izgledaju

Izgledaju is a verb form used in Croatian, Serbian, and Bosnian. It is the third-person plural present indicative of the verb izgledati, which means to look or to appear. The infinitive is izgledati, and the related noun izgled means appearance. The form izgleda is used for singular subjects (he/she/it looks), while izgledaju is used for plural subjects (they look).

Izgledaju can describe both outward physical appearance and the impression someone or something makes. In many contexts it denotes how someone appears to observers, rather than a direct action. It can also express a judgment or inference about a state or mood, often in combination with other elements such as kao da (as if) or da (that). For example, Ljudi izgledaju sretni means “People look happy,” while Izgledaju kao da su umorni means “They look as if they are tired.”

In usage, the subject must be plural when using izgledaju. For singular subjects, the forms izgleda (he/she/it looks) or izgledaš (you look) are used, depending on the person. Common verbs and phrases related to appearance include gledati (to look at) and izgled (appearance), with izgledati focusing on the perception of appearance and izgledu meaning a particular look or presentation.

Etymology traces izgledaju to iz- (out, outward) combined with gledati (to look), yielding the sense of outward appearance or how something looks to an observer. The form is widely used across standard Croatian, Serbian, and Bosnian, and behaves similarly in these languages.