respirar Present Conjugation
respirar — to breathe
The present tense of respirar (respiro) describes habitual actions, things happening now, and general truths.
respirar Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present tense for actions you do regularly, things that are happening at this very moment, or general facts about breathing. It's the most common tense.
Notes on respirar in the Present
Respirar is regular in the present indicative. All endings follow the standard -ar pattern.
Example Sentences
Yo respiro aire fresco cada mañana.
I breathe fresh air every morning.
yo
¿Tú respiras con dificultad?
Do you breathe with difficulty?
tú
Él respira muy profundo cuando duerme.
He breathes very deeply when he sleeps.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros respiramos tranquilamente en la naturaleza.
We breathe calmly in nature.
nosotros
Ellos respiran por la nariz.
They breathe through their nose.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the present progressive for habitual actions.
Correct: For 'I breathe air', say 'Yo respiro aire', not 'Yo estoy respirando aire'.
Why: The present progressive ('estar' + gerund) is for actions in progress *right now*, not habits.
Mistake: Incorrect endings for 'vosotros'.
Correct: The correct form is 'respiráis', not 'respiran' or 'respiráis'.
Why: The vosotros form always ends in -áis for regular -ar verbs.
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: respiré
The preterite of respirar (respiré) indicates completed past actions.
Imperfect
yo: respiraba
The imperfect tense of respirar (respiraba) describes ongoing or habitual past actions and sets the scene.
Future
yo: respiraré
The future tense of respirar (respiraré) indicates actions that will happen or expresses probability.
Conditional
yo: respiraría
The conditional of respirar (respiraría) expresses hypotheticals ('would breathe'), polite requests, or future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: respire
The present subjunctive of respirar (respire) is used for wishes, doubts, emotions, and after certain conjunctions.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: respirara
The imperfect subjunctive of respirar (respirara/respirase) expresses past hypotheticals, wishes, or doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: respira
Use the imperative of respirar for direct commands: respira (tú), respire (usted), respiremos (nosotros), respiren (ustedes), respirad (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no respires
Negative commands for respirar use the present subjunctive: no respires (tú), no respire (usted), no respiremos (nosotros), no respiren (ustedes), no respiréis (vosotros).