How to Say "to breathe" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “to breathe” is “respirar” — A1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
Examples
Necesito salir; no puedo respirar bien en esta habitación.
I need to go outside; I can't breathe well in this room.
El doctor le dijo que respire profundamente.
The doctor told him to breathe deeply.
El bebé respira tranquilamente mientras duerme.
The baby is breathing calmly while sleeping.
A Regular Verb
Respirar is a perfectly regular verb, which means it follows the standard pattern for all verbs ending in -ar. If you know how to conjugate 'hablar' (to talk), you know 'respirar'!
Confusing 'respirar' and 'alentar'
Mistake: “Using 'alentar' when you mean 'to breathe'.”
Correction: 'Alentar' means 'to encourage' or 'to cheer on.' Always use 'respirar' for the physical act of breathing.
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