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.
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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