Plnil

Plnil is a past tense form of the Czech verb plnit, which means to fill, to stuff, or more broadly to fulfill or perform. As an imperfective verb, plnit describes an ongoing or repeated action in the past rather than a completed event. Its perfective counterparts include forms like naplnit (to fill up) and splnit (to fulfill or meet, often in the sense of an obligation).

Grammatical notes

Plnil is used for masculine singular subjects in the past tense. The corresponding forms for other genders and numbers are plnila (feminine singular), plnilo (neuter singular), plnili (masculine plural), and plnily (feminine plural). These forms reflect Czech’s past-tense conjugation, which marks the subject’s gender and number. Plnit itself is imperfective, so it emphasizes the process or repetition of filling rather than a single completed act; to express completed filling or fulfilled obligations, speakers often use perfective verbs such as naplnit or splnit.

Usage and examples

Common uses include physical filling, such as filling a container: “On plnil sklenici vodou” (He was filling the glass with water). The verb also appears in contexts of fulfilling duties or promises, though in many cases speakers choose a more specific perfective form (for example, splnit slib = to fulfill a promise). In literary or descriptive prose, plnil can convey a sense of an ongoing action in the past.

See also

Czech verb conjugation; plnit vs. naplnit; past tense in Czech.