Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| aliento | /aˈljento/ | masculine |
| hálito | /ˈalito/ | masculine |
| huelgo | /ˈw̝elɡo/ | masculine |
| vaho | /ˈbao/ | masculine |
| respiración | /respiɾaˈθjon/ /respiɾaˈsjon/ |
feminine |
In Spanish, different words are used depending on whether you are talking about the air itself, the biological process or a specific visual effect. aliento is the most common way to refer to breath in everyday contexts, such as when discussing bad breath or being out of breath. To say someone has bad breath, use the phrase mal aliento. If you are referring to the physiological process of inhaling and exhaling, use respiración. For more specific technical terms, inspiración refers to the act of inhalation, while expiración refers to the act of exhalation.
Which one should you use?
The choice of word depends on your specific meaning: aliento is used for the common concept of breath. respiración refers to the act of breathing or respiration. vaho describes the visible condensation or steam produced by breath in cold air. And hálito is a poetic or literary term for a gentle breath or a wisp of air.
How do you pronounce it?
/aˈljento/
Did you know?
- The term aliento shares a root with the verb alentar, which means 'to encourage' or 'to hearten'.
- While vaho refers to the mist of a breath, it is also the word used for the steam that fogs up a mirror or glasses.
- The word vaho is an onomatopoeic term derived from 'baf', mimicking the sound of a puff of air.
Examples in context
- Me quedé sin aliento.I ran out of breath.This sentence shows how to express being out of breath using aliento.Tatoeba #451651 by Shishir, translation #259206 by CK
- Tom tiene mal aliento.Tom has bad breath.This sentence demonstrates the standard way to describe bad breath using aliento.Tatoeba #1214287 by marcelostockle, translation #1093697 by CK
- Él me dejó sin aliento.He took my breath away.This sentence shows how to use aliento in the expression for being taken aback or breathless.Tatoeba #4712257 by DarkHollow, translation #2929404 by Hybrid
- Toma una respiración profundaTake a deep breath.
- Su aliento huele mal.His breath smells bad.
- Ella tomó un suspiro profundo antes de hablar.She took a long breath before speaking.
- 56 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Alejandro are finished with a long run in the park.
- LucíaRecupera tu aliento antes de seguir.Catch your breath before we continue.
- AlejandroSí, apenas puedo recuperar el aliento.Yes, I can barely catch my breath.
- LucíaEs normal, el ejercicio es intenso.It is normal, the exercise is intense.
- AlejandroYa estoy mejor, vamos.I am better now, let's go.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “breath” translations and entries aliento, hálito, huelgo, vaho, respiración, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aliento, huelgo, hálito, vaho, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
