dokonavých

Dokonavých is a Czech term used in grammar to refer to the dokonavý, or perfective, aspect of verbs. It describes actions that are viewed as completed or resulting in a finished state. The opposite term is nedokonavý, the imperfective aspect, which emphasizes ongoing or repeated actions. The distinction between dokonavý and nedokonavý is a central feature of Czech verbal grammar and affects verb conjugation, tense usage, and nuance of meaning. The form dokonavých is the genitive plural of the adjective dokonavý, and is commonly seen in phrases such as dokonavých sloves (perfective verbs).

The perfective aspect arises in two main ways. Some verbs are lexically perfective and inherently express a completed action. More often, imperfective verbs gain a perfective meaning through prefixation or other derivational processes, producing a pair with a competing imperfective form. Common prefixes that signal completion include do-, na-, vy-, z-, pře-, and po-. For example, some verb pairs show a shift in meaning from an ongoing activity to a completed event: psát vs napsat (to write vs to finish writing), jíst vs sníst (to eat vs to finish eating), číst vs přečíst (to read vs to read through to the end).

Usage of the dokonavý aspect typically conveys that the action is punctual, completed, or has a definite endpoint. In past tense, perfective verbs often express a single, completed event, while imperfective verbs describe a process or repeated actions. In future contexts, perfective forms indicate that the action will be completed at some point.

Examples of common dokonavé pairs illustrate the contrast between imperfective and perfective meanings. The concept also appears in scholarly references to classify verbs as dokonavé slovesá (perfective verbs) and to discuss prefixes and formation patterns.