bolovati
Bolovati is a verb in Croatian, Serbian, and Bosnian that means to be ill or to suffer from a disease or condition. It is used to describe a state of sickness rather than a specific act of hurting. In everyday use, it often appears with a prepositional phrase such as od followed by the genitive to indicate the illness, for example, Bolujem od gripe (I have the flu) or On boluje od teške bolesti (He suffers from a serious illness).
Common constructions and distinctions:
- Intransitive verb: bolovati stands on its own to express being ill, with subject agreement (bolujem, boluje,
- With od + genitive: bolovati od gripe, bolovati od depresije, bolovati od bolesti. This construction specifies the
- Related forms: bolovanje refers to the illness period or medical leave; bolestan or bolesna/bolesno describes a
- Bolovati highlights the ongoing state of illness or chronic suffering, while boliti is often used for
- In some contexts, bolovati can carry a formal or literary tone, appearing in medical, genealogical, or
- Bolovati derives from the Slavic root bol- meaning pain or illness. It has cognates in related
- Related vocabulary includes bolest (illness), bolesnik (patient), and bolovanje (period of illness or medical leave).