40+ Common Spanish Summer Words

Summer is many people’s favorite time of year. You’ve got your vacation planned, love the beach and have been working on your tan. You’ve been dreaming about the warm sand, crashing waves, sunny skies and even the sand castles. What could be better?

Well, being able to talk about it in Spanish. In this post you’ll learn over 40 useful Spanish summer words to help you talk about your favorite season.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Summer Clothing and Accessories in Spanish

• El bañador /  traje de baño — Bathing suit
• La toalla — Towel
• La crema solar / el bloqueador solar / el protector solar  — Sunblock
• Las gafas de sol / los lentes de sol  — Sunglasses
• Las chanclas — Flip flops
• Las sandalias — Sandals
• La sombrilla — Umbrella (specifically for sunny weather)
• La tabla de surf / la tabla  — Surfboard
• La cometa — Kite
• El cubo / el balde — Pail
• La pala — Shovel
• El balón de playa / la pelota de playa  — Beach ball

Spanish Beach Vocabulary

• La playa — Beach
• La arena — Sand
• El castillo de arena — Sandcastle
• El sol — Sun
• El salvavidas / la salvavidas  — Lifeguard
• El mar  — Sea
• El océano — Ocean
• El agua — Water
• La marea — Tide
• La marea alta — High tide
• La marea baja — Low tide
• Las olas — Waves
• La orilla — Shore
• La concha — Shell
• La estrella de mar — Starfish
• El cangrejo — Crab
• El pez — Fish (the animal)
• El pescado — Fish (seafood that you eat)
• Las algas — Algae, seaweed
• La medusa — Jellyfish
• La quemadura de sol — Sunburn

Keep in mind that agua is a feminine noun, even though it takes the article el. When you use adjectives to describe it, make sure to make them feminine! For example: El agua está fría. — The water is cold.

This happens because when a feminine noun starts with a, it would be too much of a tongue twister to say la before it.

The more exposure you have to Spanish, the easier you’ll pick up on these nuances—many of which you’ll just pick up rather than actively study.

A handy resource for learning vocabulary and grammar like this in context is FluentU.

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

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Summer Activities in Spanish

• Viajar — To travel
• Tomar el sol — To sunbathe
• Broncearse — To get tan
• Jugar al voleibol — To play volleyball
• Jugar al frisbee / jugar al disco  — To play frisbee
• Nadar  — To swim
• Bañarse — To be in the water, to wade
• Bucear — To dive or snorkel
• Hacer surf — To go surfing
• Surfear — To surf
• Pescar — To fish
• Estar fuera — To be outside
• Hacer un picnic — To have a picnic
• Pasar tiempo con … — To spend time with…
• Las vacaciones de verano — Summer vacation (i.e. from school)
• El veraneo — Summer vacation (traveling)

Tips to Practice Summer Words

Use new vocabulary often

One of the best ways to improve your vocabulary is by using new words frequently. Use your favorite flashcard app or try to use the words daily by keeping a journal or talking to yourself. You might also consider getting a Spanish pen pal to write to.

Use online resources related to seasons

If you’d like to hear some of these words in context, the BBC offers great resources for Spanish learners—including this lesson on Spanish beach phrases.

Play summer games with your new vocabulary

Here are some fun summer games that you can play while you sunbathe or wade in the water:

• I spy — In Spain, this classic game is called Veo, Veo (I see, I see). Choose something that you see on the beach and have your partner (or group) ask questions about it—in Spanish, of course! The questions must be answered with yes or no, and the players keep asking until they guess your object. (Tip: If you’re unclear about questions in Spanish, check out an article on the subject here!)
• Same letter — Give a vocabulary word for something you see on the beach. Whatever letter your word ends with, the next person will have to say a word that starts with that letter. For example, if you say playa (beach), the next person could say algas (algae), then the next person could say sol (sun) and so on.
• What’s in my beach bag? — This memory game gets tougher and tougher as you play it. The first player says En mi bolsa de playa hay un/una… (In my beach bag there is a…) with a vocabulary word after it. Each player has to add something to the beach bag and also remember all the previous words that have been said. When someone forgets, everyone starts over. See how long you can go without forgetting!
• Pictionary — This game is great when you’re tired of snorkeling and swimming and just feel like relaxing on your towel. Draw a picture of a summer vocabulary word until your partner only guesses it, communicating in Spanish. For a more difficult challenge, use a combination of adjectives, verbs and nouns.

With these 40+ Spanish summer words, you’ll be equipped to enjoy el verano (summer) in Spanish with ease.

Be sure to pack them for your next vacation and, in the meantime, practice them frequently to make sure they’re at the front of your mind.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

And One More Thing…

If you've made it this far that means you probably enjoy learning Spanish with engaging material and will then love FluentU.

Other sites use scripted content. FluentU uses a natural approach that helps you ease into the Spanish language and culture over time. You’ll learn Spanish as it’s actually spoken by real people.

FluentU has a wide variety of videos, as you can see here:

FluentU brings native videos within reach with interactive transcripts. You can tap on any word to look it up instantly. Every definition has examples that have been written to help you understand how the word is used. If you see an interesting word you don’t know, you can add it to a vocab list.

Review a complete interactive transcript under the Dialogue tab, and find words and phrases listed under Vocab.

Learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentU’s robust learning engine. Swipe left or right to see more examples of the word you’re on.

The best part is that FluentU keeps track of the vocabulary that you’re learning, and gives you extra practice with difficult words. It'll even remind you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. Every learner has a truly personalized experience, even if they’re learning with the same video.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)