Ostali

Ostali is a term used in several South Slavic languages, including Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian, and Montenegrin. It functions as an adjective or pronoun meaning "the rest" or "the others," referring to the remainder of a group after some elements have been specified. The word is commonly found in everyday speech as well as in official or statistical language.

Etymology and forms: Ostali derives from the Slavic root related to remaining or staying, linked to the verb ostati “to remain.” It is declined by gender and number: ostali (masculine plural), ostale (feminine plural), and ostalo (neuter, often used as a substantive meaning “the rest”). This system allows precise agreement with the noun it modifies, e.g., ostali ljudi (the other people), ostale žene (the other women), ostalo voće (the rest of the fruit).

Usage: Ostali is used to designate the subset that is not included in a previously defined group. It appears in sentences describing who remains after others have acted or been accounted for. Examples include: “Ostali članovi odbora su glasali protiv” (The rest of the board members voted against) and “Ostalo voće je na stolu” (The rest of the fruit is on the table). In some contexts, ostalo can function as a pronoun meaning “the rest.”

See also: ostatak, ostati. These terms share the broader idea of remainder or succession in related languages.