Obývám

Obývám is the first-person singular present tense form of the Czech verb obývat, meaning to inhabit or occupy a dwelling. The verb is imperfective, signaling habitual or repeated occupancy rather than a single completed act.

In contemporary usage, obývat is more formal or literary than the common everyday word bydlet (to live). It is often found in descriptive, historical, or administrative contexts when emphasizing occupancy of a space or residence. Example: Já obývám tento byt od roku 2010. Related nouns include obývání (the act of inhabiting) and obyvatel (inhabitant), both derived from the same root.

Conjugation in the present tense is: já obývám, ty obýváš, on obývá, my obýváme, vy obýváte, oni obývají. The form demonstrates the typical imperfective pattern, with the prefix ob- signaling a sense of occupying or dwelling within a place.

Etymology and relation to similar forms: obývat is built from the prefix ob- attached to bývat, a habitual aspect of být (to be) and related to dwell-ing verbs. The choice between obývat and bydlet depends on nuance and register; obývat conveys a stronger sense of occupying a space, while bydlet remains the standard everyday verb for living somewhere.

See also: bydlet, obývání, obyvatel.