May 23, 2024

[Olivia Thayer, M.A.](https://blog.duolingo.com/author/olivia/)

# How to talk about the Olympics in French

Will you be in Paris for *les JO*? Go for the gold with French Olympic vocabulary!

Picture this: You’re in Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics, and a friendly French family sitting next to you at the gymnastics competition strikes up a conversation, when Simone Biles lands a particularly impressive dismount. You want to comment on it, but—gasp!—you realize you don’t know how to say “double salto” in French!

If you’re a French learner planning to attend this year’s Olympics in Paris (or even if you just want to watch the Games from your couch), read on to learn essential French vocabulary for the Olympics.

(By the way, “double salto” is a freebie—it’s **_double salto_** in French, too!)

## _Les JO_: the Olympics

First things first: In English, we shorten _the Olympic Games_ to _the Olympics_ in conversation, but in French, you’ll say **_les JO_**! It’s an acronym for **_les Jeux Olympiques_**, or “the Olympic Games.”

| French | Translation |
| --- | --- |
| **Zari:** Lily, j’ai hâte d’être aux JO !<br>**Lily:** Moi, j’ai hâte de me rendormir. | **Zari:** Lily, I can’t wait for the Olympics!<br>**Lily:** I can’t wait to go back to sleep. |

## _L’athlétisme_: Track and field

Dating back to the first-ever Olympic Games in 776 BCE, track and field events are not only some of the most popular, they’re also the oldest! You’ll be happy to know that **_sprint_** is the same in both English and French, but you might not know **_haies_** (hurdles, and also hedges!), _**saut à la perche**_(pole vault), and **_lancer du poids_** (shot put, or literally “throw weight”). The different events that comprise track and field as a whole are often called **_épreuves_**.

Bonus: If you’re lucky, you’ll also see someone **_battre un record du monde_** (beat a world record)!

| French | Translation |
| --- | --- |
| **Lin:** Quelle est ton épreuve préférée de l’athlétisme ?<br>**Lucy:** Je suis une grande fan du saut à la perche, mais je n’ai battu le record du monde qu’au lancer du poids. <br>**Lin:** Quoi ?! | **Lin:** What’s your favorite track and field event?<br>**Lucy:** I’m a big fan of the pole vault, but I only beat a world record for the shot put. <br>**Lin:** What?! |

## _La natation_: Swimming

Swimming is one of the most anticipated events in Paris this year, partially because the open-water events are scheduled to take place in the Seine, and many Parisians are wondering if the urban river will be [clean enough to swim in](https://www.reuters.com/sports/paris-mayor-promises-swim-seine-ahead-games-2024-01-10/?ref=blog.duolingo.com). However, if you’re attending an indoor swimming event, you’ll be at [La Défense Arena](https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/venues/paris-la-defense-arena?ref=blog.duolingo.com), where you’ll be watching **_nage libre_** (freestyle), **_brasse_** (breaststroke), _**dos**_ (backstroke),or **_papillon_** (butterfly stroke).

Bonus: You might also say that someone has **_remporté l’épreuve_** (won the event).

| French | Translation |
| --- | --- |
| **Eddy:** Ce serait super de remporter une épreuve de natation aux JO ! Toi, tu préférerais participer à la nage libre ou au papillon ?<br>**Junior:** Il y a une épreuve pour manger de la glace au chocolat ? | **Eddy:** It would be amazing to win a swimming event at the Olympics! Would you rather compete in freestyle or butterfly stroke?<br>**Junior:** Is there an event for eating chocolate ice cream? |

## _La gymnastique_: Gymnastics

If you’re attending an artistic gymnastics competition, you might talk about an **_agrès_**, which is the name for the different events that a gymnast might perform, such as **_sol_** (floor), **_poutre_** (balance beam), and **_saut de cheval_** (vault, or literally “horse jump”).

Bonus: You’ll probably also hear people talk about **_médailles_** (medals), which can be **_d’or_** (gold), **_d’argent_** (silver), or **_de bronze_** (bronze).

| French | Translation |
| --- | --- |
| **Vikram:** Elle va remporter la médaille d’or au saut de cheval cette année, j’en suis sûr ! C’est mon agrès préféré ! Et toi, Oscar ?<br>**Oscar:** Je pensais que c’était de la gymnastique _artistique_ ! Ils sont où les peintres ? | **Vikram:** She’s going to win the gold medal for the vault this year, I’m sure of it! This is my favorite event! What about you, Oscar? <br>**Oscar:** I thought this was _artistic_ gymnastics! Where are the painters? |

## Go for the gold and practice your French!

No matter whether you’ll be watching the Olympics from your own home or [visiting France](https://blog.duolingo.com/french-phrases-for-travel/) for the occasion, you can use _les JO_ as an opportunity to practice French!