01
atmen
to breathe
To draw air into the lungs and expel it again in order to supply the body with oxygen.
example
Nach dem schnellen Lauf musste er erst einmal tief atmen.
After the fast run, he first had to breathe deeply.
atmen
to breathe
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Word family
'Atmen' (to breathe) is the base verb for many important verbs with prefixes that describe a direction or type of breathing. Examples are 'einatmen' (to breathe in), 'ausatmen' (to breathe out), and 'durchatmen' (often to breathe a sigh of relief).
EXAMPLE
Bitte atmen Sie tief ein und halten Sie die Luft an.
Please breathe in deeply and hold your breath.
Typical adverbs
To describe the manner of breathing, 'atmen' (to breathe) is often combined with adverbs. Common combinations are 'tief atmen' (to breathe deeply), 'schwer atmen' (to breathe heavily), 'ruhig atmen' (to breathe calmly), or 'flach atmen' (to breathe shallowly).
EXAMPLE
Der Patient atmete nach der Anstrengung sehr schwer.
The patient was breathing very heavily after the exertion.
Figurative meaning
In the figurative meaning, 'atmen' (to breathe) is not used for living beings, but for places or things. The subject is then usually a building, a room, or a landscape that radiates a particular atmosphere.
EXAMPLE
Die alte Bibliothek atmet den Geist vergangener Jahrhunderte.
The old library breathes the spirit of past centuries.
Compare with
atmen vs blasen
to blow
'blasen' and 'atmen' both have to do with air, but they do not describe the same thing. 'atmen' is the normal process of the body: air goes into the lungs and back out again. 'blasen' means intentionally, and often forcefully, moving air from the mouth or with a device in a particular direction. Learners may confuse the words because in both cases air can come out of the mouth. The important difference is: you need 'atmen' to live; you do 'blasen' with a goal, for example to blow out a candle or blow dust away.
atmen
Nach dem schnellen Lauf musste sie tief atmen.
After the fast run, she had to breathe deeply.
blasen
Max bläst vorsichtig auf die heiße Suppe.
Max blows carefully on the hot soup.
In real life
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