# out of breath when climbing stairs



## GandalfMB

Hello,
which sentence sounds better "Jim gets short on breath when he climbs stairs". or "Jim gets out of breath when he climbs stairs".? Do they make sense to you? Can we say "go out of breath"? 

P.S I read a few threads, but I just want to make sure. Climb the stairs = go up the stairs. Is that correct?


Thank you


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## Drink

None of them sounds quite right. I can't imaging saying "out of breath" with anything other than a form of "to be". I could say "Jim is always out of breath when he climbs stairs." But the particular preference probably depends highly on region.


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## GandalfMB

I know you are right, Drink. That's how I used to use them. I had a conversation with a few pals and I came across these sentences on the Internet. That's why I decided to post a new thread . So, "Jim is always out of breath when he climbs stairs". is my ebst shot .


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## slej

To get out of breath sounds ok to me, but not to get short on breath.


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## e2efour

_Get out/short of breath_ is standard in BE.
There is a difference between _climb stairs_ and _climb the stairs_. The latter normally means inside a house.


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## Drink

e2efour said:


> There is a difference between _climb stairs_ and _climb the stairs_. The latter normally means inside a house.



The way I see it is that "climb the stairs" refers to the stairs in a particular building, while "climb stairs" can refer to any stairs at all.


Also, unrelated to the above, I just want to mention that I would personally never use the word "climb" with stairs. I would say "go up the stairs" or something of that sort.


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## sdgraham

slej said:


> To get out of breath sounds ok to me, but not to get short on breath.





e2efour said:


> _Get out/short of breath_ is standard in BE.
> There is a difference between _climb stairs_ and _climb the stairs_. The latter normally means inside a house.



 

"Get out of breath" is common in AE as well, although a bit informal.


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## Drink

sdgraham said:


> "Get out of breath" is common in AE as well, although a bit informal.



I agree that people (including me) say it that way for lack of any other way to say it, but it still sounds horribly wrong to me.


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## GandalfMB

Okay, so AE --> to be out of breath.    BE --> get out of breath, get short of breath and to be out of breath. I think there is a regional difference.

As for "climb stairs vs go up the stairs". Don't they mean the same?


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## Drink

GandalfMB said:


> As for "climb stairs vs go up the stairs". Don't they mean the same?



Yes they do, but I personally (maybe due to region or register) never use "climb" when referring to stairs, except perhaps in formal writing. In fact, I don't think I'd ever use "climb" for anything that does not involve my hands.


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## GandalfMB

Doesn't anyone else use it?


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## Drink

GandalfMB said:


> Doesn't anyone else use it?



To me, it feels like a more formal word for it. But in other regions, they might use it colloquially as well.


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## GandalfMB

Aha, I see, Drink . Are you saying that "Jim is always out of breath when he goes up the stairs". is slightly more informal?

Thank you for being so active


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## Drink

GandalfMB said:


> Aha, I see, Drink . Are you saying that "Jim is always out of breath when he goes up the stairs". is slightly more informal?
> 
> Thank you for being so active



Yes, or at least it feels that way.


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## GandalfMB

Thank you, Drink . I think I will go with "to be out of breath". It looks like the most versatile option .


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## e2efour

I never climb the stairs at home, I go up them. But a physiotherapist teaches you to climb the stairs in the UK.
Obviously either term can be used, but stair climbing sounds more official.


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## Drink

e2efour said:


> I never climb the stairs at home, I go up them. But a physiotherapist teaches you to climb the stairs in the UK.
> Obviously either term can be used, but stair climbing sounds more official.



Thank you for confirming that the situation is the same in the UK.


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## GandalfMB

Thank you e2efour. When we say "Jim is always out of breath when he goes up *the* stairs". we never omit "the", do we? It would sound weird if we did . Because there is a difference between "climb stairs and climb the stairs".


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## Drink

GandalfMB said:


> Thank you e2efour. When we say "Jim is always out of breath when he goes up *the* stairs". we never omit "the", do we? It would sound weird if we did . Because there is a difference between "climb stairs and climb the stairs".



In that case I don't omit the "the" not because it would sound weird, but because it would sound like "upstairs", which would change the meaning a bit.


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## GandalfMB

Yes, and it suggests a location. Joey is upstairs, doing his homework. By weird I meant "Jim is always out of breath when he goes up the stairs"., not "when he goes upstairs". I think you could say "Go upstairs", but the meaning is slightly different. I tell you where to go.


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## Drink

GandalfMB said:


> Yes, and it suggests a location. Joey is upstairs, doing his homework.



"go upstairs" means to go to a higher floor, whether by taking the stairs or not.
"go up (the) stairs" means take the stairs whether going to a higher floor or not.

Most of the time their meanings overlap, but not always.


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## GandalfMB

Drink said:


> "go upstairs" means to go to a higher floor, whether by taking the stairs or not.
> "go up (the) stairs" means take the stairs whether going to a higher floor or not.
> 
> Most of the time their meanings overlap, but not always.



Isn't that what I said ? I also typed "Go upstairs", meaning go to a/the higher floor. I didn't mention anything about taking the stairs . I can see the difference, Drink.
Thank you for your help . You have been very active and helpful


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## Drink

GandalfMB said:


> Isn't that what I said ?



Yes, I was clarifying just in case.


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## GandalfMB

Thank you


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## wandle

'Gets out of breath' is different in meaning from 'is out of breath'. 'Gets out of breath' means that the person becomes breathless. We say 'is out of breath' when the person is already in that state, rather than getting into it.

It is considered correct to avoid the word 'get' in written English or formal contexts. 
We can say 'becomes breathless' or 'suffers breathlessness', 'becomes short of breath' or 'suffers (or 'experiences') shortness of breath'.

As a child, one of the first expressions I learned for this was 'out of puff'.


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## Drink

wandle said:


> 'Gets out of breath' is different in meaning from 'is out of breath'. 'Gets out of breath' means that the person becomes breathless. We say 'is out of breath' when the person is already in that state, rather than getting into it.
> 
> It is considered correct to avoid the word 'get' in written English or formal contexts.
> We can say 'becomes breathless' or 'suffers breathlessness', 'becomes short of breath' or 'suffers shortness of breath'.
> 
> As a child, one of the first expressions I learned for this was 'out of puff'.



I figured out why "get out of breath" sounds awkward to me. It is because breath is seen quantitatively, just like "out of food". You can't "get out of food", but you can "run out of food". Thus, "run out of breath" sounds perfectly fine and is probably what I would use, now that I thought of it.


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## wandle

Breath is not something we have a stock of, though, like food or money. We do in fact run out of breath every time we breathe out. At that point we are literally breathless. We have exhausted the breath we had a moment before.

However, that is not what we mean when we say 'out of breath'. 'Out of breath' means 'unable to replenish the body's oxygen in step with consumption'. It is about the ability to re-supply ourselves with air. 'Run out of breath' is not really appropriate to describe inability or difficulty in doing that.


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## Drink

wandle said:


> Breath is not something we have a stock of, though, like food or money. We do in fact run out of breath every time we breathe out. At that point we are literally breathless. We have exhausted the breath we had a moment before.
> 
> However, that is not what we mean when we say 'out of breath'. 'Out of breath' means 'unable to replenish the body's oxygen in step with consumption'. It is about the ability to re-supply ourselves with air. 'Run out of breath' is not really appropriate for that.



I'm not speaking about the scientific explanation of being out of breath. Linguistically, it is clearly seen as something we have stock of as evidenced by phrases such as "short on breath", "I have no breath left in me", "while you still have breath", and even "breathless".


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## e2efour

"It is normal to _get out of breath_ when you have over-exerted yourself,  but when breathlessness comes on suddenly and unexpectedly, it is  usually a warning sign of a medical condition."
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/shortness-of-breath/Pages/Introduction.aspx


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## Drink

e2efour said:


> "It is normal to _get out of breath_ when you have over-exerted yourself,  but when breathlessness comes on suddenly and unexpectedly, it is  usually a warning sign of a medical condition."
> http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/shortness-of-breath/Pages/Introduction.aspx



Maybe it's one of those British vs American things.


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## Packard

wandle said:


> 'Gets out of breath' is different in meaning from 'is out of breath'. 'Gets out of breath' means that the person becomes breathless. We say 'is out of breath' when the person is already in that state, rather than getting into it.
> 
> It is considered correct to avoid the word 'get' in written English or formal contexts.
> We can say 'becomes breathless' or 'suffers breathlessness', 'becomes short of breath' or 'suffers (or 'experiences') shortness of breath'.
> 
> As a child, one of the first expressions I learned for this was 'out of puff'.



In AE from my experience "short on breath" means you get "out of breath" rather easily.  For me they have different meanings.


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## wandle

Drink said:


> Linguistically, it is clearly seen as something we have stock of as evidenced by phrases such as "short on breath", "I have no breath left in me", "while you still have breath", and even "breathless".


Such expressions do suggest a stock. The point is, though, that the phrase 'out of breath' describes an inability to perform a physical function. The question is what is an appropriate term to describe the onset of that inability.

I have never heard 'run out of breath' to describe that, though I could not count the times I have heard 'get out of breath'. 'Gets out of breath' lets us understand that the condition comes on gradually, and can be recovered from. 'Runs out of breath' sounds rather final.


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## Drink

wandle said:


> Such expressions do suggest a stock. The point is, though, that the phrase 'out of breath' describes an inability to perform a physical function. The question is what is an appropriate term to describe the onset of that inability.
> 
> I have never heard 'run out of breath' to describe that, though I could not count the times I have heard 'get out of breath'. 'Gets out of breath' lets us understand that the condition comes on gradually, and can be recovered from. 'Runs out of breath' sounds rather final.



Here's an interesting Ngram: https://books.google.com/ngrams/gra... out of breath;,c0;.t1;,get out of breath;,c0

And what would you use to describe the onset of "out of food"?


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## wandle

Drink said:


> Here's an interesting Ngram: https://books.google.com/ngrams/gra... out of breath;,c0;.t1;,get out of breath;,c0


Perhaps it is this browser, but that link takes me to pages which list books.


> And what would you use to describe the onset of "out of food"?


Being out of food is not a bodily state. It does not mean the person is unable to eat properly.
When we are out of breath, we have no shortage of air all round us, but we are not making an efficient enough use of it.


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## Drink

wandle said:


> Perhaps it is this browser, but that link takes me to pages which list books.
> 
> Being out of food is not a bodily state. It does not mean the person is unable to eat properly.
> When we are out of breath, we have no shortage of air all round us, but we are not making an efficient enough use of it.



Not sure why the link doesn't work. It's fine for me. Try entering the Ngram manually (enter "run out of breath,get out of breath" without the quotes on the Google Ngram Viewer).

And I already said that the reality in the physical world has little to do with how it is seen linguistically. And you didn't answer the question: How would you describe the onset of "out of food"?


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## wandle

Drink said:


> Not sure why the link doesn't work. It's fine for me. Try entering the Ngram manually (enter "run out of breath,get out of breath" without the quotes on the Google Ngram Viewer).


Still nothing. I will try another machine later. What does it show, though?


> And I already said that the reality in the physical world has little to do with how it is seen linguistically.


 I would not agree with 'little', but I have already answered that point in post 32.


> And you didn't answer the question: How would you describe the onset of "out of food"?


I honestly do not see that it is relevant. 'Onset' is a term used to describe an incipient medical or bodily state or condition. 'Out of breath' describes a bodily state; 'out of food' does not. The topic question is about how to describe the onset of a state of breathlessness.


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## GandalfMB

You cannot count the times you have heard, "someone gets out of breath...". I thought it was wrong and punishable by death. And its meaning is different. According to what I have read so far.


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## wandle

Having viewed the Ngram now, I see it shows a rise in the use of 'run out of breath' and a decline in the use of 'get out of breath'. That of course does not mean that one is replacing the other.

They may be occurring in different contexts and it may be that people are replacing 'get out of breath' with 'become breathless' and other expressions.
In any case, I would not suggest that 'run out of breath' is not English (I used it on my own account earlier in the thread), just that its meaning is somewhat different. Even if it were shown that large numbers of people use 'run out of breath' to mean the same as 'get out of breath', I would stand by my view that it  is not really appropriate to describe inability or difficulty in breathing.


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## Packard

I almost always hear "I'm out of breath" or "Look at him, he's all out of breath".

And having been "out of breath" I might say, "Give me a minute while I catch my breath."

I've never heard of anyone having "run out of breath", though you might become out of breath after running.


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## GandalfMB

wandle said:


> Having viewed the Ngram now, I see it shows a rise in the use of 'run out of breath' and a decline in the use of 'get out of breath'. That of course does not mean that one is replacing the other.
> 
> They may be occurring in different contexts and it may be that people are replacing 'get out of breath' with 'become breathless' and other expressions.
> In any case, I would not suggest that 'run out of breath' is not English (I used it on my own account earlier in the thread), just that its meaning is somewhat different. Even if it were shown that large numbers of people use 'run out of breath' to mean the same as 'get out of breath', I would stand by my view that it  is not really appropriate to describe inability or difficulty in breathing.



Thank you, wandle. Just a quick recap. "to be out of breath" implies that the person is already in that state. He is having difficulty breathing. It appears that in American English it is also the most common expression. e2efour says that people in Britain use it sometimes. You are right that "get out of breath" = the person becomes breathless and has difficulty in breathing afterwards. Which expression sounds best to you?

Thank you


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## GandalfMB

Packard said:


> I almost always hear "I'm out of breath" or "Look at him, he's all out of breath".
> 
> And having been "out of breath" I might say, "Give me a minute while I catch my breath."
> 
> I've never heard of anyone having "run out of breath", though you might become out of breath after running.



Hello, Packard,
I know I am an insignifficant foreigner, but "He is out of breath when he goes jogging". sounds weird to me. If I am out of breath, I must have jogged first, yes?


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## GandalfMB

wandle said:


> 'Gets out of breath' is different in meaning from 'is out of breath'. 'Gets out of breath' means that the person becomes breathless. We say 'is out of breath' when the person is already in that state, rather than getting into it.
> 
> It is considered correct to avoid the word 'get' in written English or formal contexts.
> We can say 'becomes breathless' or 'suffers breathlessness', 'becomes short of breath' or 'suffers (or 'experiences') shortness of breath'.
> 
> As a child, one of the first expressions I learned for this was 'out of puff'.


Hello, wandle,
does that mean that this sentence "I don't want to run because I will become short of breath". makes sense to you? Thank you again


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## Drink

Packard said:


> I've never heard of anyone having "run out of breath", though you might become out of breath after running.



"Run out of breath" is not "run" + "out of breath", but "run out of" + "breath". As the Ngram I linked to above shows, usage of "run out of breath" surpassed "get out of breath" in all varieties of English in 1967, and the gap has been increasing since.


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## Packard

Drink said:


> "Run out of breath" is not "run" + "out of breath", but "run out of" + "breath". As the Ngram I linked to above shows, usage of "run out of breath" surpassed "get out of breath" in all varieties of English in 1967, and the gap has been increasing since.



I still have never heard it.


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## Packard

GandalfMB said:


> Hello, Packard,
> I know I am an insignifficant foreigner, but "He is out of breath when he goes jogging". sounds weird to me. If I am out of breath, I must have jogged first, yes?



(In this constellation we are all insignificant; the differences in locality are themselves insignificant.)

It would likely be phrased more like this:  "He's out of breath from jogging."


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## GandalfMB

Thank you, Packard and Drink. I am coming to the conclusion that "to be out of breath" is my best option .
Thank you


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## wandle

Drink said:


> As the Ngram I linked to above shows, usage of "run out of breath" surpassed "get out of breath" in all varieties of English in 1967, and the gap has been increasing since.


That only means it has become more frequent. It does not show that 'run out of breath' is used to mean the same as 'get out of breath'. For that, it would be necessary to show that the context for each expression was similar. It could be that they are being used in different contexts, and therefore with different meanings, which is what one would naturally expect.


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## Drink

wandle said:


> That only means it has become more frequent. It does not show that 'run out of breath' is used to mean the same as 'get out of breath'. For that, it would be necessary to show that the context for each expression was similar. It could be that they are being used in different contexts, and therefore with different meanings, which is what one would naturally expect.



You are right theoretically, but you have to first demonstrate that they are used with other meanings at all. Out of the examples I looked at, all of them were of the meaning we are discussing.


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## wandle

GandalfMB said:


> I am coming to the conclusion that "to be out of breath" is my best option .


If you want to say that the person is (already) breathless, then 'he is out of breath' expresses that.

If you want to say that the person becomes breathless, then you need to use a different expression, appropriate for that meaning.
I mentioned a few such expressions in post 25.


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## wandle

Drink said:


> You are right theoretically, but you have to first demonstrate that they are used with other meanings at all.


I believe I have given good reason _prima facie_ to think so. 


> Out of the examples I looked at, all of them were of the meaning we are discussing.


May I ask how many examples the Ngram includes?  And how many you have looked at?


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## GandalfMB

wandle said:


> If you want to say that the person is (already) breathless, then 'he is out of breath' expresses that.
> 
> If you want to say that the person becomes breathless, then you need to use a different expression, appropriate for that meaning.
> I mentioned a few such expressions in post 25.



Yes, and in post #42 I mentioned "become short of breath". Is it wrong to say "I don't want to run because I will become short of breath"?.


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## wandle

GandalfMB said:


> Yes, and in post #42 I mentioned "become short of breath". Is it wrong to say "I don't want to run because I will become short of breath"?.


It is not wrong at all. It is perfectly correct as English.
In speech, we would be more likely to say 'get out of breath' in that context.


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## GandalfMB

wandle said:


> It is not wrong at all. It is perfectly correct as English.
> In speech, we would be much more likely to say 'get out of breath' in that context.


So, in speech (at least in the UK) it is possible to say "I don't want to jog, because I will get out of breath? I am glad that "become short of breath" is acceptable . 
Thank you wandle. That's what I wanted to know.


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## wandle

GandalfMB said:


> So, in speech (at least in the UK) it is possible to say "I don't want to jog, because I will get out of breath?


I cannot imagine that any native speaker anywhere would not understand that sentence.

Its applicability becomes obvious every now and then when a public figure is interviewed for the media in the middle of a run.


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## GandalfMB

Haha, yes.


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## JamesM

Drink said:


> The way I see it is that "climb the stairs" refers to the stairs in a particular building, while "climb stairs" can refer to any stairs at all.
> 
> 
> Also, unrelated to the above, I just want to mention that I would personally never use the word "climb" with stairs. I would say "go up the stairs" or something of that sort.



So the popular stair training machine (Stair Climber) should be "Stair-Go-Upper?"    Just kidding.  Climb is a little more formal than "go up", but I wouldn't have a problem with it.  I think "He gets winded" is also an option along with "He gets/becomes out of breath".


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## GandalfMB

JamesM said:


> So the popular stair training machine (Stairclimber) should be "Stair-Go-Upper?"    Just kidding.  Climb is a little more formal than "go up", but I wouldn't have a problem with it.  I think "He gets winded" is also an option along with "He gets/becomes out of breath".


Hehe, Stair-Go-Upper. I must have one. Is that what you say in the USA, James? "He gets/becomes out of breath", not "short of breath"?


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## JamesM

I think "out of breath" or "short of breath" are both pretty common.  "Out of breath" is probably a little more common, in my experience.


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## GandalfMB

Thanks, James


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## JamesM

A doctor would call it short of breath and that you were suffering from shortness of breath.  Out of breath is a little more casual, I think.


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