Provokují

Provokují is a form of the Czech verb provokovat, meaning to provoke, incite, or elicit a reaction. In everyday language it can describe actions intended to provoke a response, often by stirring emotions or tension. The form provokují is specifically the third person plural present tense, used when the subject is they (oni/ony) or a plural noun.

Grammatically, provokovat is an imperfective verb. Its present tense conjugation includes provokuji, provokuješ, provokuje, provokujeme, provokujete, provokují. The phrase provokují denotes ongoing or habitual provocation by the subject to produce a reaction, rather than a completed act. The related noun is provokace (provocation), and the participles include provoking (provokující) and provokovaný (provoked).

Etymology of provokovat is not fully settled. The Czech verb is generally considered to be borrowed or calqued into Czech from a Western European source, with connections to Latin provocare and related forms in French or German. The noun provokace and the adjective provokativní share the same semantic field.

Usage notes and nuances: provokují can describe neutral or negative contexts, such as provoking curiosity or provoking a discussion, but it often carries a negative or critical undertone when referring to deliberate irritation, agitation, or incitement. In political or social discourse, statements like “provokují občany” imply actions intended to provoke a reaction, sometimes implying manipulation.

See also: provokace (provocation), provokativní (provocative), provokovat (to provoke).