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 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 suffer
'leiden' and 'seufzen' can both have to do with pain, sadness, or strain. 'leiden' describes a state: someone has physical or emotional pain, or is strongly burdened by a situation. 'seufzen' is more about an action or an expression: you breathe out deeply and audibly because you are sad, tired, relieved, or annoyed. In some texts, 'seufzen' can also mean that someone complains under something. Learners may confuse the words because both can show negative feelings. But: you 'leiden' over a longer period of time; you 'seufzen' in a moment.
Nach dem langen Training seufzte Tom müde und setzte sich auf die Bank.
After the long training session, Tom sighed tiredly and sat down on the bench.
Meine Nachbarin leidet seit Wochen unter starken Rückenschmerzen.
My neighbor has been suffering from severe back pain for weeks.