Misljili

Misljili is a form found in some South Slavic language varieties that is commonly understood as an orthographic variant of the past tense of the verb misliti/misliti, meaning to think. In standard Croatian, Serbian, and Bosnian orthography, the masculine plural past tense is written mislili as the form for “they thought” (for example, Oni su mislili da je istina). The spelling misljili is not considered a separate word with a distinct meaning; rather, it reflects dialectal spelling or transliteration practices that preserve the pronunciation with the digraph lj.

Usage and function

When encountered, misljili would function as the past tense form for a masculine plural subject, acting as the equivalent of mislili in standard texts. However, misljili is not commonly used in contemporary formal writing and may appear primarily in dialect literature, historical texts, or regional orthographies. In most modern grammar references and standard dictionaries, the preferred form is mislili.

Phonology and orthography

The difference between misljili and mislili arises from how the digraph lj is represented. In standard spellings, the sequence lj is treated as a single palatal consonant. Some dialects or transcription schemes write the two letters separately, yielding misljili. Despite the orthographic variation, the pronunciation in many varieties is very close or identical to the standard form.

Relation to related forms

Misljili is related to other past tense forms of misliti/misliti, such as mislio (masc. singular), misli (present forms), and mislili (masculine plural in standard spelling). The key distinction for misljili lies in historical or regional spelling rather than in a separate grammatical category.

See also

Mislili, Misliti, Mišljenje.