Zostawia

Zostawia is a Polish verb form, specifically the third person singular present of the imperfective verb zostawiać, meaning to leave behind or to abandon. It denotes the act of leaving something or someone in a place, or leaving a state, condition, or memory in the past or in the present moment, depending on context.

In usage, zostawia can describe literal leaving, such as leaving an object somewhere: Zostawia klucze na stole. It can also be used figuratively, for example to indicate leaving behind a phase of life, a habit, or memories: On zostawia za sobą przeszłość. The expression zostawia po sobie is common when referring to leaving behind observable results or traces, for instance: Zostawia po sobie ślad.

The verb forms related to zostawiać and zostawić cover a range of tenses. Zostawia is present; zostawić is the perfective counterpart with future forms like zostawię and zostawią, and past forms such as zostawił or zostawiła exist for masculine and feminine subjects. In everyday speech, zostawia often carries nuance from casual to formal contexts, and it can align with synonyms such as opuścić or porzucić, depending on the degree of abandonment or finality.

Common collocations include zostawiać za sobą, zostawiać coś w miejscu, or zostawiać po sobie ślad, each emphasizing different aspects of leaving or creating a legacy. The verb remains versatile in both concrete and abstract uses, making it a frequent element of Polish narrative and expression.

See also: zostawić, zostawiać, opuścić, porzucić.