to sigh
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to sigh
To breathe out deeply and audibly in order to express a feeling such as sadness, relief, tiredness, or longing.
Nach dem langen Arbeitstag seufzte er tief und ließ sich auf das Sofa fallen.
After the long workday, he sighed deeply and dropped onto the sofa.
to groan
To complain about something or suffer under a burden.
Die Unternehmen seufzen unter der hohen Steuerlast.
The companies are groaning under the high tax burden.
To describe the type of sighing more precisely, the verb is often combined with an adverb. Common combinations are 'tief seufzen' (to sigh deeply), 'leise seufzen' (to sigh quietly), or 'erleichtert seufzen' (to sigh with relief).
Als sie die gute Nachricht hörte, seufzte sie erleichtert auf.
When she heard the good news, she sighed with relief.
If you want to state the reason for the sighing, you can use the preposition 'über' (about/over) with the accusative. However, the verb can also stand on its own without a reason.
Er seufzte über die viele Arbeit, die noch vor ihm lag.
He sighed over the large amount of work that still lay ahead of him.
In the figurative meaning 'to suffer' or 'to complain', 'seufzen' (to groan) is almost always used with the preposition 'unter' (under) and the dative. The subject is often a group, e.g., companies or citizens.
Viele kleine Geschäfte seufzen unter den hohen Mieten in der Innenstadt.
Many small shops are groaning under the high rents in the city center.
This figurative use of 'seufzen' (to groan) is typical of written language, especially journalistic texts, when reporting on economic or social burdens.
Die Baubranche seufzt unter dem Mangel an Fachkräften.
The construction industry is groaning under the shortage of skilled workers.
to groan / moan
Both verbs can refer to an audible expression of strain or emotion. „Stöhnen“ is more typically a complaining or painful, inarticulate sound, while „seufzen“ mainly describes deep, audible exhalation. Use „stöhnen“ for the sound and „seufzen“ for the emphasized exhalation.
Nach dem Heben der schweren Kiste seufzte er erschöpft.
After lifting the heavy crate, he sighed wearily.
Beim Heben der schweren Kiste stöhnte er vor Anstrengung.
He groaned with effort while lifting the heavy crate.
