obdobími

Obdobími is the instrumental plural form of the Czech noun období, which means a period of time, a span, or an era within a sequence of events. The noun is neuter; its instrumental plural is used in sentences where the noun functions in the instrumental case, typically after prepositions that require instrumental (for example with, between) or in statements about actions involving periods.

Období itself denotes a subdivision of time within a larger context, such as history, geology, or a process that unfolds in stages. The instrumental plural form, obdobími, is the version used when the noun is governed by instrumental meanings or by prepositions that call for instrumental case.

In practice, obdobími appears in phrases like “s různými obdobími” (with different periods) or “mezi různými obdobími vývoje” (between different periods of development). It is also common in academic or analytical writing when comparing phases across time, cycles, or epochs. The term is often contrasted with autre forms such as období (singular), etapy or fáze (synonyms for phase or stage).

Usage notes: obdobími is mainly a grammatical form, but the concept it conveys—periods or phases within a larger timeline—is widely used across disciplines. It is common in historical analyses, climatology, economics, and project planning to reference specific intervals within a broader timeframe. Related words include období (singular) and the plural forms used in other grammatical cases for similar meanings.