🏖️ Beaches

⏱ 13 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 translations in Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese.

🟢 Basic Beach Vocabulary

🏖️ Beach

🇪🇸 Spanish: Playa
🇫🇷 French: Plage
🇩🇪 German: Strand
🇮🇹 Italian: Spiaggia
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Praia
🌊 Wave

🇪🇸 Spanish: Ola
🇫🇷 French: Vague
🇩🇪 German: Welle
🇮🇹 Italian: Onda
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Onda
☀️ Sun

🇪🇸 Spanish: Sol
🇫🇷 French: Soleil
🇩🇪 German: Sonne
🇮🇹 Italian: Sole
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Sol
🏝️ Island

🇪🇸 Spanish: Isla
🇫🇷 French: Île
🇩🇪 German: Insel
🇮🇹 Italian: Isola
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Ilha
🏄 Surfboard

🇪🇸 Spanish: Tabla de surf
🇫🇷 French: Planche de surf
🇩🇪 German: Surfbrett
🇮🇹 Italian: Tavola da surf
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Prancha de surf
🩴 Sandals

🇪🇸 Spanish: Sandalias
🇫🇷 French: Sandales
🇩🇪 German: Sandalen
🇮🇹 Italian: Sandali
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Sandálias

🟡 Ocean & Summer Vocabulary

🌊 Sea

🇪🇸 Spanish: Mar
🇫🇷 French: Mer
🇩🇪 German: Meer
🇮🇹 Italian: Mare
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Mar
🧴 Sunscreen

🇪🇸 Spanish: Protector solar
🇫🇷 French: Crème solaire
🇩🇪 German: Sonnencreme
🇮🇹 Italian: Crema solare
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Protetor solar
🏐 Beach volleyball

🇪🇸 Spanish: Vóleibol de playa
🇫🇷 French: Beach-volley
🇩🇪 German: Beachvolleyball
🇮🇹 Italian: Beach volley
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Voleibol de praia
🐚 Shell

🇪🇸 Spanish: Concha
🇫🇷 French: Coquillage
🇩🇪 German: Muschel
🇮🇹 Italian: Conchiglia
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Concha
🌴 Palm tree

🇪🇸 Spanish: Palmera
🇫🇷 French: Palmier
🇩🇪 German: Palme
🇮🇹 Italian: Palma
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Palmeira
🩱 Swimsuit

🇪🇸 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

🇪🇸 Spanish: Nadar
🇫🇷 French: Nager
🇩🇪 German: Schwimmen
🇮🇹 Italian: Nuotare
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Nadar
🏄 To surf

🇪🇸 Spanish: Surfear / Hacer surf
🇫🇷 French: Faire du surf
🇩🇪 German: Surfen
🇮🇹 Italian: Fare surf
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Surfar
☀️ To sunbathe

🇪🇸 Spanish: Tomar el sol
🇫🇷 French: Prendre le soleil
🇩🇪 German: Sonnenbaden
🇮🇹 Italian: Prendere il sole
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Tomar sol
🧴 To put on sunscreen

🇪🇸 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

🇪🇸 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

🇪🇸 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.
🇪🇸 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.
🇪🇸 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.
🇪🇸 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.
🇪🇸 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.
🇪🇸 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.
🇪🇸 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?

🇪🇸 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?

🇪🇸 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?

🇪🇸 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?

🇪🇸 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.

🇪🇸 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.

🇪🇸 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.

🇪🇸 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.

🇪🇸 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

A: How about going to the beach tomorrow morning?
B: Sounds good. We can bring something to eat and spend the whole day there.

🇪🇸 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

A: Are you going to get in the water?
B: Yes, but first I'm going to put on sunscreen.

🇪🇸 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.

🇪🇸 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.

🇪🇸 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.

🇪🇸 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.

🇪🇸 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.

🇪🇸 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.

🇪🇸 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

Try saying each English phrase before pressing play.

  • Where is the nearest beach?
  • We're going to spend the day at the beach.
  • I like swimming in the sea.
  • How are the waves today?
  • Don't forget to put on sunscreen.
  • We like walking along the beach at sunset.