Can you speak if you have trouble breathing?

Answer 1

It depends on what you mean by "trouble breathing"

In order to speak, you must be able to force air up the windpipe (trachea) and through the vocal cords in the voice-box (larynx). Air passing through the vocal cords causes them to vibrate and make sound. In general, the harder it is to breathe through your voicebox, then the harder it is to talk.

If you mean that you are having trouble breathing through your nose, then you might be able to talk just fine, so long as you can breathe easily through your voicebox and pass air through your mouth.

If you have a hoarse voice because of swelling or a growth on the vocal cords, you might still be able to breathe OK, depending on the size or extent of the problem with the vocal cords.

If there is swelling, or there is a mass, such as a tumor higher in your throat, you might be able to get enough air, but the air-flow could be reduced such that the voice is muffled, but the voice might not necessarily be hoarse if the vocal cords were not involved.

If a swelling or mass in your throat or voice-box becomes so large as to threaten to block your airway completely, a surgeon might have to put a tracheostomy tube in your neck to allow you to breathe through the tube. With a tracheostomy tube in place, you might be breathing easily, but would have no voice because the air from your lungs goes out the tube before it can get to the voice-box.

Answer 2

It's painful. And not much. I think....