Fala Gringo › Verbs › nadar
nadar — to swim
Full conjugation of nadar in the tenses that matter for everyday speech, with pronunciation hints in the Rio (carioca) accent and example sentences the way Brazilians actually talk — not textbook European Portuguese.
How to use nadar in Brazilian Portuguese
Nadar is the Brazilian Portuguese verb for to swim. It is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings there are no surprises.
Three tenses do almost all the work in conversation. The presente covers the present and the near future: eu nado — I swim. The pretérito perfeito is the finished past, the English simple past: eu nadei — I swam. The pretérito imperfeito is for habits, background and how things used to be: eu nadava — I used to swim / was swimming.
Said the Rio way, nado sounds like NAH-doo. The nós form nadamos ends in the carioca “sh”, nah-DAH-moosh — the most recognisable sound of the Rio accent, where São Paulo says a plain s.
Presente — present tense
| Person | Form | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| eu | nadoI swim | NAH-doo | Eu nado na praia de manhã. |
| você / ele / ela | nadayou swim | NAH-dah | Você nada bem? |
| nós | nadamoswe swim | nah-DAH-moosh | Nós nadamos na piscina todo dia. |
| vocês / eles / elas | nadamyou all swim | NAH-dahng | Vocês nadam no mar? |
Pretérito Perfeito — simple past
| Person | Form | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| eu | nadeiI swam | nah-DAY | Eu nadei na piscina ontem. |
| você / ele / ela | nadouyou swam | nah-DOH | Você nadou no mar? |
| nós | nadamoswe swam | nah-DAH-moosh | Nós nadamos no clube. |
| vocês / eles / elas | nadaramyou all swam | nah-DAH-rahng | Vocês nadaram de manhã? |
Pretérito Imperfeito — past habitual, “used to”
| Person | Form | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| eu | nadavaI used to swim / was swimming | nah-DAH-vah | Eu nadava na piscina do clube. |
| você / ele / ela | nadavayou used to swim / were swimming | nah-DAH-vah | Você nadava no mar quando era criança? |
| nós | nadávamoswe used to swim / were swimming | nah-DAH-vah-moosh | Nós nadávamos todo verão. |
| vocês / eles / elas | nadavamyou all used to swim / were swimming | nah-DAH-vahng | Vocês nadavam na lagoa? |
More “Rotina e lazer” verbs
- comer to eat
- beber to drink
- tomar to take (a shower, a coffee, medicine)
- cozinhar to cook
- almoçar to have lunch
- jantar to have dinner
- assistir to watch
- escutar to listen (actively)
- dançar to dance
- viajar to travel
- descansar to rest
- praticar to practice
- treinar to train
- curtir to enjoy (slang)
- aproveitar to make the most of, to take advantage of
- frequentar to attend, to go regularly
- jogar to play (sports), to throw
- torcer to root for, to cheer (for a team)
- brincar to play (kids), to joke
- passear to go for a walk, to stroll
- ganhar to win, to earn
- perder to lose