Huoltaa

Huoltaa is a Finnish verb meaning to service, maintain, or look after equipment, vehicles, buildings, or other systems in order to keep them functioning. It denotes performing actions that restore or preserve operational condition, often by a technician, a maintenance worker, or the owner. The sense covers routine inspections, repairs, replacement of worn parts, and general preventive care. While it can apply to non-physical tasks, it is most common in technical contexts such as mechanical maintenance, vehicle servicing, or facility upkeep.

Conjugation and usage: Huoltaa is a regular verb in Finnish. In the present indicative it forms as: minä huollan, sinä huollat, hän huoltaa, me huollamme, te huollatte, he huoltavat. Past tense is formed with -i-: minä huollin, sinä huollit, hän huolsi, me huolsimme, te huolitte, he huolsivat. The perfect is shown with on/ovat + huoltanut (has serviced). Common constructions include: “Minä huollan autoni tänään” (I am servicing my car today), “Yritys huoltaa laitteitaan säännöllisesti” (The company maintains its equipment regularly).

Etymology and relation: The verb derives from the noun huolto, meaning service or maintenance, and is related to huolehtia and hoitaa, which mean to take care or to look after. In practice, huoltaa emphasizes the maintenance action performed to preserve functionality, whereas hoitaa or huolehtia are more natural for caregiving of people or animals. The noun form huolto is used for the maintenance activity itself, e.g., “koneen huolto” (the machine’s maintenance) or “autohuolto” (car service).