fui a nadar
/fwi a nadaɾ/from spelling rules
The English phrase "i went swimming" is translated into Spanish as fui a nadar.
fui a nadar is a common way to express the activity of swimming as a completed event.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the first-person singular preterite of ir (to go), the preposition a (to) and the infinitive nadar (to swim).
How does it change in a sentence?
While fui a nadar describes a completed action in the past, iba a nadar uses the imperfect tense to describe a habitual action or an ongoing state in the past (meaning "I used to go swimming" or "I was going swimming").
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking regions, if you want to say you went swimming in the ocean, you might say fui a bañarme instead of fui a nadar.
- In a figurative sense, the phrase nadar contracorriente means 'to swim against the current' and is used to describe someone who defies social norms.
- In some coastal Spanish dialects, the word chapotear is used to describe a more playful or clumsy way of 'going swimming' or splashing in the water.
Examples in context
- Fui a nadar al mar.I went swimming in the sea.This sentence is useful for saying you went swimming in the sea using fui a nadar.Tatoeba #1343171 by marcelostockle, translation #256584 by CK
- Fui a nadar al río.I went swimming in the river.This sentence is useful for saying you went swimming in the river using fui a nadar.Tatoeba #2122477 by hayastan, translation #2079997 by CK
- Ayer fui a nadar al río.I went swimming in the river yesterday.Tatoeba #1204717 by Shishir, translation #257787 by CK
- Fui a nadar.I went swimming.
- Fui a echarme un chapuzón.I went for a dip.
- Me fui a nadar.I went to swim.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Mateo are talking about their weekend activities.
- María¿Qué hiciste el sábado, Mateo?What did you do on Saturday, Mateo?
- MateoFui a nadar con mis primos.I went swimming with my cousins.
- María¡Qué bien! ¿Fue divertido?How great! Was it fun?
- MateoSí, me gustó mucho.Yes, I liked it a lot.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
