Zajmowali

Zajmowali is a Polish verb form meaning “they occupied.” It is the past tense, imperfective aspect, in the masculine personal plural, derived from the verb zajmować, “to occupy” or “to seize,” with the prefix za-.

Morphology and usage: In Polish, past tense forms agree with the subject in gender and number. Zajmowali corresponds to masculine personal plural (e.g., a group of men or a mixed-gender group). The feminine plural counterpart is zajmowały, while neuter forms are not used for subjects in the same way. The imperfective aspect indicates ongoing or repeated occupation in the past, rather than a completed act.

Grammatical notes: Zajmowali is commonly found in historical or narrative texts to describe ongoing occupation of space, territory, buildings, or positions. If the action is completed or treated as a single event, the perfective form zajęli would be used instead.

Examples: Zajmowali teren wokół portu przez kilka tygodni. They occupied the area around the port for several weeks. Zajmowali miasto, zanim przybyli posiłki. They occupied the city before reinforcements arrived.

Related forms: zajmować (infinitive), zajmowanie (the act of occupying), zajęcie (occupation in the sense of possession or job). See also zajmowanie terenu, zajmowanie stanowiska.

In summary, zajmowali is a past-tense, imperfective form used to describe ongoing occupation by a group in Polish, with appropriate gender-number agreement and a nuance distinct from the perfective zajęli.