Provozovat

Provozovat is a Czech verb meaning to operate, run, or manage something. It is used for the ongoing administration or functioning of a business, service, system, machine, or activity. The emphasis is on the continuous activity and responsibility involved in keeping something in operation, rather than performing a single action.

Grammatically, provozovat is a regular verb of the -ovat family. In the present tense: já provozuji, ty provozuješ, on provozuje; my provozujeme, vy provozujete, oni provozují. Past tense forms include provozoval (masc.), provozovala (fem.), and the past passive form is "byl provozován" or "byla provozována." The noun derived from it is provoz, meaning operation or running, and related forms include provozovatel (operator/manager) and provozní (operational).

Common usage covers a range of contexts. You can provozovat firmu (to run a company), provozovat službu (to operate a service), or provozovat stroj (to operate a machine). It is also used with infrastructure or public services, e.g., provozovat dopravu or provozovat veřejný podnik. In information technology, one might say provozovat webovou službu (to host or run a web service). The term is neutral and formal; in everyday speech, broader verbs like řídit or spravovat may be used depending on the context.

Etymology: the verb is built from the noun provoz (operation, running) with the productive Czech suffix -ovat. It denotes the action of keeping something in operation over time.