nuoto
/ˈnwɔ.to/masculine
The English word "swimming" is translated into Italian as nuoto.
nuoto is a masculine noun referring to the activity of moving through water. You can use it when discussing the sport itself, such as in the phrase Il nuoto to mean "swimming" as a general activity. To say "to practice swimming", you use praticare il nuoto and for "swimming training", you use l'allenamento di nuoto. The verb form of this noun is nuotare, which means "to swim".
Meaning: human activity of moving oneself through water (noun)
Which one should you use?
Use nuoto when referring to swimming as a competitive sport or a formal discipline, whereas fare nuoto or andare a nuotare is used for the general activity of swimming.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈnwɔ.to/. It has 2 syllables, and the stress is on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- The verb nuotare is often paired with a rana to describe the breaststroke, which literally translates to 'swimming like a frog'.
- While nuoto refers to the sport, if you want to say you are 'going for a swim' in a casual way, Italians often say fare un bagno, which literally translates to 'to take a bath'.
- To describe the backstroke, Italians use the term dorso, which is the anatomical word for the 'back' of the human body.
Examples in context
- Mi interesso di nuoto.I am interested in swimming.This sentence shows how to express interest in the sport using nuoto.Tatoeba #778330 by Pharamp, translation #256173 by CK
- Il nuoto è un buono sport.Swimming is a good sport.This sentence illustrates how to refer to swimming as a sport using nuoto.Tatoeba #11760269 by Guybrush88, translation #12703393 by rul
- Sono appassionato di nuoto.I'm keen on swimming.This sentence demonstrates expressing a passion for the activity of nuoto.Tatoeba #9331263 by Guybrush88, translation #9331192 by ToxicFriu
- Mi piace il nuotoI enjoy swimming
- Pratico il nuoto professionisticamenteI practice swimming professionally
- Ho un allenamento di nuoto domani mattinaI have a swimming training tomorrow morning
- Andiamo a fare il bagno al lagoLet's go for a swim in the lake
- Sto pensando di nuotare in piscina oggiI'm thinking of swimming in the pool today
- Vado a nuotare al fiumeI'm going swimming in the river
- 21 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alessandro and Martina are discussing their fitness routine at a cafe.
- AlessandroTi piace il nuoto, Martina?Do you like swimming, Martina?
- MartinaSì, il nuoto mi piace moltissimo.Yes, I like swimming very much.
- AlessandroAnche io amo il nuoto.I love swimming too.
- MartinaAllora dovremmo andare insieme!Then we should go together!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “swimming” translations and entries nuoto, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
