Portuguese Phrase
Estão com dificuldade para respirar.
Meaning
This sentence means ‘They are having difficulty breathing.’ It is typically used to describe a health problem affecting a group of people or a third‑person plural subject.
When to use
Use it when you need to report or ask about breathing problems, such as in a medical consultation, when checking on a sick relative, or describing symptoms in an emergency.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Estãocomdificuldadepararespirar.
Estar (3ª pessoa plural)
‘Estão’ is the present indicative of ‘estar’ for ‘eles/elas’, used to describe a temporary state.
Preposition ‘com’ + noun
‘com’ links the verb to a condition, meaning ‘with’ or ‘having’.
‘para’ + infinitive
‘para’ introduces the purpose or the action that is difficult, followed by the infinitive verb.
Infinitive ‘respirar’
The infinitive form is used after ‘para’ to express the action that is problematic.
🗨In Conversation
Como está o seu avô?
How is your grandfather?
Ele está com dificuldade para respirar.
He is having difficulty breathing.
✕Common Mistakes
Ele está com dificuldade para respirar.
Use ‘estão’ for a plural subject; ‘está’ is singular.
Ele está com dificuldade de respirar.
The correct preposition after ‘dificuldade’ is ‘para’, not ‘de’.
Ele está com dificuldade respirar.
You need the preposition ‘para’ before the infinitive.
↔Alternatives
Ele tem dificuldade para respirar.
He has difficulty breathing.
Ele está tendo dificuldade para respirar.
He is experiencing difficulty breathing.
Ele sente falta de ar.
He feels short of breath.
Cultural Tip
In Brazil people often say ‘falta de ar’ as a shorter, informal way to express shortness of breath. In a medical setting, keep the phrase formal – ‘está com dificuldade para respirar’ – and avoid slang.