mysleli

mysleli is the past tense, third-person plural form of the Polish verb myśleć, meaning to think or to believe. It is used to describe what a group of people thought in the past. The feminine plural form is myślały; other related past forms include myślałem, myślałaś, myślało, myśleliśmy, and myśleliście. The verb myśleć is imperfective, so myśleli generally refers to thinking or considering in the past rather than a single completed moment.

Formation and usage details: In Polish past tense, the ending -li marks masculine or mixed-gender plural subjects, yielding myśleli. The corresponding feminine plural is myślały. Other forms for different subjects include myślałem (I thought), myślałaś (you thought, feminine), and myślało (it thought). The form myśleli is used in narrative, reported speech, and statements about past beliefs or intentions.

Examples:

- Myśleli, że deszcz przestanie. (They thought the rain would stop.)

- Myśleli, że projekt zakończy się sukcesem. (They thought the project would end in success.)

Nuance: As an imperfective verb, myśleć often conveys ongoing thinking, consideration, or certainty in the past, rather than a single moment of thinking. Context determines whether the sense is a belief held over time or a specific past thought.

See also: myśleć, Polish verb; Polish grammar; past tense in Polish.