Pstovati

Pstovati is a nonstandard or dialectal form that appears as an informal variant of the Serbo-Croatian verb poštovati, meaning to respect, honor, or observe. In standard usage, the correct spelling is poštovati, and it is used across Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, and Montenegrin varieties of the language. The form pstovati is not recognized as correct in formal writing and is typically described as a misspelling or nonstandard variant found in casual or online contexts.

Etymology and standard form: The verb poštovati is derived from the prefix po- combined with štovati (to cherish or honor). The standard orthography includes the letters š and ć, reflecting the phonology of the language. When diacritics are omitted in informal writing, some readers encounter nonstandard spellings; pstovati is one such variant, though it is uncommon and considered nonstandard by linguists and dictionaries.

Usage and notes: In formal prose, official documents, and education, poštovati is used with the usual conjugations (present: poštujem, poštuješ, poštuje, poštujemo, poštujete, poštuju). Pstovati, when seen, is generally interpreted as a misspelling rather than a distinct lexical item. Context and audience influence whether readers treat it as a casual error or a deliberate nonstandard form.

See also: poštovati, poštovanje, respect, tradition.

In summary, pstovati is not an established standard form. It is best understood as a nonstandard variant of poštovati, which should be used in formal writing.