Vystihne

Vystihne is the third-person singular present tense form of the Czech verb vystihnout, meaning to capture or convey succinctly the essence or main features of something. The base verb vystihnout is perfective; its imperfective counterpart is vystihovat.

Etymology and form: The verb is formed from the prefix vy- and the stem stihnout, with stihnout meaning “to manage to catch” or “to seize.” The prefix vy- contributes a sense of completion or attaining, yielding the meaning “to capture, to express accurately.”

Usage: Vystihnout is used to describe how a text, statement, performance, or phenomenon expresses its core idea, mood, or character. Common collocations include vystihnout podstatu (to capture the essence), vystihnout smysl (to convey the point), and vystihnout atmosféru (to convey the atmosphere). In criticism or journalism, it often connotes a concise, precise rendering rather than a broad description.

Grammatical notes: The present tense form vystihne refers to he/she/it captures. Since vystihnout is perfective, it is contrasted with the imperfective vystihovat, whose present tense form is vystihuje. This allows speakers to express either a completed act (vystihne) or an ongoing ability or tendency (vystihuje).

Examples: A critic might say, “Kritik vystihne hlavní téma díla.” A summary could claim, “Esej vystihuje smysl díla.”

See also: vystihnout, vystihovat, shrnout, popsat.