I Don’t Like Swimming in Spanish | Say It Naturally And Politely

In Spanish, “No me gusta nadar” is the standard way to say you don’t like swimming, and it sounds normal in daily talk.

You’re trying to say one simple thing: swimming isn’t your thing. Spanish can do that cleanly, with zero awkwardness, if you pick the right structure.

The good news: the most common phrasing is short, flexible, and easy to reuse with other hobbies. Once you get it, you’ll start building your own sentences on autopilot.

What you’re saying in Spanish, not word-for-word

English is built around “I like X.” Spanish often flips that idea. A more literal sense is “X is pleasing to me.” That’s why the grammar feels “backwards” at first.

So when you say “I don’t like swimming,” Spanish usually frames it as “Swimming doesn’t please me.” You don’t need to say it that way in your head, but it helps the structure click.

Saying you don’t enjoy swimming in Spanish with tact

Most of the time, the best translation is:

No me gusta nadar.

That line works in casual chat, travel talk, school Spanish, and polite small talk. It’s direct, not rude, and it doesn’t sound stiff.

Why this is the default

Spanish uses gustar to express likes and dislikes. In the common pattern, the “thing” you like is the grammatical subject, and the person is shown with an indirect object pronoun (me/te/le/nos/os/les). The RAE’s entry on “gustar” lays out this normal construction and when it appears in real usage.

Two close alternatives you’ll also hear

No me gusta la natación. This sounds a bit more “topic-like,” as in the sport or activity as a category.

No me gusta nadar mucho. This softens it. It can mean you’re not into it, without sounding like you hate it.

When to use “nadar” vs “la natación”

Spanish gives you two clean routes:

• nadar (infinitive) = the act of swimming
• la natación (noun) = swimming as an activity/sport

If you’re talking about doing it, pick nadar. If you mean the sport in general, pick la natación. The verb nadar is “to swim,” and the official dictionary definition is listed in the RAE’s definition of “nadar”.

Quick vibe check

No me gusta nadar feels like: “I don’t like swimming (as something I do).”

No me gusta la natación feels like: “I’m not into swimming (as a sport/interest).”

How to make it sound natural in real conversation

The base sentence is fine, yet daily speech often adds a small detail: where, when, or why. That’s where you sound fluent-fast, even as a beginner.

Common add-ons that stay friendly

• No me gusta nadar en el mar. (I don’t like swimming in the sea.)
• No me gusta nadar en piscinas frías. (I don’t like swimming in cold pools.)
• No me gusta nadar de noche. (I don’t like swimming at night.)
• No me gusta nadar cuando hay mucha gente. (I don’t like swimming when it’s crowded.)

Softening the edge

If you want to sound less absolute, Spanish has easy cushions:

• No me gusta mucho nadar. (I don’t like swimming that much.)
• No me gusta tanto nadar. (I don’t like swimming that much.)
• No me gusta nadar tanto como antes. (I don’t like swimming as much as before.)

These can save you in social moments when someone invites you to swim and you want to decline without sounding blunt.

Pronunciation that won’t trip you up

You don’t need perfect accent marks to be understood, but a couple of sounds matter.

No me gusta nadar

• gusta often sounds like “GOOS-tah” (with a soft “g” in many accents)
• nadar ends with a tapped r; it’s light, not the English “r”

If you want a reliable meaning check for gustar across contexts, the Cambridge Dictionary entry for “gustar” shows common translations and senses used in practice.

Common mistakes that make the sentence sound off

These errors pop up a lot when English patterns sneak in.

Mistake 1: Using “yo” like it’s required

Yo no gusto nadar is not the standard idea you want. Spanish doesn’t use gustar that way for preferences.

Stick with No me gusta nadar. The pronoun me already tells you who feels it.

Mistake 2: Forgetting “me”

No gusta nadar sounds incomplete in most normal situations. You’re missing who feels the dislike.

Mistake 3: Mixing up “gusta” and “gustan”

Use gusta with one thing or an infinitive. Use gustan with plural nouns.

No me gusta nadar. (infinitive → singular)

No me gustan las piscinas frías. (plural noun → plural)

Phrase options you can swap in, depending on tone

“No me gusta nadar” is the clean default, yet you might want different flavor. Some lines sound more formal, some more casual, some more specific.

Polite and neutral

• No me gusta nadar.
• No me gusta la natación.
• Prefiero no nadar. (I’d rather not swim.)

Casual and chatty

• No soy de nadar. (I’m not really a swimmer.)
• No me va nadar. (Swimming isn’t my thing.)

These are more conversational and can vary by region. If you’re learning for travel, keep No me gusta nadar as your anchor and treat these as bonus lines.

More specific, less absolute

• No me gusta nadar en agua fría.
• No me gusta nadar en el mar.
• No me gusta nadar si hay olas.

Table of ready-to-use versions

This table gives you options that cover most real situations: refusing an invite, sharing a preference, or adding a detail so it sounds natural.

Spanish phrase	Natural meaning	Best use
No me gusta nadar.	I don’t like swimming.	Default, works everywhere.
No me gusta la natación.	I don’t like swimming as a sport/activity.	Talking about interests in general.
No me gusta mucho nadar.	I don’t like swimming that much.	Soft refusal, friendly tone.
Prefiero no nadar.	I’d rather not swim.	Declining plans without debating taste.
No me gusta nadar en el mar.	I don’t like swimming in the sea.	Specific dislike, not general.
No me gusta nadar en agua fría.	I don’t like swimming in cold water.	Explaining the “why” in one line.
No soy de nadar.	I’m not much of a swimmer.	Casual chat, lighter mood.
No me gustan las piscinas.	I don’t like pools.	Plural “gustan” pattern practice.

How to build the sentence fast with the “gustar” pattern

Once you know the pattern, you can swap the activity and keep everything else the same.

The core pieces

• No = not
• me = to me
• gusta = is pleasing
• nadar = to swim

If you want a clear, official explanation of how pronouns sit with gustar in typical usage, the Centro Virtual Cervantes note on “Me gusta…” talks through the pronoun placement that learners stumble on.

Swap “nadar” for other activities

• No me gusta correr. (I don’t like running.)
• No me gusta cocinar. (I don’t like cooking.)
• No me gusta bailar. (I don’t like dancing.)

Same structure every time. That’s why this one sentence is worth learning well.

Table of pronouns with swimming examples

This is the quickest way to say who likes or dislikes swimming, without changing the verb much at all.

Who feels it	Spanish	English
I	No me gusta nadar.	I don’t like swimming.
You (informal)	No te gusta nadar.	You don’t like swimming.
He / she / you (formal)	No le gusta nadar.	He/She/You don’t like swimming.
We	No nos gusta nadar.	We don’t like swimming.
You (plural, Spain)	No os gusta nadar.	You all don’t like swimming.
They / you all	No les gusta nadar.	They/You all don’t like swimming.

Mini scripts you can use right away

Here are short, natural exchanges that come up a lot: invitations, preferences, and quick explanations.

Declining an invite

¿Vienes a nadar?
No, gracias. No me gusta nadar.

Adding a reason without overexplaining

¿Por qué no?
No me gusta nadar en agua fría.

Keeping it friendly

Vamos a la piscina.
Yo paso. Prefiero no nadar.

One last check before you use it

If you want the safest, most widely understood line, stick with No me gusta nadar. It’s plain, natural, and works across Spanish-speaking regions.

If you want to sound softer, add mucho or tanto. If you want to be specific, add the place or condition. That’s it.