puhalla

Puhalla is a Finnish verb meaning to blow air from the mouth or to blow something by exhaling. The word is used for literal actions, such as blowing on hot food, inflating a balloon, or fanning away dust, and can also appear in phrases that describe the act of blowing in a general sense. In everyday speech, puhalla commonly appears as an imperative form when giving a direct instruction, for example to tell someone to blow on something.

The base infinitive form of the verb is puhaltaa. The imperative, second-person singular form is puhalla, used to issue a simple command or request. Finnish verbs with this meaning also form related verbal nouns, such as puhaltaminen (the act of blowing) and puhallus (the act or instance of blowing), which are used in more formal or descriptive contexts.

In syntax, the object of puhalla is typically in the partitive case, reflecting how Finnish handles activity directed at an object. Examples of usage include blowing out a candle (puhalla kynttilä/ kynttilää) or blowing on something to cool it down. The verb is common in everyday language, education, and activities involving air movement, and it participates in standard Finnish conjugation patterns alongside other volitional or sensory actions. Overall, puhalla serves as a concise, practical term for a simple, widely understood physical action.