dotyní

Dotyní is a Czech adverb meaning until now or up to this moment. It is primarily found in formal or literary contexts and is often considered archaic or stylistically marked in contemporary prose. The word signals a boundary in time, indicating that a situation has persisted from the past to the present.

Etymology and history are not fully settled. The form is typically grouped with other temporal expressions that mark continuity up to the present, such as dosud and dosavad. While its precise origin is unclear, dotyní is generally understood as a historic or stylistic variant rather than a common everyday term.

Usage of dotyní is more common in written language, especially in historical narratives, poetry, or prose that aims for a classical register. In ordinary speech, speakers usually prefer dosud or až dosud. When used, dotyní often pairs with verbs in finite tenses to express continuity from a past point to the present.

Examples:

Dotyní se nic nezměnilo. (Up to now nothing has changed.)

Dotyní nebylo jasné, jaké kroky budou následovat. (Until now it was not clear what steps would follow.)

In modern usage, dotyní is typically encountered as a stylistic choice rather than a standard everyday term. For most readers and speakers, dosud remains the more natural equivalent in contemporary Czech.