Nadar means 'to swim', and it is a textbook regular -ar verb that fits the sport, hobbies and holidays topics. Nado en la piscina (I swim in the pool), nadamos en el mar (we swam in the sea). Because it is perfectly regular, it is a clean model of the -ar pattern and easy to use across tenses — what you do now, did on holiday, or plan to do. It pairs naturally with other sport verbs like correr ('to run') and jugar ('to play'). As ever, mind the preterite accents (nadé, nadó).
Quick facts
Nadar (to swim) is a regular -ar verb.
Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.
Nado en la piscina (I swim in the pool).
Nadamos en el mar (we swam in the sea).
Pairs with correr and jugar.
A clean -ar verb.
Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.
Idiomatic expressions
nadar is a regular -ar verb — it follows the standard -ar pattern in every tense. That makes it a good one to drill: if you know nadar, you know the template for all regular -ar verbs.
Type conjugations from memory and get instant feedback. That's how you actually build the automatic recall the exam needs — not from reading tables.
Practice nadar now →Three questions, no account needed. Type the form, then press Enter or tap Check.
yo: nado, tú: nadas, él: nada, nosotros: nadamos, vosotros: nadáis, ellos: nadan
The past participle is nadado (he nadado) and the gerund is nadando (estoy nadando).
Nadar is on the AQA and Eduqas GCSE Spanish vocabulary lists, but not on Edexcel.
Verbs that are easy to confuse with nadar or that behave like it.
Nadar is on the AQA and Eduqas GCSE Spanish vocabulary lists, but not on Edexcel. Compare the exam boards.
Written by Daniel Holmes for GCSE & A-Level Spanish students.