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By Rossana Pazzaglia, native Italian teacher with a CEDILS certification in teaching Italian to foreigners (Ca’ Foscari University of Venice) · Updated 19 October 2026
“Che facciamo domenica?” is probably one of the most common questions in an Italian family. If you live with an Italian family, have Italian in-laws or simply want to talk about your weekend with friends and colleagues, you need practical vocabulary for free time. This is informal, everyday Italian, and it is exactly the kind of language that makes conversations feel natural. They are simple words, A2-B1 level, but they are enough to feel at home in a family conversation straight away. Here they are, with a short dialogue and a few exercises.
Family activities: the essential expressions
Italian often uses a few very common verbs (fare, andare, giocare) in fixed combinations. Learning them as small blocks is easier than translating word by word.
- fare una passeggiata – to go for a walk
- fare un giro in bici – to go for a bike ride
- fare una gita – to go on a day trip
- fare un picnic – to have a picnic
- fare i compiti (con i bambini) – to do homework (with the kids)
- guardare un film insieme – to watch a movie together
- giocare a carte – to play cards
- giocare a un gioco da tavolo – to play a board game
- cucinare insieme – to cook together
- andare al parco – to go to the park
- organizzare una gita – to organise a day trip
Grammar tip: giocare a, andare a/in, fare
Three small rules help a lot:
- giocare a + game or sport: giocare a carte, giocare a calcio, giocare a tennis. For instruments, use suonare: suonare il pianoforte.
- andare a/in/al: andare al parco, andare a teatro, andare in montagna, andare al mare, andare a trovare i nonni.
- fare + sport or activity: fare nuoto, fare yoga, fare una passeggiata.
The family weekend
The weekend has its own vocabulary, especially when planning:
- “Cosa facciamo questo weekend?” – What are we doing this weekend?
- “Andiamo dai nonni.” – We are going to grandma and grandpa’s.
- “Facciamo una grigliata di verdure.” – Let’s grill some vegetables.
- “Restiamo a casa e ci rilassiamo.” – Let’s stay home and relax.
- “Organizziamo una gita fuori porta.” – Let’s plan a day trip out of town.
- “Facciamo un ponte.” – We are taking a long weekend (when a holiday falls near the weekend).
The expression gita fuori porta literally means “trip outside the gate”. Today it means a short outing, usually a day trip to a nearby village, lake, mountain or countryside.
How to suggest plans
Suggesting and accepting activities is one of the most useful skills in family conversation. Here are some natural formulas, from the most casual to a little more polite:
- Ti va di fare una passeggiata? – Do you feel like going for a walk?
- Che ne dici di andare al lago? – What do you say to going to the lake?
- Perché non facciamo una grigliata di verdure? – Why don’t we grill some vegetables?
- Se vi va, potremmo andare a trovare i nonni. – If you like, we could visit grandma and grandpa.
And to answer:
- Volentieri! / Ottima idea! – Gladly! / Great idea!
- Mi piacerebbe, ma ho un impegno. – I would love to, but I have something on.
- Non mi va molto. Possiamo fare altro? – I don’t really feel like it. Can we do something else?
Talking about children and free time
- “I bambini vanno a lezione di nuoto/calcio/musica.” – The kids have swimming/soccer/music lessons.
- “Mio figlio fa danza e mia figlia gioca a pallavolo.” – My son does dance and my daughter plays volleyball.
- “Passiamo del tempo di qualità insieme.” – We spend quality time together.
- “Ognuno ha il suo hobby.” – Everyone has their own hobby.
- “Ci rilassiamo davanti alla TV.” – We relax in front of the TV.
- “Dopo cena giochiamo tutti insieme.” – After dinner we all play together.
A cultural note: Sunday and Italian family traditions
In Italy, Sunday still has a special value as a day for the family. The pranzo della domenica, perhaps at the grandparents’ home, remains a deeply rooted tradition in many families, with more elaborate dishes and longer meals than on weekdays. Other typical moments of shared free time are the evening passeggiata, the slow stroll in the town centre before dinner; the Pasquetta outing on Easter Monday, often a picnic in the countryside; and the summer holidays at the seaside or in the mountains. Understanding this cultural context helps you make sense of the expressions connected with these moments, and it gives you plenty of topics for conversation.
A mini-dialogue to practise
Paolo: Che facciamo domenica? Il tempo dovrebbe essere bello.
Giulia: Ti va di fare una gita fuori porta? Possiamo andare al lago e fare un picnic.
Paolo: Ottima idea! Chiamo anche i nonni?
Giulia: Volentieri, ma loro preferiscono restare a casa e preparare il pranzo.
Paolo: Allora andiamo al lago la mattina e torniamo per pranzo dai nonni.
Talking about last weekend
Free-time vocabulary becomes much more useful when you can also tell what you did. On Monday morning, in the office or at the school gate, the question is always the same: “Com’è andato il weekend?” (How was your weekend?). The answer needs the passato prossimo, and the good news is that most of the expressions you have just learned work very well in it:
- Abbiamo fatto una gita al lago e abbiamo mangiato un panino sul prato. (We went on a trip to the lake and ate a sandwich on the grass.)
- Sabato siamo andati dai nonni e abbiamo giocato a carte tutto il pomeriggio. (On Saturday we went to my grandparents’ and played cards all afternoon.)
- I bambini hanno fatto i compiti, poi abbiamo guardato un film insieme. (The children did their homework, then we watched a film together.)
- Domenica non siamo usciti: siamo rimasti a casa a riposarci. (On Sunday we did not go out: we stayed home to rest.)
Notice that fare, giocare, guardare take avere, while andare and rimanere take essere, so the participle agrees with the subject (siamo andati, siamo rimasti). Good short answers to the Monday question are “Bene, grazie! Abbiamo fatto una passeggiata in montagna” or “Tranquillo: siamo stati a casa”.
Common mistakes with free-time expressions
These are errors I hear often in my lessons, especially from learners whose first language uses a different verb for each of these ideas:
- Using the wrong verb with sports and instruments. Not “giocare la chitarra” but suonare la chitarra; not “fare calcio” for a match with friends but giocare a calcio. For a regular course you can say fare nuoto or fare danza.
- Forgetting the contraction. “Andiamo a il parco” is wrong: say andiamo al parco. The same applies to al mare, al lago, al cinema.
- Translating “to visit” literally. For people, Italian uses andare a trovare (andiamo a trovare i nonni); visitare is normally used for places such as a museum or a city.
- Using a noun after “Ti va di…”. The structure takes an infinitive: Ti va di fare una passeggiata? If you want to use a noun, switch to Ti va una passeggiata?, which is also possible in everyday speech.
- Answering too bluntly. A plain “No” can sound cold in a family. Try “Preferirei restare a casa, ma magari domani!” (I would rather stay at home, but maybe tomorrow!)
Practice: exercises with answers
Exercise 1: choose the right verb
Complete with fare, andare or giocare:
- Domenica ______ al parco con i bambini.
- I nonni ______ a carte ogni sera.
- Che ne dici di ______ un giro in bici?
- Mia figlia ______ nuoto il mercoledì.
- Sabato ______ una grigliata di verdure in giardino.
Answers: 1. andiamo – 2. giocano – 3. fare – 4. fa – 5. facciamo.
Exercise 2: your turn
Write five sentences about what you usually do with your family or friends on weekends, using at least three expressions from this article. Then suggest a plan for next Sunday using Ti va di…? or Che ne dici di…?.
Exercise 3: correct the mistakes
Each sentence contains one mistake. Rewrite it correctly.
- Domenica giochiamo la chitarra con i nonni.
- Andiamo a il lago con i bambini?
- Sabato visitiamo i nostri amici a Lugano.
- Ieri abbiamo andato al parco.
Answers: 1. Domenica suoniamo la chitarra con i nonni. – 2. Andiamo al lago con i bambini? – 3. Sabato andiamo a trovare i nostri amici a Lugano. – 4. Ieri siamo andati al parco.
Questions to reflect on
- Which free-time activities are typical of your own family, and how would you describe them in Italian?
- Does your culture have an equivalent of the passeggiata or the Pasquetta outing? How would you explain it to an Italian friend?
- Which of the suggestion formulas (Ti va di…?, Che ne dici di…?) feels most natural to you, and why?
Learn practical Italian with me
If you want to feel comfortable talking about daily life and family free time, perhaps to converse more naturally with your partner’s Italian relatives, I can help you build practical, immediately useful vocabulary. Discover how I work at my-italian-teacher.ch, book a free 30-minute trial lesson, or join the waiting list for my structured courses.
Read also: food as cultural identity in Italy and table manners in Italy. Not sure about your level? Take the free Italian level test.
Sources
📚 When you need the right word
When you want to tell someone about your weekend and a word is missing, a learner’s dictionary helps you find it quickly and see how it is used. I recommend:
- Collins Easy Learning Italian Dictionary (Collins) – bilingual English–Italian dictionary designed for learners.
- Collins Italian Gem Dictionary (Collins) – a pocket-size bilingual dictionary to carry everywhere.
- Collins Italian Visual Dictionary (Collins) – vocabulary organised by theme, with illustrations.
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