German · Everyday Verbs
"to swim" in German: schwimmen
schwimmen
To swim in German is schwimmen. Say Ich schwimme gern or Schwimmst du im See?. Past forms include schwamm and geschwommen.
Lake day
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How to pronounce schwimmen
Say it
SHVIM-en
/ˈʃvɪmən/
SHVIM-en. Soft schw as shv. Soft -en.
"to swim" in German: quick reference
| German | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| schwimmen | to swim Core verb. | Core verb. |
| ich schwimme / du schwimmst | I swim / you swim Present. | Present. |
| schwamm / geschwommen | swam / swum Past forms. | Past forms. |
| schwimmen gehen | to go swimming Plans. | Plans. |
How to use schwimmen in real life
- 1Lake day
Schwimmst du bis zur Boje mit?
Are you swimming with me to the buoy?
Schwimmst du…
- 2Pool
Wir schwimmen jeden Dienstag Bahnen.
We swim laps every Tuesday.
Schwimmen present.
- 3Memory
Gestern bin ich im Meer geschwommen.
Yesterday I swam in the sea.
Geschwommen with sein.
Mistakes English speakers make with schwimmen
Incorrect: Ich habe geschwimmen.
Correct: Ich bin geschwommen.
Past participle is geschwommen; usually with sein.
Incorrect: Using das Schwimmen only as the verb
Correct: Use conjugated schwimmen
Das Schwimmen is the noun; conjugate schwimmen for actions.
Good to know
Freibad culture is big in summer—people say schwimmen gehen for a social outing, not only sport training.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Hot afternoon plans
ChatPal
Schwimmen wir im See oder im Bad?
Shall we swim in the lake or the pool?
You
Im See. Ich schwimme lieber draußen.
In the lake. I prefer swimming outdoors.
ChatPal
Gut. Schwimmst du auch die Strecke zurück?
Good. Will you also swim the stretch back?
You
Klar. Danach schwimmen wir langsam zum Steg.
Sure. After that we'll swim slowly to the pier.
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Practice this conversation in ChatPal"to swim" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "to swim" in German
How do you conjugate schwimmen?
Ich schwimme, du schwimmst; schwamm; geschwommen.
Auxiliary?
Usually sein: Ich bin geschwommen.
Go swimming?
Schwimmen gehen.
Past participle?
Geschwommen.
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- Step 3: Get feedback
- Step 4: Use it in real scenarios
