Tips
Basic Meaning
踢球 (tī qiú) literally means 'kick ball'. It is the most common way to say 'to play soccer' in Chinese. Remember that in Chinese, we often use a verb directly followed by the object to form a phrase.
Verb + Object Structure
Notice the structure: 踢 (tī) is the verb 'to kick', and 球 (qiú) is the noun 'ball'. This Verb + Object pattern is very common in Chinese, for example, 吃饭 (chī fàn) 'eat meal'.
Playing Sports
When talking about playing sports, Chinese often uses specific verbs. For 'soccer', it's 踢. For 'basketball', it's 打篮球 (dǎ lánqiú), where 打 (dǎ) means 'to hit/play'.
Using in a Sentence
You can use 踢球 directly. For example, 我喜欢踢球 (Wǒ xǐhuān tīqiú). This means 'I like to play soccer'.
Asking a Question
To ask 'Do you play soccer?', you can say 你踢球吗？ (Nǐ tīqiú ma?). The particle 吗 (ma) turns a statement into a question.
Frequency Adverbs
To say 'I often play soccer', you'd say 我经常踢球 (Wǒ jīngcháng tīqiú). 经常 (jīngcháng) means 'often'.
Past Tense
To indicate past action, add 了 (le). For example, 昨天我踢球了 (Zuótiān wǒ tīqiú le). This means 'Yesterday I played soccer'.
Future Tense
To talk about the future, use 要 (yào) or 会 (huì). 明天我要踢球 (Míngtiān wǒ yào tīqiú) means 'Tomorrow I will play soccer'.
Soccer's Popularity
Soccer is quite popular in China, so 踢球 is a very common phrase you'll hear and use.
Synonyms (less common)
While 踢球 is primary, sometimes you might hear 踢足球 (tī zúqiú), literally 'kick foot-ball', but 踢球 is more concise and common in everyday speech.
Practice in Real Life
Real-World Contexts
Talking about hobbies and free time activities.
- 你喜欢踢球吗？ (Do you like to play soccer?)
- 我周末常常踢球。 (I often play soccer on weekends.)
- 踢球是我的爱好。 (Playing soccer is my hobby.)
Asking someone to join in a game of soccer.
- 我们一起去踢球吧！ (Let's go play soccer together!)
- 你想和我们一起踢球吗？ (Do you want to play soccer with us?)
- 今天下午去踢球怎么样？ (How about playing soccer this afternoon?)
Describing a soccer match or event.
- 昨天我看了一场足球比赛。 (Yesterday I watched a soccer game.)
- 他们踢球踢得很好。 (They play soccer very well.)
- 哪支球队会踢球？ (Which team will play soccer?)
Talking about the action of kicking a ball in general.
- 那个孩子在踢球。 (That child is kicking a ball.)
- 他用脚踢球。 (He kicks the ball with his foot.)
- 别在这里踢球。 (Don't kick the ball here.)
Discussing sports and physical activity.
- 踢球是一项很好的运动。 (Playing soccer is a very good sport.)
- 我喜欢运动，特别是踢球。 (I like sports, especially playing soccer.)
- 多踢球对身体好。 (Playing more soccer is good for your health.)
Conversation Starters
"你喜欢踢球吗？ (Do you like to play soccer?)"
"你上次踢球是什么时候？ (When was the last time you played soccer?)"
"你觉得踢球有什么好处？ (What do you think are the benefits of playing soccer?)"
"你有没有最喜欢的足球队？ (Do you have a favorite soccer team?)"
"你更喜欢踢球还是看球？ (Do you prefer playing soccer or watching soccer?)"
Journal Prompts
写下你对踢球的看法和感受。 (Write down your thoughts and feelings about playing soccer.)
描述一次你踢球的经历。 (Describe an experience you had playing soccer.)
如果你有机会踢球，你会选择在哪里踢？为什么？ (If you had the chance to play soccer, where would you choose to play? Why?)
踢球给你带来了什么？是快乐、健康还是其他？ (What has playing soccer brought you? Happiness, health, or something else?)
你认为踢球在你的生活中扮演着什么样的角色？ (What role do you think playing soccer plays in your life?)
Test Yourself 24 questions
我们周末经常一起去公园___。
Context indicates an activity done in a park on weekends. '踢球' (tī qiú) means 'to play soccer' and fits the context.
他喜欢___，所以他常常穿运动鞋。
Wearing sports shoes (运动鞋) suggests an active hobby like '踢球' (tī qiú), which means 'to play soccer'.
放学后，孩子们喜欢在操场上___。
After school (放学后) and on the playground (操场上) are common contexts for children to '踢球' (tī qiú), meaning 'to play soccer'.
教练告诉队员们要好好___。
A coach (教练) typically instructs players (队员们) to play soccer well, which is '踢球' (tī qiú).
他的梦想是成为一名足球运动员，所以他每天都努力___。
To become a soccer player (足球运动员), one must practice '踢球' (tī qiú), meaning 'to play soccer', every day.
你喜欢___吗？我喜欢。
The question '你喜欢___吗？' asks about a preference for an activity, and '我喜欢' confirms liking '踢球' (tī qiú), which means 'to play soccer'.
Listen to the question asking about liking to play soccer.
Listen to the sentence about playing soccer in the park on weekends.
Listen to the sentence about someone dreaming of becoming a soccer player since childhood.
Read this aloud:
我每天下班后都会和朋友踢一会儿球。
Focus: 踢球 (tī qiú)
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
听说他们学校的足球队踢球踢得很好。
Focus: 踢得很好 (tī de hěn hǎo)
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
如果你想减肥，踢球是个不错的选择。
Focus: 不错的选择 (bú cuò de xuǎn zé)
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
他因为受伤，所以这个赛季不能再___了。(Tā yīnwèi shòushāng, suǒyǐ zhège sàijì bù néng zài ___ le.)
The sentence talks about an injury preventing someone from playing a sport, and '踢球' (tīqiú - to play soccer) fits the context of a team sport often associated with season-long participation.
周末我们常常去公园___，锻炼身体。(Zhōumò wǒmen chángcháng qù gōngyuán ___, duànliàn shēntǐ.)
The sentence mentions going to the park to exercise, and '踢球' (tīqiú - to play soccer) is a common outdoor activity for physical fitness.
他从小就梦想着能成为一名职业___运动员。(Tā cóngxiǎo jiù mèngxiǎngzhe néng chéngwéi yī míng zhíyè ___ yùndòngyuán.)
The sentence talks about a dream of becoming a professional athlete, and '踢球' (tīqiú - to play soccer) directly refers to the action of playing soccer, which is a professional sport.
孩子们放学后喜欢在操场上___。(Háizimen fàngxué hòu xǐhuān zài cāochǎng shàng ___.)
Children often play sports on the playground after school. '踢球' (tīqiú - to play soccer) is a typical activity in such a setting.
为了准备比赛，他们每天都坚持训练___。(Wèile zhǔnbèi bǐsài, tāmen měitiān dōu jiānchí xùnliàn ___.)
The context is about training for a competition, and '踢球' (tīqiú - to play soccer) is a sport that requires consistent practice.
虽然下着雨，但队员们仍然在努力地___。(Suīrán xiàzhe yǔ, dàn duìyuánmen réngrán zài nǔlì de ___.)
The sentence describes players continuing their activity despite the rain. '踢球' (tīqiú - to play soccer) is an outdoor sport often played in various weather conditions.
The speaker is talking about playing soccer despite the weather forecast.
The sentence is about someone's passion for playing soccer since childhood.
The team is practicing soccer skills for an upcoming game.
Read this aloud:
你认为团队合作在踢球中有多重要？
Focus: 团队合作
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
如果你有机会和一位世界级足球运动员一起踢球，你会选择谁？为什么？
Focus: 世界级足球运动员
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
除了强身健体，你觉得踢球还能带来哪些益处？
Focus: 强身健体
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
/ 24 correct
Perfect score!
Basic Meaning
踢球 (tī qiú) literally means 'kick ball'. It is the most common way to say 'to play soccer' in Chinese. Remember that in Chinese, we often use a verb directly followed by the object to form a phrase.
Verb + Object Structure
Notice the structure: 踢 (tī) is the verb 'to kick', and 球 (qiú) is the noun 'ball'. This Verb + Object pattern is very common in Chinese, for example, 吃饭 (chī fàn) 'eat meal'.
Playing Sports
When talking about playing sports, Chinese often uses specific verbs. For 'soccer', it's 踢. For 'basketball', it's 打篮球 (dǎ lánqiú), where 打 (dǎ) means 'to hit/play'.
Using in a Sentence
You can use 踢球 directly. For example, 我喜欢踢球 (Wǒ xǐhuān tīqiú). This means 'I like to play soccer'.
Related Content
More sports words
运动员
A2athlete; sportsman/woman
羽毛球
A2A sport played with rackets and a shuttlecock over a net.
球赛
A2ball game, match
篮球
A1basketball
队长
B1Captain (of a team).
冠军
B1champion
爬山
A2to climb a mountain; to hike
教练
A2Coach; instructor.
比赛
A2competition; match; game
做操
A2To do exercises (calisthenics)
