dame un respiro
/dame un ɾespiɾo/from spelling rules
To say 'give me a break' in Spanish, you say dame un respiro.
dame un respiro is used informally to ask for a pause or a period of relief from a stressful situation, much like asking for a breather. If you specifically want someone to stop bothering you, you might instead say Déjame tranquilo/a, which means 'leave me alone' or 'give me a break'.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of dame (give me), un (a) and respiro (breath or breathing space).
How does it change in a sentence?
The form dame is the imperative command form of the verb dar (to give) combined with the indirect object pronoun me (me).
How do you pronounce it?
/dame un ɾespiɾo/
Did you know?
- While dame un respiro asks for relief, Spanish speakers use the term no me vengas con cuentos to say 'give me a break' when they think someone is lying or being ridiculous.
- In economic or political contexts, Spanish speakers use dar un respiro to describe a temporary drop in prices or a lull in a crisis.
- The word respiro shares a root with the English word 'respire', which is a much more formal or medical term for breathing. This makes the Spanish phrase sound much more casual and everyday to a native speaker.
Examples in context
- Por favor, dame un respiro.Give me a break, please.This sentence is useful for showing how to add politeness to the request with 'please' using the form dame un respiro.Tatoeba #1180508 by Shishir, translation #40077 by Dejo
- Dame un respiro.Give me a break.This sentence is a direct way to use the form dame un respiro.Tatoeba #1281305 by marcelostockle, translation #21097 by CK
- Después de tanto trabajo, dame un respiro.After so much work, give me a break.
Example conversation
Javier and Elena are working together on a difficult project.
- JavierElena, dame un respiro con tantos cambios.Elena, give me a break with so many changes.
- ElenaLo siento, Javier, pero es necesario.I'm sorry, Javier, but it is necessary.
- JavierSolo necesito diez minutos de descanso.I just need ten minutes of rest.
- ElenaEstá bien, descansa un poco.All right, take a little rest.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries respiro, un, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
