respirar

Senses

1. 1.

   to breathe

   to inhale and exhale air through the nose or mouth

2. 2.

   to get relief; to catch one's breath

   to have a moment to rest or recover after effort or stress

3. 3.

   to live; to be alive

   to exist or maintain life (literary/figurative)

Examples

• "Ele respirou fundo antes de entrar na sala."

  He took a deep breath before entering the room.

• "Preciso respirar um pouco, trabalhei demais hoje."

  I need to catch my breath; I worked too much today.

• "Enquanto há vida, há esperança de respirar."

  While there is life, there is hope to live.

Usage

Common regular verb in Brazilian Portuguese. The sense "to catch one's breath" is often used colloquially to mean taking a break or getting relief from stress. Common collocations: *respirar fundo* (take a deep breath), *respirar aliviado* (breathe a sigh of relief).