Theme 2: Hobbies and Skills

Unit Vocabulary

Hobbies & Interests

Word	Type	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example
hobby	n.	/ˈhɒbi/	hobi, uğraşı	Photography is my favourite hobby.
interest	n.	/ˈɪntrəst/	ilgi, ilgi alanı	She has a great interest in music.
leisure	n.	/ˈleʒər/	boş zaman	What do you do in your leisure time?
pastime	n.	/ˈpɑːstaɪm/	eğlence, hobi	Chess is a popular pastime in many countries.
enjoy	v.	/ɪnˈdʒɔɪ/	hoşlanmak, zevk almak	I enjoy hanging out with my friends.
collect	v.	/kəˈlekt/	toplamak, koleksiyon yapmak	He likes to collect stamps from different countries.
hang out	phr.v.	/hæŋ aʊt/	takılmak, vakit geçirmek	I enjoy hanging out with my friends.
be keen on	phr.	—	-e meraklı, düşkün olmak	I am keen on helping the poor in my neighbourhood.
be fond of	phr.	—	-e düşkün olmak	She is fond of reading novels.
be into	phr.	—	-den hoşlanmak, ilgilenmek	Are you into sports or art?
calligraphy	n.	/kəˈlɪɡrəfi/	hat sanatı, güzel yazı	She is interested in learning calligraphy as a hobby.
embroidery	n.	/ɪmˈbrɔɪdəri/	nakış	My grandmother taught me embroidery when I was young.
coding	n.	/ˈkəʊdɪŋ/	kodlama, programlama	Coding is one of the most popular hobbies among teenagers today.
upcycling	n.	/ˈʌpsaɪklɪŋ/	geri dönüşümle yeniden değerlendirme	Upcycling old furniture is a creative and eco-friendly hobby.

Skills & Abilities

Word	Type	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example
skill	n.	/skɪl/	beceri, yetenek	She has excellent computer skills.
ability	n.	/əˈbɪləti/	yetenek, kabiliyet	He has the ability to solve difficult problems.
talented	adj.	/ˈtæləntɪd/	yetenekli	She is a very talented musician.
gifted	adj.	/ˈɡɪftɪd/	üstün yetenekli	She is gifted in mathematics.
capable	adj.	/ˈkeɪpəbəl/	yetenekli, becerikli	He is capable of fixing anything.
be good at	phr.	—	-de iyi olmak	I am good at computer skills.
improve	v.	/ɪmˈpruːv/	geliştirmek, iyileştirmek	You need to improve your English skills.
master	v.	/ˈmɑːstər/	ustalaşmak	She wants to master the art of calligraphy.
specialize	v.	/ˈspeʃəlaɪz/	uzmanlaşmak	Do you want to specialize in Turkish Calligraphy Art?
pursue	v.	/pəˈsjuː/	peşinden gitmek, sürdürmek	She wants to pursue her passion for painting.
volunteer	v.	/ˌvɒlənˈtɪər/	gönüllü olmak	I volunteer at the local animal shelter every weekend.

Preferences & Expressions

Word	Type	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example
prefer	v.	/prɪˈfɜːr/	tercih etmek	I prefer reading to watching TV.
would rather	phr.	—	tercih etmek (-meyi yeğlemek)	I’d rather buy a sports car than a sedan.
would prefer	phr.	—	tercih etmek	I would prefer to stay home tonight.
be interested in	phr.	—	-le ilgilenmek	She is interested in learning foreign languages.
dislike	v.	/dɪsˈlaɪk/	hoşlanmamak	I dislike getting up early in the morning.
can’t stand	phr.	—	-e katlananamak, dayanamamak	I can’t stand doing homework late at night.
hate	v.	/heɪt/	nefret etmek	She hates doing housework.
gadget	n.	/ˈɡædʒɪt/	küçük elektronik alet	I am good at fixing things such as toys and gadgets.
give up	phr.v.	/ɡɪv ʌp/	vazgeçmek, bırakmak	Don’t give up on your dreams, no matter what.
cash in on	phr.v.	/kæʃ ɪn ɒn/	-den para kazanmak, faydalanmak	Many influencers cash in on their hobbies through social media.
letdown	n.	/ˈletdaʊn/	hayal kırıklığı	Not getting into the art class was a real letdown for her.
low-key	adj.	/ˌləʊˈkiː/	gösterişsiz, sade	He prefers low-key hobbies like reading and gardening.
uphill struggle	n.	/ˌʌphɪl ˈstrʌɡəl/	zor mücadele, çetin iş	Learning to play the violin was an uphill struggle, but she never gave up.

Grammar

Gerunds & Infinitives — Likes, Dislikes & Interests

Verbs + Gerund (-ing)

enjoy / like / love / hate / dislike / can’t stand + verb-ing

Verb	+ Gerund	Example
enjoy	+ -ing	I enjoy hanging out with my friends.
dislike	+ -ing	She dislikes getting up early.
can’t stand	+ -ing	I can’t stand waiting in long queues.

Verbs + Infinitive (to + verb)

want / would like / need / learn + to + verb

Verb	+ Infinitive	Example
want	+ to + verb	I want to learn how to play chess.
would like	+ to + verb	She would like to improve her painting skills.
need	+ to + verb	You need to practise every day.

Preposition + Gerund (-ing)

be good at / be keen on / be interested in / be fond of + verb-ing

Examples

I am good at fixing things such as toys and gadgets.

Oyuncak ve aletler gibi şeyleri tamir etmekte iyiyim.

She is keen on helping the poor in her neighbourhood.

Mahallesindeki yoksullara yardım etmeye meraklı.

He is interested in learning new languages.

Yeni diller öğrenmekle ilgileniyor.

Can / Could — Present & Past Abilities

“can” — Present Ability

Subject + can + verb (base form)

Form	Structure	Example
Affirmative	can + verb	I can play the guitar.
Negative	can’t + verb	She can’t ride a horse.
Question	Can + subject + verb?	Can you play any musical instrument?

Q: Can you speak French?

A: Yes, I can. / No, I can’t.

“could” — Past Ability

Subject + could + verb (base form)

Form	Structure	Example
Affirmative	could + verb	Stephen Hawking could walk when he was young.
Negative	couldn’t + verb	She couldn’t swim when she was three.
Question	Could + subject + verb?	Could you ride a bicycle when you were five?

Q: Could you play the piano when you were a child?

A: Yes, I could. / No, I couldn’t.

Can vs Could

can şu anki yetenekler (present abilities)

could geçmişteki yetenekler (past abilities)

I can swim now, but I couldn’t swim when I was five.

Şimdi yüzebiliyorum, ama beş yaşındayken yüzemiyordum.

Would Rather / Would Prefer — Preferences

Would rather + base verb

Subject + would rather (’d rather) + verb (base form)

Form	Structure	Example
Affirmative	’d rather + verb	I’d rather buy a sports car than a sedan.
Negative	’d rather not + verb	I’d rather not go out tonight.
Comparison	’d rather + verb + than + verb	She’d rather read a book than watch TV.

Q: Would you rather play chess or play football?

A: I’d rather play chess.

Would prefer + to + verb / noun

Subject + would prefer + to + verb / noun + to + noun

Form	Structure	Example
+ to verb	would prefer to + verb	I would prefer to stay home tonight.
noun + to + noun	would prefer + N + to + N	He would prefer tea to coffee.

Would rather vs Would prefer

would rather + base verb (+ than)

I’d rather walk than take the bus.

would prefer + to + verb (+ rather than)

I’d prefer to walk rather than take the bus.

Her iki yapı da tercih belirtir; “rather” sonrası yalnız fiil, “prefer” sonrası “to” alır.

Vocabulary Focus

Grammar Focus

Unit Vocabulary