bývalá

Bývalé is a Czech word that functions as a morphological form of the adjective bývalý, generally translated into English as "former" or "ex-". It is used to denote a previous state, role, relationship or ownership and appears in phrases referring to former offices, institutions, partners, residences or conditions (for example, bývalý prezident, bývalé Československo, bývalé zaměstnání).

Grammatical role and forms

Bývalé is one of the inflected forms of bývalý and occurs in contexts determined by gender, number and case (e.g., neuter singular or certain plural forms depending on declension). As with other Czech adjectives, it can be used attributively before a noun or predicatively after a verb.

Etymology and cognates

The word derives from the Old Czech and Proto-Slavic roots related to the verb býti (to be), via a participial or adjectival formation meaning "that which was." Cognates exist in other Slavic languages, such as Polish býły/były and Slovak bývalý, and semantic equivalents include English "former" and German "ehemalig."

Usage and register

Bývalé is neutral in tone and widely used in everyday, journalistic, historical and legal language to indicate prior status without inherently positive or negative connotations. Context and modifiers determine any evaluative implication.