When making small talk, it’s very common to talk about your hobbies (爱好 – Ài hào). After all, talking about what you like to do in your free time is always more interesting than talking about what you have to do at work or school. To help you build your vocabulary and learn how to talk about your hobbies, here’s a short article all in Chinese about mine.

我的爱好是：旅行，听音乐，看书，做运动，看电影，和去饭店吃饭，去酒吧喝酒。我很喜欢旅行。除了中国我已经去过几个国家－加拿大，墨西哥，牙买加，荷兰，意大利，希腊，日本，韩国，泰国，和老挝。明年我打算去东南亚洲，比如：越南，柬埔寨，马拉西亚，新加坡，什么的。我也很喜欢听音乐。我全天听音乐－在家里，在健身房，在路上，或者在公司。我会弹吉他，也会拉大提琴。我爱看音乐会。做运动的话我喜欢打篮球，游泳，爬山，跑步，骑自行车，打保龄球，和玩飞盘。在家里我喜欢看书或者电影。周末的时候我喜欢跟朋友们一起去出玩。我们常常先去饭店吃饭然后去酒吧喝酒。什么菜我都喜欢吃。我喜欢喝黑啤或者鸡尾酒。

 

I realize that’s a lot to take in at once, so here’s a sentence-by-sentence breakdown, with pinyin and English to assist you:

我的爱好是：旅行，听音乐，看书，做运动，看电影，和去饭店吃饭，去酒吧喝酒

wǒ de ài hào shì: lǚ xíng, tīng yīn yuè, kàn shū, zuò yùn dòng, kàn diàn yǐng, hé qù fàn diàn chī fàn, qù jiǔ bā hē jiǔ

My hobbies are: traveling, listening to music, reading books, doing exercise, watching movies, and going to restaurants to eat and going to bars to drink.

 

我很喜欢旅行。除了中国我已经去过几个国家－加拿大，墨西哥，牙买加，荷兰，意大利，希腊，日本，韩国，泰国，和老挝。

wǒ hěn xǐ huan lǚ xíng. chú le zhōng guó wǒ yǐ jīng qù guò jǐ gè guó jiā – jiā ná dà, mò xī gē, yá mǎi jiā, hé lán, yì dà lì, xī là, rì běn, hán guó, tài guó, hé lǎo wō.

I really like traveling. In addition to China, I’ve already been to many countries – Canada, Mexico, Jamaica, Holland, Italy, Greece, Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Laos.

 

明年我打算去东南亚洲，比如：越南，柬埔寨，马拉西亚，新加坡，什么的。

míng nián wǒ dǎ suàn qù dōng nán yà zhōu, bǐ rú: yuè nán, jiǎn pǔ zhài, mǎ lā xī yà, xīn jiā pō, shén me de.

Next year I intende to go to Southeast Asia, for example: Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, and so on.

 

我也很喜欢听音乐。我全天听音乐－在家里，在健身房，在路上，或者在公司。

wǒ yě hěn xǐ huan tīng yīn yuè. wǒ quán tiān tīng yīn yuè – zài jiā lǐ, zài jiàn shēn fáng, zài lù shàng, huò zhě zài gōng sī.

I also really like listening to music. I listen to music all day long – at home, at the gym, on the road, or at my company.

 

我会弹吉他，也会拉大提琴。

wǒ huì tàn jí tā, yě huì lā dà tí qín.

I can play the guitar, and also the cello.

 

我爱看音乐会。

wǒ ài kàn yīn yuè huì.

I love going to concerts.

 

做运动的话我喜欢打篮球，游泳，爬山，跑步，骑自行车，保龄球，和玩飞盘。

zuò yùn dòng de huà wǒ xǐ huan dǎ lán qiú, yóu yǒng, pá shān, pǎo bù, qí zì xíng chē, dǎ bǎo líng qiú, hé wán fēi pán.

As far as doing exercise, I like playing basketball, swimming, hiking, running, cycling, going bowling, and playing frisbee.

 

在家里我喜欢看书或者电影。

zài jiā lǐ wǒ xǐ huan kàn shū huò zhě diàn yǐng.

At home I like reading books or watching movies.

 

周末的时候我喜欢跟朋友们一起去出玩。我们常常先去饭店吃饭然后去酒吧喝酒。

zhōu mò de shí hou wǒ xǐ huan gēn péng yǒu men yī qǐ qù chū wán. wǒ men cháng cháng xiān qù fàn diàn chī fàn rán hòu qù jiǔ bā hē jiǔ.

On the weekends, I like going out with my friends to play. We often go to a restaurant to eat first, and then go to a bar to drink.

 

什么菜我都喜欢吃。我喜欢喝黑啤或者鸡尾酒。

shén me cài wǒ dōu xǐ huan chī. wǒ xǐ huan hē hēi pí huò zhě jī wěi jiǔ.

I like eating any kind of food. I like drinking dark beer or cocktails.

 

So… how about you? What are your hobbies? (你的爱好是什么 – nǐ de ài hào shì shén me)