Prítomnos

Prítomnos, usually written prítomnosť in Standard Slovak, is the noun that expresses the state of being present or existing at the current moment. It covers both the literal sense of being physically present in a place and the more abstract sense of the time that is happening now. In everyday language, prítomnosť is used to describe someone’s presence, or the occurrence of events in the present.

Etymology and variants: the term is derived from the adjective prítomný (present). It is cognate with Czech přítomnost and related to other Slavic forms meaning “present.” The word appears in various compounds and collocations that emphasize immediacy or closeness to the current moment.

In grammar, prítomnosť relates to the present tense, known in Slovak as prítomný čas, which expresses actions occurring now or general truths. The present tense is a fundamental aspect of verb conjugation and is used across different moods and aspects to situate events in the present.

Philosophical and cognitive usage: in philosophy, presence is a central notion in phenomenology and existential thought, referring to how phenomena show themselves to consciousness and how beings perceive their environment. In psychology and media studies, presence describes the sense of immediacy or “being there,” including telepresence and immersion in virtual environments, where users experience a convincing sense of being in a different place or time.

See also: presence, prítomnosť, minulosť, budúcnosť, deixis, phenomenology.