czasy

Czasy is a Polish noun meaning "times" or "ages." It is the plural form of czas and is used to refer to particular periods in history, moments in time, or the passage of time in general. In everyday and formal language, czasy appears in phrases such as czasy średniowiecza (the Middle Ages), czasy nowożytne (the modern era), or w trudnych czasach (in difficult times). The word is versatile and can carry neutral, descriptive, or evaluative shades, as in ciemne czasy (dark times).

Grammatical use: In Polish grammar, czasy also denotes the category of tense, with three primary tenses: czas teraźniejszy (present), czas przeszły (past), and czas przyszły (future). The future is often formed by a combination of auxiliary constructions and the infinitive, and the language distinguishes aspect (imperfective vs perfective) within these tenses.

Etymology and scope: Czasy derives from czas, meaning time, which in turn comes from Proto-Slavic *časъ. The term appears across Slavic languages in related forms and is widely used in historical, literary, cultural, and linguistic contexts.

See also: czas, czasownik, czas przeszły, czas teraźniejszy, czas przyszły.