go swimming.” | No “to” between “go” and an -ing activity. |
| “I play the football.” | “I play football.” | Sports take no “the”. |
| “I'm interested about music.” | “I'm interested in music.” | “Interested” goes with “in”. |
| “I enjoy to read.” | “I enjoy reading.” | “Enjoy” is followed only by -ing. |

To keep going, see [Feelings and opposites in English](https://grammardots.com/en/blog/feelings-and-opposites-in-english) and [Comparing with adjectives in English](https://grammardots.com/en/blog/comparatives-and-superlatives-in-english).

## Frequently asked questions

### “I like swimming” or “I like to swim”?

Both are correct; the -ing form is more common in British English.

### Which question asks about weekend plans?

“What are you doing this weekend?” is the most common; “Do you have any plans for the weekend?” works too.

### “At the weekend” or “on the weekend”?

British English says “at the weekend” and American English says “on the weekend”; both are correct.