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 verb. Make sure you know the endings for each tense — especially the preterite and subjunctive, which is where marks are most often lost.
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. Press Enter to check each answer.
yo: nado, tú: nadas, él: nada, nosotros: nadamos, vosotros: nadáis, ellos: nadan
Nadar is a regular -ar verb following the standard -ar pattern.
Use nadar in multiple tenses to show range — present, preterite and future at minimum. This is a key criterion for higher GCSE marks.
Verbs that are easy to confuse with nadar or that behave like it.
This reference is written for UK GCSE and A-Level Spanish learners and their teachers. It is designed for exam revision: every form is checked against standard conjugation rules, and the examples reflect the registers and topics that come up in the AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas specifications. Nadar is a high-frequency verb and appears often in exam papers. For active recall, use the free practice tool rather than only reading the tables.