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May 5, 2021 by Michelle Margaret Fajkus Spanish Vocabulary 0 comments

Vocabulary Guide to Swimming in Spanish

La natación—swimming in Spanish—is a refreshing, fun, and unique form of cardiovascular exercise and an amazing sport in its own right. 

Swimming comes with a slew of benefits: burning calories, being easy on the joints, building muscular strength, and enhancing endurance. It’s cooling and refreshing in the summer. 

Dive into this comprehensive guide to nouns, verbs, and adjectives that relate to swimming in Spanish! Keep reading for all the terms you need to learn to discuss water sports, recreational swimming, and competitive swimming.

Swimming in Spanish Vocabulary Guide

In this section, I review the Spanish vocabulary related to swimming, the equipment, the strokes, how to get started, what to wear, where to swim, and more.

Swimming in Spanish: Nouns

swimming – la natación

swimmer – el nadador, la nadadora

lifeguard – el/la salvavidas, el/la socorrista

breathing in – la inhalación

breathing out – la exhalación

depth – la profundidad

swimming lessons – las clases de natación

waterpolo – el waterpolo, el polo acuático

scuba diving – el buceo

¡Me encanta la natación!
I love swimming!

Mi hija va a sus clases de natación todos los sábados.
My daughter goes to her swimming lessons every Saturday.

swimming in spanish

Places to Swim

pool – la piscina

olympic pool – la piscina olímpica

river – el rio

pond – el estanque, la poza

lake – el lago

sea – el mar

ocean – el oceano

wave – la ola

current – la corriente

tide – la marea

Me gusta nadar en el río por la tarde.
I like to swim in the river in the afternoons.

Hay que poner atención a la marea si vas a nadar en el océano.
You have to pay attention to the tide if you’re going to swim in the ocean.

Las pruebas de natación de los Juegos Olímpicos se llevan a cabo en una piscina de 50 metros de largo y 25 metros de ancho.
Swimming events at the Olympic Games are held in a pool 50 metres long and 25 metres wide. 

Types of Swimming

stroke – la brazada

types of strokes – los estilos de natación

freestyle stroke – el estilo libre

breaststroke – el estilo pecho 

backstroke – el estilo dorso, estilo espalda

butterfly stroke – el estilo mariposa

Treading water – la bicicleta

Crawl stroke – el crol

Side stroke – la marinera

open water swimming – la natación en aguas abiertas

El nadador se acercaba a la orilla con cada brazada.
The swimmer got closer to the shore with each stroke. 

¿Cuántas brazadas aprendiste en tus clases de natación?
How many strokes did you learn in your swimming classes?

Equipment

swimsuit – el traje de baño, el bañador 

bikini – el bikini, el biquini 

swim cap – el gorro de natación

goggles – las gafas de natación

nose clip – la pinza nasal

floaties – los flotadores

flippers, fins – las aletas de buceo 

inflatable raft – la balsa inflable

diving board – el trampolín

life jacket – el chaleco salvavidas

kick board – la tabla de pateo

towel – la toalla

sunscreen – el protector solar, el bloqueador

Por favor traiga una toalla, agua, protector solar o un sombrero para el sol y use ropa confortable.
Please bring a towel, drinking water, sunscreen or a hat, and wear comfortable clothing.

Mi meta es poder hacerle patear con una tabla flotadora en lugar mío.
My goal is to get him kicking with a kick-board and without me. 

Competitive Swimming in Spanish

starting block – el podio de salida

start wall – la línea de salida

lane – la calle, el carril

lane number – el número de calle

lane rope – la corderas

starting dive – el salto de salida

flip turn – la vuelta de campana

bottom line – la línea del fondo de la piscina

turning wall – la pared de viraje

end wall – la pared de fondo

sidewall – la pared lateral

referee – el árbitro

chief timekeeper – el jefe de cronometradores

placing judge – el juez de llegada

lane timekeeper – el cronometrador de calle

turning judge – el juez de viraje

stroke judge – el juez de brazado

starter – el juez de salida

recorder – el anotador

A la mayoría de la gente le gusta nadar por diversión, pero a algunas personas les gusta la natación como deporte y participan en competiciones de natación.
Most people like swimming for fun, but some people like swimming as a sport and take part in swimming competitions. 

Las competiciones de natación generalmente incluyen varios estilos de natación, como estilo libre, braza, mariposa y espalda.
Swimming competitions usually include several swimming styles such as freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly, and backstroke. 

Si bien la mayoría de las competiciones se llevan a cabo en una piscina, las carreras en aguas abiertas se llevan a cabo en un lago o en el mar.
While most competitions are held in a swimming pool, open water races are held in a lake or in the sea. 

Los carriles tienen 2,5 metros de ancho y cada competidor debe permanecer en su propio carril.
Lanes are 2.5 metres wide and each competitor must stay in their own lane. 

Swimming in Spanish: Verbs

To dive into the water – tirarse al agua, dar un clavado

To swim – nadar

To jump – saltar

To race – competir

To float – flotar 

To get wet – mojarse

To dry off – secarse

To scuba dive – bucear

To surf – surfear

To paddle – remar

To kick – patear

To splash – chapotear

Me encanta lanzarme a la piscina en verano.
I love diving into the swimming pool in summer.

Las niñas chapotean en el río y se divierten. 
The girls splash in the river and have fun.

Swimming in Spanish: Adjectives

aquatic – acuático/a

wet – mojado/a

dry – seco/a

fast – rápido/a

slow – lento/a

strong – fuerte

powerful – poderoso/a

weak – débil

athletic – atlético/a, deportista

agile – ágil 

deep – profundo/a
shallow – superficial

warm – caliente

cold – frío

El nadador tiene músculos de los hombros muy fuertes.
The swimmer has very strong shoulder muscles.

El mar está muy profundo y es peligroso nadar allá. 
The sea is very deep and it’s dangerous to swim there.

Swimming in Spanish: Sayings

Take a look at the selection of quotations below (both anonymous sayings and lines from famous people) to expand your swimming in Spanish vocabulary.

La gente desea aprender a nadar y al mismo tiempo mantener un pie en tierra. (Marcel Proust)
People wish to learn to swim and at the same time to keep one foot on the ground.

Intenté ahogar mis dolores, pero ellos aprendieron a nadar. (Frida Kahlo)
I tried to drown my sorrows, but they learned how to swim.

La mayor parte de los hombres no quieren nadar antes de saber. (Hermann Hesse)
Most men will not swim before they are able to.

El calamar, en todos los mares sabe nadar. (Anonymous)
The squid knows how to swim in all seas.

En el mundo como en el mar, no se ahoga quien sabe nadar. (Anonymous)
In the world as in the sea, the person who knows how to swim won’t drown.

You’re Doing Swimmingly!

Now you know a ton of swimming in Spanish vocabulary. Keep up the good work in Spanish! Take a free class with a friendly, certified, native-speaking teacher at Homeschool Spanish Academy (see also: #1 on this list). With over a decade of experience and more than 20,000 active students, we know how to give each person the Spanish content they need to attain Spanish fluency.

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Michelle Margaret Fajkus
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Michelle Margaret Fajkus
Editor & Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy
Michelle Margaret Fajkus is a bilingual writer and longtime yoga teacher. A former advertising copywriter turned bilingual elementary school teacher, she is now a freelance writer, editor and translator. A native Texan, Michelle has Mexican roots and learned Spanish in middle and high school. She has become more fluent thanks to living as an expat in Guatemala. She lives with her family on beautiful Lake Atitlan.
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