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How to Say "swimming" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “swimming” is “nadando” — use 'nadando' when referring to the physical act of moving through water at a specific moment..

English → Spanish

nadando

/nah-DAHN-doh//naˈðando/

verbA1general
Use 'nadando' when referring to the physical act of moving through water at a specific moment.
A person swimming through clear blue water with gentle ripples.

Examples

Estoy nadando en el mar.

I am swimming in the sea.

Ella pasó la tarde nadando.

She spent the afternoon swimming.

Llegó a la isla nadando.

He reached the island by swimming.

The '-ando' ending

In Spanish, adding '-ando' to the end of a verb is like adding '-ing' in English. It describes an action that is happening right now.

Pairing with 'Estar'

To say 'I am swimming,' you combine a form of 'estar' (to be) with 'nadando.' For example: 'Estoy nadando.'

Using it as a noun

Mistake: “Me gusta nadando.”

Correction: Say 'Me gusta nadar.' In Spanish, if you want to say 'I like swimming,' you must use the base form (the infinitive) of the verb, not the -ing form.

natación

nounA1general
Use 'natación' when referring to swimming as a sport, hobby, or recreational activity in general.

Examples

Me gusta mucho la natación.

I like swimming a lot.

Action vs. Activity

The most common mistake is using 'natación' when you mean the action of swimming right now. Remember, 'nadando' is the gerund (like '-ing') for the active process, while 'natación' is the noun for the sport itself.

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