Questions & Answers about Il fait de la natation à la piscine.
Why use faire de la natation instead of just saying il nage?
Both can mean he swims, but faire de la natation specifically refers to swimming as a dedicated sport, hobby, or regular workout. Il nage uses the verb nager to simply describe the physical action of swimming, which could be for any reason. The English translation says 'He goes swimming', but I do not see the verb aller (to go). Why?
In English, we often use 'to go' plus an '-ing' verb for activities, like 'go swimming' or 'go skiing'. French typically uses the verb faire (to do) combined with the activity noun instead. So 'to go swimming' naturally translates to faire de la natation. Why is there a de la before natation?
In French, when you talk about playing a sport or doing an activity using the verb faire, you must include a partitive article (du, de la, de l', or des) to mean 'some'. Because natation is a feminine noun, it requires de la. Could I say dans la piscine instead of à la piscine?
Yes, but it changes the focus slightly. À la piscine means 'at the pool', referring to the general facility or location. If you say dans la piscine, you are specifically emphasizing that he is physically inside the water. Learn Il fait de la natation à la piscine and more in French
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