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Conjugation Chart of “Respirar” (to breathe) in the Imperfect Tense

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Understanding the Imperfect Tense of “Respirar”

The Imperfect Tense of Respirar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Yo respiraba profundamente durante la meditación. (I was breathing deeply during meditation.)

Respirar is a regular -ar verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the typical pattern for this verb type.

How to Use Respirar in the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense of respirar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past.

Describing an ongoing action in the past: For example, Respiraba profundamente durante la meditación. (I was breathing deeply during meditation.)

Describing a repeated or habitual action in the past: For example, De niño, respiraba el aire fresco de la montaña en verano. (As a child, I used to breathe the fresh mountain air in the summer.)

Describing a state or condition in the past: For example, Respiraba con dificultad debido al asma. (I was breathing with difficulty due to asthma.)

Expressing an action in progress at a specific time in the past: For example, A las 3 de la mañana, respiraba tranquilamente. (At 3 in the morning, I was breathing peacefully.)

Colloquial/Slang usage: For example, Respiraba fuego cuando se enojó. (He was breathing fire when he got angry – meaning he was very angry.)

Real Life Examples of Respirar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo respiraba profundamente para calmarme antes de la entrevista de trabajo. (I was breathing deeply to calm myself before the job interview.)

Cuando respirábamos el aire fresco de la montaña, nos sentíamos revitalizados. (When we breathed the fresh mountain air, we felt revitalized.)

El bebé respiraba con dificultad debido a su resfriado. (The baby was breathing with difficulty due to their cold.)

Durante la clase de yoga, respirábamos lenta y profundamente. (During the yoga class, we were breathing slowly and deeply.)

Ella respiraba aliviada después de terminar el proyecto a tiempo. (She was breathing a sigh of relief after finishing the project on time.)

Mientras corríamos, respirábamos con dificultad por el esfuerzo. (While we were running, we were breathing heavily from the exertion.)

El anciano respiraba con dificultad debido a su enfermedad pulmonar. (The elderly man was breathing with difficulty due to his lung disease.)

Después de la pelea, respiraba agitadamente por la emoción. (After the fight, he was breathing heavily from the excitement.)

Los bomberos respiraban a través de máscaras de oxígeno en el incendio. (The firefighters were breathing through oxygen masks in the fire.)

Cuando respiraba el aroma de las flores, me sentía en paz. (When I breathed in the scent of the flowers, I felt at peace.)

El atleta respiraba profundamente para prepararse antes de la carrera. (The athlete was breathing deeply to prepare before the race.)

Mientras respirábamos el aire viciado del sótano, tosíamos sin parar. (While we were breathing the stale basement air, we were coughing nonstop.)

El instructor respiraba pausadamente para demostrar la técnica de relajación. (The instructor was breathing slowly to demonstrate the relaxation technique.)

Después del susto, respiraba con dificultad por el miedo. (After the fright, she was breathing heavily from fear.)

Los niños respiraban emocionados mientras abrían sus regalos de cumpleaños. (The children were breathing excitedly as they opened their birthday presents.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Respirar (to breathe) in the Imperfect Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.