"So what do you do in your free time?" is one of the first real conversations you will have in Dutch, and answering it well needs more than a list of nouns. You need the frame in mijn vrije tijd, the two competing ways to say you do sport (sporten and aan sport doen), the membership phrase lid zijn van, and the graag / leuk vinden om te constructions for saying you enjoy something. Each of these has a fixed preposition or word order that English speakers reliably get wrong. This page walks through the everyday leisure vocabulary, the constructions that hold it together, and two genuine idioms for going out and getting away.
The frame: in mijn vrije tijd
The set phrase for "in my free time / in my spare time" is in mijn vrije tijd — literally "in my free time," with vrije the inflected form of vrij before the noun. It is the standard opener for talking about hobbies.
In mijn vrije tijd wandel ik graag en kook ik veel.
In my free time I like to go walking and I cook a lot. (in mijn vrije tijd = in my spare time)
Wat doe je zoal in je vrije tijd?
What sort of things do you do in your free time? (in je vrije tijd — the everyday question)
The word hobby exists in Dutch and means just what you expect; the plural is hobby's (with an apostrophe before the -s, the Dutch rule for words ending in a single vowel-y).
Mijn grootste hobby's zijn fotograferen en hardlopen.
My biggest hobbies are photography and running. (hobby's = plural with apostrophe)
Doing sport: sporten vs aan sport doen
Dutch has two everyday ways to say "to do sport / exercise," and English speakers reach for a third (wrong) one. The clean, most common verb is simply sporten ("to do sport, to exercise") — a single intransitive verb: Ik sport drie keer per week ("I exercise three times a week"). Alongside it, the fixed phrase aan sport doen ("to do sport," literally "to do at/on sport") means the same thing, with a slight nuance of "to be into sport / be sporty as a habit." Both are correct standard Dutch.
The construction aan + [activity] + doen is a productive pattern for hobbies you engage in: aan sport doen, aan yoga doen, aan vrijwilligerswerk doen ("to do volunteer work"). The fixed preposition is aan — not van, not nothing.
| Dutch | Literal | English |
|---|---|---|
| sporten | to sport | to do sport / exercise |
| aan sport doen | to do at sport | to do sport / be into sport |
| aan yoga doen | to do at yoga | to do yoga |
| aan vrijwilligerswerk doen | to do at volunteer-work | to do volunteer work |
Ik sport het liefst 's ochtends, voor mijn werk.
I prefer to exercise in the morning, before work. (sporten = the simple everyday verb)
Doe je aan een sport, of beweeg je liever in de natuur?
Do you do a sport, or do you prefer being active in nature? (aan een sport doen = to do a sport)
Mijn moeder doet al jaren aan yoga.
My mother has done yoga for years. (aan yoga doen — fixed preposition 'aan')
Being a member: lid zijn van
To say you belong to a club, team, or association, Dutch uses lid zijn van ("to be a member of"). The noun is lid ("member"), and the fixed preposition is van ("of"). To join is lid worden van ("to become a member of"); to leave, you zegt je lidmaatschap op. The plural of lid is the irregular leden.
Ik ben al tien jaar lid van een hardloopvereniging.
I've been a member of a running club for ten years. (lid zijn van = to be a member of; preposition 'van')
Mijn zoon wil graag lid worden van de voetbalclub.
My son would love to join the football club. (lid worden van = to join / become a member of)
De vereniging heeft ruim driehonderd leden.
The association has well over three hundred members. (leden = irregular plural of 'lid')
Saying you enjoy it: graag and leuk vinden om te
Dutch has no everyday verb that maps cleanly onto English "to like doing something." Instead there are two main constructions:
- graag + verb — "to like to / enjoy ___ing." Graag is an adverb ("gladly"); you slot it next to the verb: Ik lees graag ("I like reading"). This is the lightest, most common way.
- het leuk vinden om ... te + infinitive — "to enjoy ing" (literally "to find it nice to "). Here the activity is a to-clause, and the fixed scaffolding is om ... te.
| Construction | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| graag + verb | Ik zwem graag. | I like swimming. |
| leuk vinden om ... te | Ik vind het leuk om te tekenen. | I enjoy drawing. |
| houden van + noun | Ik hou van muziek. | I love music. |
The om ... te construction puts the infinitive at the end: Ik vind het leuk *om in het weekend lang te slapen ("I enjoy sleeping in at the weekend"). The *om opens the clause and the te + infinitive close it.
Ik teken graag, vooral in het weekend.
I like drawing, especially at the weekend. (graag + verb = the light everyday way)
Ik vind het leuk om nieuwe recepten uit te proberen.
I enjoy trying out new recipes. (leuk vinden OM ... TE; separable 'uitproberen' → 'uit te proberen')
Hij houdt van lezen, maar vindt het niet leuk om te sporten.
He loves reading but doesn't enjoy exercising. (houden van + noun; leuk vinden om te + verb)
The activity verbs and going out
Many leisure activities are just verbs: voetballen ("to play football"), zwemmen ("to swim"), lezen ("to read"), tekenen ("to draw"), fietsen ("to cycle"), wandelen ("to go walking"). Note that Dutch makes a verb out of the sport itself (voetballen, not "football spelen"). For social plans, two key words: afspreken ("to arrange to meet / make plans," met + a person) and uitgaan ("to go out," for the evening — bars, clubs).
Zullen we dit weekend afspreken om te fietsen?
Shall we make plans to go cycling this weekend? (afspreken = to arrange to meet)
Ik heb zaterdag met vrienden afgesproken in de stad.
I'm meeting friends in town on Saturday. (afspreken met + person; perfect 'afgesproken')
Vroeger gingen we elk weekend uit; nu blijf ik liever thuis.
We used to go out every weekend; now I'd rather stay home. (uitgaan = to go out in the evening)
Two genuine leisure idioms
To finish, two real idioms that come up around going out and taking a break.
| Dutch | Literal | Idiomatic meaning |
|---|---|---|
| de bloemetjes buitenzetten | to put the little flowers outside | to paint the town red / let loose |
| er even tussenuit (gaan) | to go out from between for a moment | to get away for a bit / take a short break |
De bloemetjes buitenzetten is the everyday idiom for a big night out — celebrating, letting loose. Er even tussenuit (often er even tussenuit gaan) means to get away from it all for a short while, typically a little trip to recharge.
Het is vrijdag — laten we de bloemetjes buitenzetten!
It's Friday — let's paint the town red! (de bloemetjes buitenzetten = to let loose / go all out)
Na een drukke maand wilden we er even tussenuit naar de Ardennen.
After a busy month we wanted to get away for a bit to the Ardennes. (er even tussenuit = to get away for a while)
Common Mistakes
❌ Ik doe sport elke dag.
Incorrect — it's either 'ik sport' or 'ik doe aan sport'; 'sport doen' without 'aan' is wrong.
✅ Ik sport elke dag. / Ik doe elke dag aan sport.
I exercise every day.
❌ Ik ben lid bij een sportclub.
Incorrect preposition — 'lid zijn' takes 'van', not 'bij'.
✅ Ik ben lid van een sportclub.
I'm a member of a sports club.
❌ Ik vind het leuk te tekenen.
Incorrect — 'leuk vinden' needs the full 'om ... te' scaffolding, not bare 'te'.
✅ Ik vind het leuk om te tekenen.
I enjoy drawing.
❌ Ik vind leuk zwemmen.
Incorrect — you need 'het' as the object and 'om ... te', or just use 'graag': 'Ik zwem graag.'
✅ Ik zwem graag. / Ik vind het leuk om te zwemmen.
I like swimming.
❌ Ik heb met vrienden afgesproken voor zaterdag in de stad... 'afgesproken aan vrienden'.
Incorrect — you arrange to meet WITH people: 'afspreken met', not 'aan'.
✅ Ik heb met vrienden afgesproken in de stad.
I'm meeting friends in town.
Key Takeaways
- The frame is in mijn vrije tijd; the plural of hobby is hobby's.
- "Do sport": sporten (simple verb) or aan sport doen (fixed phrase) — never "sport doen" without aan. The pattern aan ... doen extends to aan yoga doen etc.
- "Be a member": lid zijn van (join: lid worden van); preposition van, irregular plural leden.
- "Enjoy doing": graag + verb (light, common) or het leuk vinden om ... te + infinitive (with full om ... te scaffolding).
- Social plans: afspreken (met) = to arrange to meet; uitgaan = to go out at night.
- Idioms: de bloemetjes buitenzetten (paint the town red), er even tussenuit (get away for a bit).
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