Sports in English: When to Use Play, Go and Do

Do you play karate, do swimming or go football? In English we use three different verbs with sports, and choosing the right one makes you sound much more natural. Here are the simple rules.

PLAY: ball games and competitive games

Use play with ball sports and games where you play against someone.

• play football, basketball, tennis, rugby, cricket, volleyball, golf, badminton, table tennis, baseball
• play chess, cards, video games

We play football every Saturday.

GO: activities ending in -ing

Use go with activities that end in -ing, often things you do outside or travel to.

• go swimming, running, cycling, skiing, surfing, hiking, sailing, climbing, fishing, skating

Let's go cycling this afternoon.

DO: other activities, especially without a ball

Use do with recreational activities, martial arts and many individual sports that don't use a ball.

• do yoga, karate, judo, gymnastics, athletics, aerobics, boxing, Pilates, exercise

She does yoga three times a week.

Useful sports vocabulary

• Team sports: football, basketball, rugby, cricket, hockey, volleyball, handball
• Individual sports: tennis, golf, athletics, swimming, boxing, gymnastics
• Places: a football pitch, a tennis court, a swimming pool, a golf course, a boxing ring
• People: a player, a coach, a referee, fans, a team

Quick quiz

Choose play, go or do: (1) ___ judo (2) ___ snowboarding (3) ___ hockey (4) ___ athletics (5) ___ jogging

Answers: 1 do, 2 go, 3 play, 4 do, 5 go

Practise your English through sport

On our summer schools and social programme, students learn sports vocabulary the fun way: by playing! ILC has English schools in Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Colchester and Portsmouth, offering courses for adults and young learners.