Pobývat

Pobývat is a Czech verb meaning to stay for a while or to reside temporarily. It is imperfective, describing an ongoing or repeated stay rather than a completed action. The perfective counterpart is pobýt, used when the stay is viewed as a single, completed event. A related frequentive form, pobývávat, expresses habitual or repeated stays (as in repeated visits or regular stays).

Usage and nuances: Pobývat is commonly used for temporary or non-permanent stays, such as visiting relatives, staying at a hotel, or spending a summer at a cottage. It often implies that the stay is limited in time and not intended as long-term residence. It can appear with places in the locative: pobývám u rodičů, pobývá na chalupě, pobývá v hotelu. It contrasts with bydlet (to live somewhere long-term) and zůstat (to remain for a period, sometimes longer or without emphasis on duration). The noun pobyt denotes the stay itself, e.g., “dlouhý pobyt na dovolené.”

Conjugation and forms: As an imperfective verb, pobývat forms are used to describe ongoing or habitual staying (pobývám, pobýváš, pobývá, pobýváme, pobýváte, pobývají). The perfective pobýt denotes a completed stay (pobyl/pobyla/pobylo/pobili in past; pobyt in noun form). The habitual variant pobývávat expresses repeated or customary stays.

Etymology: pobývat is derived from the root related to bývat (to be, to dwell habitually) with the prefix po- that signals a temporary or limited duration, producing a meaning of staying for a period rather than living there permanently.