Spanish · Everyday Verbs

"to swim" in Spanish: nadar

nadar

Say it: nah-DAHR / NAH-doh / NAH-dahsverb/na.ˈðaɾ/

To swim in Spanish is nadar. Say yo nado and ¿nadas bien? Nadamos means we swim.

Pool

Yo nado en la alberca los martes.
I swim in the pool on Tuesdays.
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How to pronounce nadar

Say it

nah-DAHR / NAH-doh / NAH-dahs

/na.ˈðaɾ/

nah-DAHR. Nado is NAH-doh; nadas is NAH-dahs.

"to swim" in Spanish: quick reference

SpanishEnglish
nadarto swim

Dictionary form.

yo nadoI swim

First person.

¿nadas…?do you swim…?

Questions.

nadamoswe swim

Group present.

ir a nadarto go swimming

Plans.

How to use nadar in real life

  1. 1Pool

    Yo nado en la alberca los martes.

    I swim in the pool on Tuesdays.

    Yo nado. Alberca is common in Mexico.

  2. 2Beach

    ¿Nadas en el mar o solo miras?

    Do you swim in the sea or only watch?

    ¿Nadas?

  3. 3Friends

    Nadamos una hora y luego descansamos.

    We swim for an hour and then rest.

    Nadamos.

Mistakes English speakers make with nadar

Incorrect: Yo nadar ahora.

Correct: Yo nado ahora.

Conjugate: yo nado.

Incorrect: Nado nada en la piscina (too confusing)

Correct: No nado en la piscina. / No nado nada.

Nada also means “nothing”; keep swim sentences clear with nado/nadar.

Good to know

Piscina and alberca both mean pool. Soft plans use ¿Vamos a nadar?

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Beach morning

  1. ChatPal

    ¿Nadas un rato conmigo?

    Want to swim a bit with me?

  2. You

    Nado cerca de la orilla.

    I’ll swim near the shore.

  3. ChatPal

    Bien. Yo nado despacio también.

    Good. I’ll swim slowly too.

  4. You

    Llevo el protector solar.

    I’ll bring the sunscreen.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

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"to swim" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "to swim" in Spanish

I swim?

Yo nado.

Do you swim?

¿Nadas?

Nado vs nada?

Nado = I swim; nada can mean “nothing” or “he/she swims.”

We swim?

Nadamos.

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