English Lesson: "Inhale... and exhale."

“Inhale... and exhale.”

You're teaching an exercise class. You're leading the class in stretching . You want to tell them how to breathe. You say this.

Inhale... and exhale.

"Inhale" means to "breathe in". You can "inhale something", like in these examples:

Animals inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Plants do the opposite.

Try not to inhale any of the fumes; they're toxic.

Or you can just tell someone to "inhale". Exercise trainers and doctors give this order to people.

"Exhale" means to "breathe out".

People mostly use "exhale" when giving instructions, like in exercise classes or a doctor's office. It sounds more technical than "breathe out".