Question

Updated on 11 Feb 2023

csibi

7 February

Hungarian

English (US)

Question about English (US)

How do you say this in English (US)? How can I say:
-I was swimming when I was 6.
-I swam when I was 6.
-I used to swim.
If I tell somebody my sport carrier.

Answers

lavenderblossom14

7 February

English (US)

I used to swim can be said.

csibi

7 February

Hungarian

@lavenderblossom14 all the others are wrong?

lavenderblossom14

7 February

English (US)

yes, they are a little.

you could say that

- I used to swim when I was 6
- I Iearned how to swim when I was 6

if you want to tell your sports career I would recommend saying the last sentence. but, it's upto you

newenglandgenie

7 February

English (US)

I was swimming when I was six ✅
I swam when I was six ✅ but doesn’t make much sense
I used to swim when I was six ✅ but also doesn’t really make much sense

Best as:

I learned how to swim when I was six.
By the age of six, I was already swimming.

Highly-rated answerer

marian333

7 February

Polish

@lavenderblossom14 "Used to swim"? 🤔 Does it not mean that you once swam but you don't anymore?

csibi

7 February

Hungarian

@newenglandgenie and if I could swim at the age of 6 and just want to tell somebody ;when I was 6 I went to swim as a hobby 3 times a week?Is it good:I was swmimmong when I was 6?

newenglandgenie

7 February

English (US)

In this case, you can say

When I was six, one of my hobbies was swimming.

Highly-rated answerer

Caboose

8 February

English (US)

As you're describing a sports career, the best option would be "I was a swimmer when I was 6." to sound natural to a native speaker and to portray your point as simply as possible.

However, the options you provided aren't really incorrect. They just require a bit of additional context, as in "I was swimming on a team when I was 6."/”I swam on a team when I was 6.”/”I used to swim on a team."

You aren't far off from what a native speaker would readily recognize. Just need an extra tidbit due to swimming being a normal hobby/recreational activity in the US. The difference between swimming for sport rather than recreation just needs to be provided in the context for cultural reasons.

Good job on your learning so far!

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How do you say this in English (US)? How can I say:
-I was swimming when I was 6.
-I swam when I was 6.
-I used to swim.
If I tell somebody my sport carrier.

How do you say this in English (US)? How can I say:-I was swimming when I was 6.-I swam when I was 6.-I used to swim.If I tell somebody my sport carrier. See a translation

I used to swim can be said.

yes, they are a little.you could say that - I used to swim when I was 6- I Iearned how to swim when I was 6 if you want to tell your sports career I would recommend saying the last sentence. but, it's upto you

I was swimming when I was six ✅I swam when I was six ✅ but doesn’t make much sense I used to swim when I was six ✅ but also doesn’t really make much sense Best as:I learned how to swim when I was six. By the age of six, I was already swimming.

@lavenderblossom14 "Used to swim"? 🤔 Does it not mean that you once swam but you don't anymore?

In this case, you can say When I was six, one of my hobbies was swimming.

How do you say this in English (US)? How can I say:
-I was swimming when I was 6.
-I swam when I was 6.
-I used to swim.
If I tell somebody my sport carrier.

yes, they are a little.

you could say that

- I used to swim when I was 6
- I Iearned how to swim when I was 6

if you want to tell your sports career I would recommend saying the last sentence. but, it's upto you

I was swimming when I was six ✅
I swam when I was six ✅ but doesn’t make much sense
I used to swim when I was six ✅ but also doesn’t really make much sense

Best as:

I learned how to swim when I was six.
By the age of six, I was already swimming.

In this case, you can say

When I was six, one of my hobbies was swimming.