French Phrase
Je fais moins de sport le week‑end.
Meaning
I do less sport on the weekend. The speaker is comparing the amount of physical activity they do on weekends to what they do during the rest of the week, indicating a reduction.
When to use
Use this sentence when talking about personal habits, health routines, or when explaining why you might be less active on Saturdays and Sundays compared to weekdays.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Jefaismoinsdesportleweek-end
Subject pronoun (Je)
The first‑person singular pronoun used before a verb in the present tense.
Faire (present)
The verb ‘faire’ conjugated as ‘fais’ for ‘je’; it means ‘to do’ or ‘to make’.
Comparative adverb (moins)
‘Moins’ means ‘less’; it is placed before the noun phrase it modifies.
Partitive ‘de’ after a comparative
When ‘moins’ (or ‘plus’) modifies a noun, the preposition ‘de’ replaces the partitive article.
Time expression (le week‑end)
‘Le week‑end’ is a masculine singular noun used with the definite article to indicate the weekend.
🗨In Conversation
Je fais moins de sport le week‑end.
I do less sport on the weekend.
Pourquoi? Tu préfères te reposer?
Why? Do you prefer to rest?
✕Common Mistakes
Je fais moins du sport le week‑end.
After ‘moins’, the partitive article changes to ‘de’, not ‘du’.
Je fais plus de sport le week‑end.
‘Plus’ means ‘more’; using it would reverse the meaning.
Je fais moins de sport le weekend.
In French the borrowed word is written with a hyphen and an accent: ‘week‑end’.
Je faisais moins de sport le week‑end.
‘Faisais’ is the imperfect; the sentence refers to a general habit in the present, so use ‘fais’.
↔Alternatives
Je pratique moins d'activité physique le week‑end.
I practice less physical activity on the weekend.
Je fais moins d'exercice le week‑end.
I do less exercise on the weekend.
Le week‑end, je fais moins de sport.
On the weekend, I do less sport.
Cultural Tip
In France, many people reserve the weekend for family meals, outings, or simply relaxing after a busy work week. While some cities have vibrant weekend sports clubs, it’s common to hear friends say they ‘fais moins de sport le week‑end’ because they prefer leisure activities like brunch, cinema, or a stroll in the park. Adjust your tone: using ‘moins’ is neutral; if you want to sound more casual you can say ‘je fais un peu moins de sport le week‑end.’