of this beginner English phrases for conversation series.

Today's phrase is

'What do you do in your free time?'

This question is asking about your hobbies.

It's not asking about your work.

It's asking what you normally like to do

when you're not working or when you're not studying

at school or university.

Some different ways to ask 'What do you do in your free time' are

'What do you do when you have free time?'

What do you get up to in your free time?

Or 'Do you have any hobbies?'

So if someone asks you

'What do you do in your free time', how can you answer?

Well there are two main ways to answer.

The first is by saying 'I like'

plus a verb plus ING.

For example, 'I like swimming.'

I like cooking.

I like going to the gym.

The second way is by saying

'I like to' plus a verb.

For example, 'I like to swim.'

I like to cook.

I like to go to the gym.

So which way is better?

Both ways are correct.

For me, I like to say 'I like' plus a verb plus ING.

I think it's more natural and it's easier to say

because you don't have to add in the word 'to'.

But it's entirely up to you.

If you want to say you really like your hobby,

you can use the word 'love' instead of 'like'.

For example, 'I love swimming.'

I love cooking.

I love going to the gym.

And if you don't really have any hobbies,

you can say something like this.

I'm really busy with work

so I don't really have much time for any hobbies.

Now let's look at some common mistakes.

The first common mistake is when students say

'I like to' plus a verb ING.

For example, 'I like to going shopping.'

This is incorrect.

To correct this, you need to say 'I like to go shopping'

or you can say 'I like going shopping.'

The second common mistake is when students say

'What do you do when you have a free time?'

This sentence is incorrect

and we don't need an article here because

'a free time' means just one time.

But we are talking about many times, not just one time.

To correct this sentence, you need to say

'What do you do when you have free time?' No 'a'.