French Phrase
On fait plein de sports.
Meaning
The sentence means ‘We do a lot of sports’ or ‘One does a lot of sports’. It emphasizes the variety and frequency of sporting activities rather than a single sport.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to talk about a habit or lifestyle that includes many different sports—e.g., describing a family, a school program, or your own active routine.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Onfaitpleindesports
On (impersonal pronoun)
‘On’ is the informal French pronoun that can mean ‘we’, ‘people’, or ‘one’, and it takes third‑person singular verb forms.
Faire (present tense)
‘Faire’ means ‘to do / to make’. In the present tense with ‘on’, it conjugates to ‘fait’.
Plein de (quantifier)
‘Plein de’ literally means ‘full of’ and is used like ‘a lot of / plenty of’ before a noun.
De (partitive preposition)
When ‘plein’ is followed by a noun, the preposition ‘de’ replaces the usual partitive article ‘des’.
Sports (noun, plural)
‘Sports’ is a masculine plural noun; it stays the same in singular and plural form.
🗨In Conversation
Tu fais du sport régulièrement ?
Do you play sports regularly?
Oui, on fait plein de sports : foot, natation, escalade…
Yes, we do a lot of sports: soccer, swimming, climbing…
✕Common Mistakes
On fait plein des sports.
‘Plein’ already includes the preposition ‘de’; adding the article ‘des’ is redundant and ungrammatical.
On fais plein de sports.
The verb must agree with the pronoun ‘on’, which takes the third‑person singular form ‘fait’.
On fait plein de sport.
When ‘plein de’ is followed by a plural noun, the noun must stay plural; ‘sport’ in singular would change the meaning to ‘a lot of sport (in general)’.
↔Alternatives
Nous pratiquons de nombreux sports.
We practice many sports.
On pratique plein de sports.
We practice a lot of sports.
On fait beaucoup de sports.
We do a lot of sports.
Cultural Tip
In France, sport is a social activity that often involves clubs, community events, and school programs. Saying ‘On fait plein de sports’ conveys a lively, health‑conscious lifestyle and can be a great ice‑breaker when meeting new people, especially in regions where outdoor activities like cycling, pétanque, or rugby are popular.