soprar

Soprar is a common Portuguese verb meaning to blow air out of the mouth. It denotes the physical act of expelling air, typically to move air intentionally or to affect a flame or a surface. The term is used in both literal and everyday contexts, from weather phenomena to everyday actions.

In practical use, soprar occurs in several common phrases. For example, the wind can be described as soprar, as in "o vento soprou forte" (the wind blew hard). A household action is "soprar a vela" or "assoprar a vela" to extinguish a candle. Another frequent expression is "assoprar o nariz," which means to blow one's nose. The verb is also used in cooking and temperature-related situations to indicate blowing on hot food to cool it, though "assoprar" is often preferred in that sense.

Soprar is a regular verb of the -ar conjugation. In the present indicative, forms include eu sopro, tu sopras, ele/ela/você sopra, nós sopramos, vocês sopram. It also appears in past tenses in the standard forms, such as soprei, sopraste, soprou, and so on. For nuance and regional preference, speakers may choose "assoprar" in contexts involving blowing on hot objects or cooling foods.

Etymology traces soprar to the Portuguese-Romance verb family related to verbs for blowing across Iberian languages, with cognates in Spanish (soplar) and other Romance tongues. The term is widely understood across Portuguese-speaking regions and is essential for describing air movement, flame control, and related sensory actions.