Translation for "It hurts to breathe"?

Question

Gosh, I'm having a tough time with this one, but it should be so easy, right?

OK, so "to breathe" is my infinitive as well as my subject, right? The pain is mine, so it reflects back to me.

• Me duele respirar.
• El respirar me duele.

I'm leaning toward the first one, but I still don't know if it's correct.

¡Gracias!

Answer 1

Yes the first one. (It hurts me to breathe.)

Me duele respirar.

Gracias - LOL., when will I feel like I can go with my gut instinct? - SiempreAprendo, Oct 10, 2010

Always best to go with your gut. Don't fear being wrong. I have never felt judged for saying things wrong. Someone may correct you, but you shouldn't feel bad. - gabacholoco, Oct 10, 2010

I was fluent in college, but through the years my Spanish has deteriorated. I really wish I had kept it up because now I'm teaching it, and I'm frequently second-guessing myself. - SiempreAprendo, Oct 10, 2010

Answer 2

"Me duele al respirar"

(My chest) hurts when I breathe.

Answer 3

I am sure you couldn´t have "el respirar" as it is a verb and not a noun. You might get away with "el respiro me duele" but I think that might sound strange to a native.

Actually, many verbs can be made to function as nouns by adding 'el' to the beginning. Like, "El hablar a la vez es un rasgo de la cultura en este país." - MacFadden, Oct 10, 2010

Answer 4

Soy casado

I thought that translated to "My wallet is empty" - gabacholoco, Oct 10, 2010