respirar aire
/respiɾaɾ aiɾe/from spelling rules
To breathe air in Spanish is respirar aire.
This phrase is used to describe the act of taking air into the lungs and letting it out again. In many contexts where an English speaker would say 'breathe air', a Spanish speaker will simply use the verb respirar alone, as the object aire is often implied.
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to the specific air in a particular environment (like 'the air in the mountains'), you should add the definite article el between the verb and the noun to form respirar el aire (to breathe the air).
How do you pronounce it?
/respiɾaɾ aiɾe/
Did you know?
- The word aire shares its ancient roots with the Proto-Indo-European word for 'dawn', meaning that the concept of 'air' and 'the light of the morning' are historically linked in the evolution of the language.
- In Spanish, the word aire can be used to describe the way someone looks, such as saying a person has a 'certain look' or un aire of someone else.
- If you are told to 'take air' in a figurative sense, such as tomar aire, it can be a command to calm down or compose yourself before speaking, rather than a physical instruction to inhale.
Examples in context
- En el espacio, los astronautas deben aprender a respirar aire comprimido para sobrevivir.In space, astronauts must learn to breathe compressed air to survive.
- Es difícil respirar aire puro en la ciudad.It is difficult to breathe fresh air in the city.
- Necesito salir para respirar aire puro.I need to go outside to breathe fresh air.
- El bosque ayuda a respirar aire más limpio.The forest helps to breathe cleaner air.
Example conversation
Daniel and Elena are hiking in a forest.
- Elena¡Qué bien se siente respirar aire de montaña!It feels so good to breathe mountain air!
- DanielSí, Elena, es muy relajante.Yes, Elena, it is very relaxing.
- ElenaDebemos caminar más para disfrutar el aire.We should walk more to enjoy the air.
- DanielTienes razón, sigamos caminando.You are right, let's keep walking.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aire, respirar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
