mívávat

Mívávat is a Czech verb form that expresses habitual or repeated action in the past. It is an imperfective, frequentative form derived from mít (to have) and is built with the frequentative suffix vá- attached to the infinitive ending -vat. The function is to indicate that an action occurred regularly over a period, rather than as a single event.

In usage, mívávat is mainly found in written Czech and older or literary styles. It signals that the action was customary or recurring in the past. The same notion can be conveyed in contemporary speech with other constructions, but mívávat remains a characteristic option for narrating repeated past behavior or tendencies. The form contrasts with the present habitual (for which forms like mívám, míváš, mívá, míváme, míváte, mívají are used) and with a simple past narrative that denotes a one-off event.

Conjugation and forms can vary by person and tense. The infinitive is mívávat. Present tense forms include mívám, míváš, mívá, míváme, míváte, mívají. Past or imperfective habitual forms include mívával, mívávala, mívávali, mívávaly, among others. The choice of form reflects both time (present vs. past) and the degree of habituality.

Examples:

- Když byl mladý, mívával často navštěvovat muzea.

- Jako dítě mívával rád číst pohádky.

See also: mít, Czech verb aspect, imperfective, frequentative forms.