Would you know it if you aspirated a whole lentil? i was testing soup and "inhaled" a lentil, not sure which "pipe." no coughing fit. thx.

Probably....: If you had inhaled the lentil into your trachea (windpipe), chances are you would have had immediate cough attack and possible choking sensation. A lentil is probably too small to cut off your breathing altogether. If in fact the lentil went down the breathing tube and lodged in an area of the lung, you would surely have pneumonia.