🌊 Ocean
In this section you'll learn useful Spanish vocabulary and everyday expressions for talking about the ocean, the beach, marine animals, and activities by the sea.
🟢 Basic Ocean & Beach Vocabulary
🌊 Ocean → Océano
🌊 Sea → Mar
🏖️ Beach → Playa
🏝️ Sand → Arena
🌊 Wave → Ola
⛵ Boat → Barco
🟡 Marine Life
🐟 Fish → Pez
🦈 Shark → Tiburón
🐬 Dolphin → Delfín
🐳 Whale → Ballena
🦀 Crab → Cangrejo
🐚 Shell / Seashell → Concha
🔵 Beach & Water Vocabulary
🌴 Island → Isla
🌅 Coast → Costa
🤿 To swim → Nadar
🏊 To go swimming → Ir a nadar
⛵ To sail → Navegar
☀️ To sunbathe → Tomar el sol
🧠 Talking About the Ocean & Beach
💡 Both mar and océano refer to large bodies of salt water, but mar is very common in everyday expressions about being at or near the sea.
Vivimos cerca del mar.
We live near the sea.
El barco cruza el océano.
The boat crosses the ocean.
Vivimos cerca del mar.
We live near the sea.
El barco cruza el océano.
The boat crosses the ocean.
💡 Use ir a la playa to talk about going to the beach, and estar en la playa when you are already there.
Vamos a la playa esta tarde.
We're going to the beach this afternoon.
Estamos en la playa con unos amigos.
We're at the beach with some friends.
Vamos a la playa esta tarde.
We're going to the beach this afternoon.
Estamos en la playa con unos amigos.
We're at the beach with some friends.
💡 Use hay to talk about what you can find or see in a place.
Hay muchos barcos cerca de la costa.
There are many boats near the coast.
Hay conchas pequeñas en la arena.
There are small shells in the sand.
Hay muchos barcos cerca de la costa.
There are many boats near the coast.
Hay conchas pequeñas en la arena.
There are small shells in the sand.
💬 Talking About the Ocean & Beach
🏖️ La playa está tranquila esta mañana y hay muy poca gente.
The beach is peaceful this morning and there are very few people.
The beach is peaceful this morning and there are very few people.
🌊 Hoy las olas son bastante grandes, así que vamos a quedarnos cerca de la orilla.
The waves are quite big today, so we're going to stay near the shore.
The waves are quite big today, so we're going to stay near the shore.
🐬 Desde el barco vimos varios delfines nadando juntos.
From the boat, we saw several dolphins swimming together.
From the boat, we saw several dolphins swimming together.
🌅 Nos gusta caminar por la playa cuando empieza a ponerse el sol.
We like walking along the beach when the sun starts to set.
We like walking along the beach when the sun starts to set.
💬 Everyday Conversations
Planning a day at the beach
A: ¿Quieres ir a la playa mañana?
B: Sí. Podemos nadar y después caminar por la orilla.
A: Do you want to go to the beach tomorrow?
B: Yes. We can swim and then walk along the shore.
A: ¿Quieres ir a la playa mañana?
B: Sí. Podemos nadar y después caminar por la orilla.
A: Do you want to go to the beach tomorrow?
B: Yes. We can swim and then walk along the shore.
Seeing dolphins
A: ¡Mira! ¿Esos son delfines?
B: Sí, creo que sí. Están nadando cerca del barco.
A: Look! Are those dolphins?
B: Yes, I think so. They're swimming near the boat.
A: ¡Mira! ¿Esos son delfines?
B: Sí, creo que sí. Están nadando cerca del barco.
A: Look! Are those dolphins?
B: Yes, I think so. They're swimming near the boat.
📝 Example Sentences
🐚 Encontramos varias conchas pequeñas mientras caminábamos por la arena.
We found several small shells while we were walking on the sand.
We found several small shells while we were walking on the sand.
🌴 Desde la parte más alta de la isla se puede ver toda la costa.
From the highest part of the island, you can see the entire coast.
From the highest part of the island, you can see the entire coast.
🐳 La ballena apareció junto al barco y volvió a sumergirse unos segundos después.
The whale appeared beside the boat and submerged again a few seconds later.
The whale appeared beside the boat and submerged again a few seconds later.
🦀 Un pequeño cangrejo salió de debajo de una roca cerca del agua.
A small crab came out from under a rock near the water.
A small crab came out from under a rock near the water.
⛵ Vimos varios barcos regresar a la costa antes del atardecer.
We saw several boats return to the coast before sunset.
We saw several boats return to the coast before sunset.
🏊 Cuando el agua está tranquila, nos gusta nadar temprano por la mañana.
When the water is calm, we like to swim early in the morning.
When the water is calm, we like to swim early in the morning.
🏆 Final Practice
Try saying each phrase before pressing play.
- Vamos a la playa esta tarde.
- Me gusta nadar en el mar.
- Hay muchas conchas en la arena.
- Los delfines están cerca del barco.
- Las olas son bastante grandes hoy.
- Nos gusta caminar por la playa.