How to talk about your interests

So when you first meet someone, often some of the first things you talk about are each other's interests. Now, it's easy enough to say, "I like" and "I don't like", but my 5 year old students can tell me that too. In this post I'm going to give you some more advanced ways to talk about your interests, so that next time you meet someone and need to speak in English, you'll sound like a pro!

---

Grammar tip: like + verb+ing

Now, using the verbs like and love to talk about what you actually do like and love is totally fine. Just make sure you're using the verbs correctly. When you talk about an activity that you enjoy doing, you have two correct grammar options, but one sounds more fluent that the other. Here are some examples:

Generally, fluent English speakers would choose the second choice, but the first choice is grammatically correct as well.

I love to hike - I love hiking

I like to cook - I love cooking

Unfortunately, English can be evil and play tricks on us...here are some more verbs to express your interests, but they can be used with only one of the above options. Both verbs below are used to talk about what you like and don't like doing, but they can only be used with the gerund form of the verb!

I enjoy spending time with my friends.

I hate cleaning.

---

Now, no vocabulary blog post would be complete without some phrasal verbs and dependent prepositions, right? Don't worry about the complicated grammar names, just take a look at the following phrases and remember to use them next time you have a chance to introduce yourself and express your interests to someone.

I'm interested IN politics (noun).

To be interested in [something] - to closely follow a specific topic.

She's really keen on skateboarding (verb).

I'm keen on basketball (noun).

To be keen on [something] means that you really enjoy it.

They're into climbing (verb).

I'm into rap music (noun).

To be into [something] means it's one of your passions.

My family is getting into playing boardgames (verb).

He's really getting into MasterChef (noun).

To be getting into [something] means it's a new or growing interest.

I've recently picked up playing guitar (verb+ing)

To pick up [an activity] is to start a new hobby.

---

So there you have it. The next time you feel tempted to say, "I like...", think again and use one of these phrases, you'll definitely impress your listener!