How to Say "breathing" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “breathing” is “respiración” — use 'respiración' when referring to the noun 'breathing' as a natural process or a state, like 'my breathing' or 'difficult breathing'..
respiración
Examples
Después de correr, mi respiración estaba muy agitada.
After running, my breathing was very heavy.
respirando
reh-spee-RAHN-doh/res.piˈɾan.do/
Examples
El corredor está respirando profundamente después de la carrera.
The runner is breathing deeply after the race.
Llegó a la cima de la montaña, respirando con dificultad.
He arrived at the top of the mountain, breathing with difficulty.
Ella pasó la tarde respirando el aire fresco del mar.
She spent the afternoon breathing the fresh sea air.
Forming Continuous Actions
The '-ando' ending (the gerund) is used to show an action happening right now. You must combine it with the verb 'estar' (to be): 'El perro está respirando' (The dog is breathing).
Describing How an Action Happens
You can use 'respirando' to describe how someone does something else, acting like an adverb: 'Habla respirando hondo' (He speaks breathing deeply).
Mixing 'Ser' and 'Estar'
Mistake: “El paciente es respirando.”
Correction: El paciente está respirando. Remember, use 'estar' for temporary actions that are in progress.
Forgetting the 'ar' rule
Mistake: “Estamos respiriendo.”
Correction: Estamos respirando. Verbs that end in '-ar' always take the '-ando' ending for the continuous form.
respiratorio
/rres-pee-rah-toh-ryoh//respiɾaˈtoɾjo/
Examples
El sistema respiratorio nos permite obtener oxígeno.
The respiratory system allows us to get oxygen.
Ella tiene una alergia respiratoria durante la primavera.
She has a respiratory allergy during the spring.
Los médicos estudian las enfermedades respiratorias crónicas.
Doctors study chronic respiratory diseases.
Matching the Noun
Since this is a describing word, its ending must change to match the thing it describes. Use 'respiratorio' for masculine words (el sistema) and 'respiratoria' for feminine words (la vía).
Word Placement
In Spanish, this word almost always comes after the noun it describes, unlike in English where 'respiratory' comes before.
Describing the machine
Mistake: “El paciente necesita un respiratorio.”
Correction: El paciente necesita un respirador.
Noun vs. Verb Form
Related Translations
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