Postrádal

Postrádal is the past tense, masculine singular form of the Czech verb postrádat. The verb means to lack, to be without, or to miss something or someone. It is used to describe an absence or shortage that is noticed or perceived as unwanted, in contrast to simply not having an item by chance.

Grammatical notes: postrádat is a transitive verb. Its present tense forms include postrádám, postrádáš, postrádá; past tense forms include postrádal (m), postrádala (f), postrádalo (n); plural past forms are postrádali (m/p), postrádaly (n/p). The infinitive is postrádat. In active constructions the subject is the one who experiences the absence, and the object is typically the thing that is lacking. The sense can cover concrete lacks (money, time, food) as well as more abstract absences (opportunity, support, hope).

Usage and nuance: postrádat conveys a sense of something missing that is considered desirable or expected. It often implies a reaction to the absence, rather than a mere fact of non-availability. In many contexts it is close in meaning to chybět, but postrádat emphasizes the experienced lack or deficiency more than the simple presence or absence of an item.

See also: chybět, postrádání (noun form related to the process of lacking).

Examples:

- Postrádal jsem peníze. (I lacked money.)

- On postrádal domov po odchodu z města. (He missed home after leaving the town.)

- Po nemocném období postrádala rodina jeho podporu. (During the illness period, the family lacked his support.)