nager
/na.ʒe/
To swim in French is nager.
The verb nager means to move through water by using your arms and legs. If you are discussing swimming as a sport or a formal activity, you may use the noun la natation. Related items include the maillot de bain (swimsuit) and lunettes de natation (swimming goggles).
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb nager changes depending on the tense and subject. In the present tense, the third-person singular is nage (swims) and the first-person plural is nageons (we swim). To describe an ongoing or habitual action in the past, you can use the imperfect tense form nageait (was swimming or used to swim).
How do you pronounce it?
/na.ʒe/
Did you know?
- In a figurative sense, saying someone nage in a subject means they are struggling to understand it. It is similar to the English expression 'out of one's depth'.
- French has a specific phrase nager dans le bonheur which literally means 'to swim in happiness'. It is used to describe someone who is completely overwhelmed by joy.
- The word nager is a sibling to the English word 'navigate'. Both come from the Latin navigāre, which originally combined the words for 'ship' and 'drive'.
Examples in context
- Il a peur de nager.He is afraid to swim.This sentence uses nager to express fear of the activity.Tatoeba #130905 by nimfeo, translation #289994 by CK
- Il a appris à nager.He learned how to swim.This sentence uses nager to describe the act of learning the skill.Tatoeba #131597 by sysko, translation #293928 by CK
- Tom apprend à nager.Tom is learning to swim.This sentence uses nager to describe a person currently learning how to swim.Tatoeba #5364593 by Aiji, translation #3409029 by CK
- Je nage tous les jours pour rester en forme.I swim every day to stay fit.
- Les enfants adorent barboter dans la piscine.Children love to splash around in the pool.
- On est allés à la plage et on a passé l'après-midi à barboter dans l'eau.We went to the beach and spent the afternoon paddling in the water.
- 211 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Emma are at a local swimming pool.
- GabrielTu veux nager avec moi ?Do you want to swim with me?
- EmmaOui, j'adore nager.Yes, I love to swim.
- GabrielL'eau est très bonne pour nager aujourd'hui.The water is very good for swimming today.
- EmmaC'est vrai, allons-y !That's true, let's go!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry nager, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries nager, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
