flotar en el agua
/flotaɾ en el aɡwa/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'tread water' is translated into Spanish as flotar en el agua.
This phrase is used to describe the act of remaining afloat in water without the use of any buoyancy aids.
Meaning: to remain afloat in water without use of any buoyancy aid (verb)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, you can also use the expression nadar en el sitio to refer to treading water.
How do you pronounce it?
/flotaɾ en el aɡwa/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the word agua is feminine, but it uses the masculine article el to avoid a clashing sound.
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, referring to treading water as nadar en el sitio can also be used metaphorically to describe a project that makes no progress.
- The Spanish word agua is a direct relative of the archaic English word 'ea' meaning 'river' or 'stream'.
Example conversation
Maria and Javier are at the swimming pool.
- MaríaJavier, ¿puedes flotar en el agua?Javier, can you tread water?
- JavierSí, pero me canso rápido.Yes, but I get tired quickly.
- MaríaYo prefiero nadar hacia la orilla.I prefer to swim toward the shore.
- JavierEs más seguro que intentar flotar en el agua.It is safer than trying to tread water.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries agua, el, en, flotar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
