Dopustiti

Dopustiti is a verb used in South Slavic languages, notably Croatian, Bosnian, and Serbian, with the core meaning of permitting, allowing, or granting permission for someone to do something. It is the perfective counterpart to the imperfective dopuštati (or dopuštati in certain grammars), which expresses a repeated or ongoing act of permitting. In many dialects and registers, dopustiti is used in formal or literary contexts, while дозvoliti (dozvoliti) is often preferred in everyday speech for general allowance.

Etymology and relation to other forms: The verb combines the prefix do- with the root puštiti (to let, release), giving the sense of making permission final or completed. Related noun forms include dopuštanje (the act of permitting) and dopuštenje (permission).

Morphology: The infinitive is dopustiti. Present tense forms typically appear as dopustim, dopusti, dopusti, dopustimo, dopustite, dopuste. The past participle is dopustio (masculine), dopustila (feminine), dopustilo (neuter). Imperative forms include dopusti (singular) and dopustite (plural or formal). The verb follows standard Slavic conjugation patterns for perfective verbs.

Usage notes: Dopustiti is used with an object indicating what is permitted and often with a subordinate clause introduced by da or an infinitive: “Dopustio je djetetu da ostane.” “Dopustite mi da vam postavim pitanje.” The nuance generally conveys a completed act of granting permission for a specific purpose or timeframe. In many everyday contexts, dozvoliti is more common, while dopustiti can appear in formal, legal, or literary language.

See also: dozvoliti, dopuštanje, dopuštenje, puštati, puštanje.