pusten
to blow
To push air deliberately out of the mouth in order to cool something down, blow something out, or move something away.
EXAMPLE
Puste bitte die Kerzen auf dem Kuchen aus!
Please blow out the candles on the cake!
pusten
to blow / pant
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Meanings
pusten
to pant
Colloquial for breathing heavily because you have exerted yourself a lot; to be out of breath.
EXAMPLE
Nachdem ich die fünf Stockwerke hochgelaufen war, musste ich erst mal kräftig pusten.
After I had run up the five flights of stairs, I first had to pant heavily.
pusten
to blow
Colloquial for blowing into a police breathalyzer device in order to determine the blood alcohol level from one's breath.
EXAMPLE
Der Autofahrer wurde angehalten und musste pusten.
The driver was pulled over and had to blow.
Usage tips
Sentence structure with prepositions
The verb 'pusten' (to blow) is often combined with prepositions that indicate a direction. Common constructions are 'auf' (+ accusative), 'in' (+ accusative), or 'von' (+ dative).
EXAMPLE
Puste bitte nicht auf die heiße Suppe, das macht man nicht.
Please don't blow on the hot soup; that's not something people do.
Typical uses
Two very typical situations for 'pusten' (to blow) are blowing out candles on a birthday cake and comforting a child by blowing on a small wound or scratch.
EXAMPLE
Das Geburtstagskind pustete alle Kerzen auf einmal aus.
The birthday child blew out all the candles at once.
Context clue
In the colloquial meaning 'schwer atmen' (to breathe heavily), you can usually recognize the context from a preceding description of physical exertion. Typical situations are climbing stairs, running, or doing sports.
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Sprint zum Bus musste ich erst mal ordentlich pusten.
After the sprint to the bus, I first had to really pant.
Context clue
The meaning 'einen Alkoholtest machen' (to take a breathalyzer test) is used exclusively in the context of a police traffic stop. Signal words are 'Polizei' (police), 'Kontrolle' (check/traffic stop), or 'angehalten werden' (to be pulled over).
EXAMPLE
Der Fahrer musste anhalten und für den Alkoholtest pusten.
The driver had to stop and blow for the breathalyzer test.
Compare with
pusten vs blasen
to blow
Both words can mean forcing air out of your mouth, for example to blow out a candle. Pusten usually sounds more colloquial and is especially well suited to everyday situations. Blasen is more neutral and somewhat more formal; choose it when the action is being described objectively.
pusten
Puste kräftig, damit die Kerze ausgeht.
Blow hard so that the candle goes out.
blasen
Bitte blasen Sie kräftig, damit die Kerze ausgeht.
Please blow hard so that the candle goes out.
In real life
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