Respirar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of respirar — "to breathe" in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for respirar with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. Respirar means "to breathe" — in and out, deeply, with difficulty, with relief. It is used for the literal act of breathing (respirar hondo, to breathe deeply), for fresh air (respirar aire puro), and figuratively for relief (respirar tranquilo, to breathe easy) and for a break (déjame respirar, let me breathe). It is a fully regular -ar verb: respiro, respiras, respira, respiramos, respiráis, respiran. Its noun is la respiración, and its adjective is respiratorio. Because breathing is the first thing a doctor checks, respirar is also a common medical verb. To see it in a real sentence: Yo respiro hondo antes del examen. — "I breathe deeply before the exam.".
Present tense conjugation table: respirar
Every person of respirar in the present tense. The gerund is respirando and the past participle is respirado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | respiro |
| tú | respiras |
| él/ella/Ud. | respira |
| nosotros/as | respiramos |
| vosotros/as | respiráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | respiran |
How the present indicative of respirar is formed
The present indicative of respirar is built from the stem respir- plus the present indicative endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | respiro |
| tú | -as | respiras |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | respira |
| nosotros/as | -amos | respiramos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | respiráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | respiran |
Because respirar is a regular -ar verb, there are no surprises in the present indicative: the stem respir- never changes, and every person takes its normal ending. The only spelling detail to watch is the written accent on the vosotros form, respiráis, which carries an accent on the vowel of the ending. Learn the six endings once and you can conjugate any regular -ar verb the same way.
The gerund of respirar is respirando and the past participle is respirado. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present tense of respirar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and respirar appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Breathing deeply
Respirar hondo is the fixed expression for taking a deep breath.
"Yo respiro hondo antes del examen." — "I breathe deeply before the exam."
Breathing fresh air
The present describes breathing clean air in the countryside or the mountains.
"Nosotros respiramos aire puro en el campo." — "We breathe fresh air in the countryside."
Breathing with difficulty
The present describes a medical symptom — difficulty breathing.
"Mi abuelo respira con dificultad." — "My grandfather breathes with difficulty."
Breathing easy
Respirar tranquilo means to feel relieved, to breathe easy.
"Tú respiras tranquilo después del examen." — "You breathe easy after the exam."
Needing room to breathe
Déjame respirar is the everyday way to ask for space.
"Yo no respiro bien en esta oficina." — "I can't breathe well in this office."
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: Yo respiro por la nariz. — "I breathe through my nose."
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Yo respiré por la nariz. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add "used to" in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: Tú respiras muy rápido cuando corres. — "You breathe very fast when you run."
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Tú respirabas muy rápido cuando corres. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: El bebé respira tranquilo. — "The baby breathes calmly."
- Future — what will happen: El bebé respirará tranquilo. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: respirar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show respirar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo respiro por la nariz. — "I breathe through my nose."
- Tú respiras muy rápido cuando corres. — "You breathe very fast when you run."
- El bebé respira tranquilo. — "The baby breathes calmly."
- Nosotros respiramos mejor en la montaña. — "We breathe better in the mountains."
- Vosotros respiráis aire contaminado. — "You breathe polluted air."
- Ellos respiran por la boca. — "They breathe through their mouths."
- Ella respira hondo y se calma. — "She breathes deeply and calms down."
Common mistakes with respirar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with respirar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo respiro a hondo.
✓ Correct: Yo respiro hondo antes del examen.
Respirar hondo takes no preposition: respirar hondo, respirar tranquilo. Never use a before the adverb.
✗ *Tú respiras a muy rápido.
✓ Correct: Tú respiras muy rápido cuando corres.
Again, no a before the adverb: respirar rápido, respirar despacio, respirar tranquilo.
✗ *Vosotros respiráis aire contaminado (written without the accent: respirais).
✓ Correct: Vosotros respiráis aire contaminado.
Respiráis needs the written accent on the á.
✗ *Nosotros respiramos a aire puro.
✓ Correct: Nosotros respiramos aire puro en el campo.
Air is a direct object: respirar aire puro, with no a before it.
Quiz: respirar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of respirar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of respirar for tú?
- a) respiran
- b) respiras
- c) respiro
- d) respira
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ por la nariz. — "I breathe through my nose."
- a) respiras
- b) respiran
- c) respiré
- d) respiro
3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ aire puro en el campo. — "We breathe fresh air in the countryside."
- a) respiramos
- b) respira
- c) respiramos
- d) respiráis
4. Which is the correct present tense form of respirar for nosotros?
- a) respiran
- b) respiras
- c) respiro
- d) respiramos
5. Which sentence uses respirar correctly in the present tense?
- a) El bebé respiró tranquilo.
- b) El bebé respira tranquilo.
- c) El bebé respiras tranquilo.
6. Which is the correct present tense form of respirar for vosotros?
- a) respiras
- b) respiro
- c) respiráis
- d) respira
7. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ tranquilo después del examen. — "You breathe easy after the exam."
- a) respiraste
- b) respiran
- c) respiro
- d) respiras
8. What is the gerund of respirar?
- a) respiramos
- b) respirado
- c) respirando
- d) respiro
Answer key
b) respiras — The tú form is respiras. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; respiro is yo, respira is él/ella and respiran is ellos/ellas.
d) respiro — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: respiro. The other options are the wrong person or the wrong tense.
a) respiramos — The subject is nosotros/as, so the present form is respiramos.
d) respiramos — Nosotros takes respiramos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem respir-.
b) El bebé respira tranquilo. — El bebé respira tranquilo. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
c) respiráis — Vosotros takes respiráis. Remember the written accent on the ending — it is part of the correct spelling.
d) respiras — The subject is tú, so the present form is respiras.
c) respirando — The gerund is respirando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle respirado.
Frequently asked questions
Is respirar regular in the present tense?
Yes. respirar is a regular -ar verb, so its present tense follows the standard endings exactly: respiro, respiras, respira, respiramos, respiráis and respiran.
What is the gerund and the past participle of respirar?
The gerund is respirando and the past participle is respirado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I to breathe" in Spanish?
Say respiro. For example: Yo respiro por la nariz. — "I breathe through my nose.".
What is the difference between respirar and calmarse?
respirar means "to breathe", while calmarse means "to calm down". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use respirar when you mean "to breathe" and calmarse when you mean "to calm down". The full conjugation of calmarse is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of respirar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- respirar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.