kupují

Kupují is a Czech verb form meaning they buy or they are buying. It is the present tense, imperfective aspect, 3rd person plural of the verb kupovat, which means to buy in general or to purchase repeatedly or habitually. As an imperfective form, kupují describes ongoing, repeated, or customary actions rather than a single completed event.

Usage and meaning

In ordinary sentences, kupují is used to indicate the act of purchasing in the present time or as a general statement about what people do. It can take a direct object in the accusative case, for example: Oni kupují jablka. They are buying apples. It contrasts with the perfective counterpart koupí, which in the present tense typically conveys a future meaning: Oni koupí auto. They will buy a car.

Conjugation and related forms

The present tense forms of kupovat (to buy, imperfective) include: já kupuju, ty kupuješ, on kupuje, my kupujeme, vy kupujete, oni kupují. The verb has a perfective partner, koupit (to buy, completive), whose present tense forms (used for future) are: já koupím, ty koupíš, on koupí, my koupíme, vy koupíte, oni koupí. Past tense and other moods are formed with standard Czech grammar for imperfective versus perfective verbs.

Etymology and notes

Kupovat derives from the Czech root kup- meaning to purchase, with typical imperfective morphology. In usage, kupují often appears in everyday discourse about shopping, commerce, and consumer behavior, and appears in a variety of contexts from casual statements to news reporting.