🏖️ Beaches

⏱ 15 min read

In this lesson you will learn useful everyday English vocabulary and expressions for talking about the beach, the ocean, swimming, summer activities, and spending a day by the sea. Each English word or phrase includes a simple meaning plus translations in several languages.

🟢 Basic Beach Vocabulary

🏖️ Beach
sand next to the sea
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Playa
🇫🇷 French: Plage
🇩🇪 German: Strand
🇮🇹 Italian: Spiaggia
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Praia
🌊 Wave
moving water that rises and falls
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Ola
🇫🇷 French: Vague
🇩🇪 German: Welle
🇮🇹 Italian: Onda
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Onda
☀️ Sun
the bright star that gives heat and light
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Sol
🇫🇷 French: Soleil
🇩🇪 German: Sonne
🇮🇹 Italian: Sole
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Sol
🏝️ Island
land with water all around it
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Isla
🇫🇷 French: Île
🇩🇪 German: Insel
🇮🇹 Italian: Isola
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Ilha
🏄 Surfboard
a board used to ride waves
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Tabla de surf
🇫🇷 French: Planche de surf
🇩🇪 German: Surfbrett
🇮🇹 Italian: Tavola da surf
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Prancha de surf
🩴 Sandals
open shoes for warm weather
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Sandalias
🇫🇷 French: Sandales
🇩🇪 German: Sandalen
🇮🇹 Italian: Sandali
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Sandálias

🟡 Ocean & Summer Vocabulary

🌊 Sea
a large body of salt water
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Mar
🇫🇷 French: Mer
🇩🇪 German: Meer
🇮🇹 Italian: Mare
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Mar
🧴 Sunscreen
cream that protects your skin from the sun
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Protector solar
🇫🇷 French: Crème solaire
🇩🇪 German: Sonnencreme
🇮🇹 Italian: Crema solare
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Protetor solar
🏐 Beach volleyball
volleyball played on sand
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Vóleibol de playa
🇫🇷 French: Beach-volley
🇩🇪 German: Beachvolleyball
🇮🇹 Italian: Beach volley
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Voleibol de praia
🐚 Shell
a hard covering from a sea animal
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Concha
🇫🇷 French: Coquillage
🇩🇪 German: Muschel
🇮🇹 Italian: Conchiglia
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Concha
🌴 Palm tree
a tall tree often found near beaches
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Palmera
🇫🇷 French: Palmier
🇩🇪 German: Palme
🇮🇹 Italian: Palma
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Palmeira
🩱 Swimsuit
clothes you wear for swimming
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Traje de baño
🇫🇷 French: Maillot de bain
🇩🇪 German: Badeanzug / Badehose
🇮🇹 Italian: Costume da bagno
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Fato de banho / Maiô

🔵 Beach & Ocean Activities

🏊 To swim
to move through water using your body
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Nadar
🇫🇷 French: Nager
🇩🇪 German: Schwimmen
🇮🇹 Italian: Nuotare
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Nadar
🏄 To surf
to ride waves on a board
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Surfear / Hacer surf
🇫🇷 French: Faire du surf
🇩🇪 German: Surfen
🇮🇹 Italian: Fare surf
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Surfar
☀️ To sunbathe
to sit or lie in the sun
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Tomar el sol
🇫🇷 French: Prendre le soleil
🇩🇪 German: Sonnenbaden
🇮🇹 Italian: Prendere il sole
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Tomar sol
🧴 To put on sunscreen
to apply cream that protects your skin
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Ponerse protector solar
🇫🇷 French: Mettre de la crème solaire
🇩🇪 German: Sonnencreme auftragen
🇮🇹 Italian: Mettersi la crema solare
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Aplicar protetor solar
🏐 To play beach volleyball
to play volleyball on the sand
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Jugar al vóleibol de playa
🇫🇷 French: Jouer au beach-volley
🇩🇪 German: Beachvolleyball spielen
🇮🇹 Italian: Giocare a beach volley
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Jogar voleibol de praia
🐚 To collect shells
to pick up shells from the sand
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Recoger conchas
🇫🇷 French: Ramasser des coquillages
🇩🇪 German: Muscheln sammeln
🇮🇹 Italian: Raccogliere conchiglie
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Apanhar conchas

🧠 Talking About the Beach and Ocean

💡 Use go to the beach to talk about going to the beach.
We're going to the beach tomorrow.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Vamos a la playa mañana.
🇫🇷 Nous allons à la plage demain.
🇩🇪 Wir gehen morgen an den Strand.
🇮🇹 Andiamo in spiaggia domani.
🇵🇹 Vamos à praia amanhã.
My friends go to the beach on weekends.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Mis amigos van a la playa los fines de semana.
🇫🇷 Mes amis vont à la plage le week-end.
🇩🇪 Meine Freunde gehen am Wochenende an den Strand.
🇮🇹 I miei amici vanno in spiaggia nei weekend.
🇵🇹 Os meus amigos vão à praia nos fins de semana.
💡 Use it's to describe certain weather conditions, including hot and sunny beach days.
It's very hot today.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Hoy hace mucho calor.
🇫🇷 Il fait très chaud aujourd'hui.
🇩🇪 Es ist heute sehr heiß.
🇮🇹 Fa molto caldo oggi.
🇵🇹 Está muito calor hoje.
The weather is nice for going to the beach.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Hace buen tiempo para ir a la playa.
🇫🇷 Il fait beau pour aller à la plage.
🇩🇪 Das Wetter ist schön, um an den Strand zu gehen.
🇮🇹 C'è bel tempo per andare in spiaggia.
🇵🇹 Está bom tempo para ir à praia.
💡 Use like + -ing to talk about beach and ocean activities you enjoy.
I like swimming in the sea.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Me gusta nadar en el mar.
🇫🇷 J'aime nager dans la mer.
🇩🇪 Ich schwimme gerne im Meer.
🇮🇹 Mi piace nuotare nel mare.
🇵🇹 Gosto de nadar no mar.
We like walking along the beach at sunset.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Nos gusta caminar por la playa al atardecer.
🇫🇷 Nous aimons marcher sur la plage au coucher du soleil.
🇩🇪 Wir gehen gerne bei Sonnenuntergang am Strand spazieren.
🇮🇹 Ci piace camminare sulla spiaggia al tramonto.
🇵🇹 Gostamos de caminhar pela praia ao pôr do sol.

❓ Useful Beach & Ocean Questions

🏖️ Where is the nearest beach?
asking how close the closest beach is
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Dónde está la playa más cercana?
🇫🇷 French: Où se trouve la plage la plus proche ?
🇩🇪 German: Wo ist der nächste Strand?
🇮🇹 Italian: Dov'è la spiaggia più vicina?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Onde fica a praia mais próxima?
🏊 Can you swim here?
asking if swimming is allowed in this water
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Se puede nadar aquí?
🇫🇷 French: Peut-on nager ici ?
🇩🇪 German: Kann man hier schwimmen?
🇮🇹 Italian: Si può nuotare qui?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pode-se nadar aqui?
🌊 How are the waves today?
asking if the waves are big or small
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Cómo están las olas hoy?
🇫🇷 French: Comment sont les vagues aujourd'hui ?
🇩🇪 German: Wie sind die Wellen heute?
🇮🇹 Italian: Come sono le onde oggi?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Como estão as ondas hoje?
🧴 Did you bring sunscreen?
asking if someone packed sun cream
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Trajiste protector solar?
🇫🇷 French: As-tu apporté de la crème solaire ?
🇩🇪 German: Hast du Sonnencreme mitgebracht?
🇮🇹 Italian: Hai portato la crema solare?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Trouxeste protetor solar?

💬 Common Beach Phrases

🏖️ We're going to spend the day at a beach that's close to here.
we will stay at a nearby beach all day
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Vamos a pasar el día en una playa que está cerca de aquí.
🇫🇷 French: Nous allons passer la journée sur une plage qui est près d'ici.
🇩🇪 German: Wir werden den Tag an einem Strand verbringen, der hier in der Nähe liegt.
🇮🇹 Italian: Passeremo la giornata su una spiaggia che è vicina a qui.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Vamos passar o dia numa praia que fica perto daqui.
☀️ It's so hot that I'm going to look for a place in the shade.
I need a cooler spot out of the sun
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Hace tanto calor que voy a buscar un lugar a la sombra.
🇫🇷 French: Il fait tellement chaud que je vais chercher un endroit à l'ombre.
🇩🇪 German: Es ist so heiß, dass ich einen schattigen Platz suchen werde.
🇮🇹 Italian: Fa così caldo che andrò a cercare un posto all'ombra.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Está tanto calor que vou procurar um sítio à sombra.
🏊 The water is perfect for going for a swim.
the sea feels good for swimming now
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: El agua está perfecta para darse un baño.
🇫🇷 French: L'eau est parfaite pour se baigner.
🇩🇪 German: Das Wasser ist perfekt zum Baden.
🇮🇹 Italian: L'acqua è perfetta per fare un bagno.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: A água está perfeita para dar um mergulho.
🧴 Don't forget to put on sunscreen before going out in the sun.
remember to protect your skin first
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: No olvides ponerte protector solar antes de salir al sol.
🇫🇷 French: N'oublie pas de mettre de la crème solaire avant de sortir au soleil.
🇩🇪 German: Vergiss nicht, Sonnencreme aufzutragen, bevor du in die Sonne gehst.
🇮🇹 Italian: Non dimenticare di metterti la crema solare prima di uscire al sole.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Não te esqueças de aplicar protetor solar antes de saíres ao sol.

💬 Everyday Conversations

Planning a day at the beach
suggesting a full day at the beach with food
A: How about going to the beach tomorrow morning?
B: Sounds good. We can bring something to eat and spend the whole day there.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 A: ¿Qué te parece si vamos a la playa mañana por la mañana?
🇪🇸 B: Me parece bien. Podemos llevar algo de comer y pasar allí todo el día.

🇫🇷 A: Ça te dit d'aller à la plage demain matin ?
🇫🇷 B: Ça me va. On peut apporter de quoi manger et y passer toute la journée.

🇩🇪 A: Was hältst du davon, morgen früh an den Strand zu gehen?
🇩🇪 B: Klingt gut. Wir können etwas zu essen mitnehmen und den ganzen Tag dort verbringen.

🇮🇹 A: Che ne dici di andare in spiaggia domani mattina?
🇮🇹 B: Mi sembra bene. Possiamo portare qualcosa da mangiare e passarci tutta la giornata.

🇵🇹 A: Que tal se formos à praia amanhã de manhã?
🇵🇹 B: Parece-me bem. Podemos levar alguma coisa para comer e passar lá o dia todo.
Getting ready to swim
putting on sunscreen before entering the water
A: Are you going to get in the water?
B: Yes, but first I'm going to put on sunscreen.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 A: ¿Vas a meterte en el agua?
🇪🇸 B: Sí, pero primero voy a ponerme protector solar.

🇫🇷 A: Tu vas entrer dans l'eau ?
🇫🇷 B: Oui, mais d'abord je vais mettre de la crème solaire.

🇩🇪 A: Gehst du ins Wasser?
🇩🇪 B: Ja, aber zuerst trage ich Sonnencreme auf.

🇮🇹 A: Entri in acqua?
🇮🇹 B: Sì, ma prima mi metto la crema solare.

🇵🇹 A: Vais entrar na água?
🇵🇹 B: Sim, mas primeiro vou aplicar protetor solar.

📝 Example Sentences

🌊 The waves were quite high, so we stayed close to the shore.
the water was rough, so we did not go far
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Las olas estaban bastante altas, así que nos quedamos cerca de la orilla.
🇫🇷 French: Les vagues étaient assez hautes, donc nous sommes restés près du rivage.
🇩🇪 German: Die Wellen waren ziemlich hoch, also sind wir in der Nähe des Ufers geblieben.
🇮🇹 Italian: Le onde erano piuttosto alte, quindi siamo rimasti vicino alla riva.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: As ondas estavam bastante altas, por isso ficámos perto da margem.
🌴 We found a quiet spot under the palm trees to take a break from the sun.
we rested in the shade of the trees
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Encontramos un sitio tranquilo bajo las palmeras para descansar del sol.
🇫🇷 French: Nous avons trouvé un endroit calme sous les palmiers pour nous reposer du soleil.
🇩🇪 German: Wir haben einen ruhigen Platz unter den Palmen gefunden, um uns vor der Sonne zu erholen.
🇮🇹 Italian: Abbiamo trovato un posto tranquillo sotto le palme per riposarci dal sole.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Encontrámos um sítio tranquilo debaixo das palmeiras para descansar do sol.
🏄 My brother gets up early to surf when there are good waves.
he wakes early so he can ride the waves
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Mi hermano se levanta temprano para hacer surf cuando hay buenas olas.
🇫🇷 French: Mon frère se lève tôt pour faire du surf quand il y a de bonnes vagues.
🇩🇪 German: Mein Bruder steht früh auf, um zu surfen, wenn es gute Wellen gibt.
🇮🇹 Italian: Mio fratello si alza presto per fare surf quando ci sono buone onde.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: O meu irmão levanta-se cedo para surfar quando há boas ondas.
🐚 The children found several shells while walking along the shore.
they picked up shells as they walked
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Los niños encontraron varias conchas mientras caminaban por la orilla.
🇫🇷 French: Les enfants ont trouvé plusieurs coquillages en marchant le long du rivage.
🇩🇪 German: Die Kinder haben mehrere Muscheln gefunden, während sie am Ufer entlangliefen.
🇮🇹 Italian: I bambini hanno trovato diverse conchiglie mentre camminavano lungo la riva.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: As crianças encontraram várias conchas enquanto caminhavam pela margem.
🏐 After swimming, we played a game of beach volleyball with some friends.
we swam first, then played volleyball
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Después de nadar, jugamos un partido de vóleibol de playa con unos amigos.
🇫🇷 French: Après avoir nagé, nous avons joué un match de beach-volley avec des amis.
🇩🇪 German: Nach dem Schwimmen haben wir mit ein paar Freunden ein Spiel Beachvolleyball gespielt.
🇮🇹 Italian: Dopo aver nuotato, abbiamo giocato una partita di beach volley con alcuni amici.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Depois de nadar, jogámos um jogo de voleibol de praia com alguns amigos.
🌅 We stayed by the sea until the sun began to set.
we remained at the beach until sunset
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Nos quedamos junto al mar hasta que el sol empezó a ponerse.
🇫🇷 French: Nous sommes restés près de la mer jusqu'à ce que le soleil commence à se coucher.
🇩🇪 German: Wir sind am Meer geblieben, bis die Sonne unterzugehen begann.
🇮🇹 Italian: Siamo rimasti vicino al mare finché il sole non ha iniziato a tramontare.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Ficámos junto ao mar até o sol começar a pôr-se.

🏆 Final Practice

English in the Real World:

Read the situation. Choose the best word or phrase from the lesson.
Question 1 of 8
✅ Correct: 0
❓ Questions: 0
🎯 Accuracy: 0%