letà

Letí is a Czech verb meaning to fly or to be in flight. It is the third person singular present tense form of the verb letět and is used for moves through the air by birds, airplanes, or other means. The verb is intransitive and typically describes movement rather than transitive action.

In usage, letět denotes a single, ongoing flight (as opposed to the habitual or repeated movement expressed by létat). It can also express near-future movement when combined with time adverbs, as in Zítra letí do Prahy (Tomorrow he/it is flying to Prague). The phrase Čas letí is a common metaphorical use meaning “time flies.”

Present tense forms (examples): já letím, ty letíš, on/ona/ono letí, my letíme, vy letíte, oni/ony letí. Examples include Pták letí nad městem (A bird is flying over the city) and Letadlo letí nad hladinou (The airplane is flying over the surface). Čas letí illustrates the metaphorical sense.

Past and related forms: the past tense uses letěl, letěla, letělo for singular subjects and letěli, letěly for plural subjects. The imperfective counterpart is létat, used for repeated or habitual flying.

Etymology and related forms: letět is derived from the Czech noun let meaning flight. It has cognates in other Slavic languages and is closely related to the concept of flight in the language family.

See also: létat, let (noun).