obývajú

Obývají is the third-person plural present tense of the Czech verb obývat, meaning to inhabit or reside in a place. The imperfective aspect signals an ongoing or habitual action rather than a one-time event, and the verb is used to describe populations that live in a place, such as a town, region, or dwelling. In everyday speech, obývat is often regarded as more formal or descriptive than bydlet.

Conjugation and related forms: obývat is imperfective; present tense forms are obývám, obýváš, obývá, obýváme, obýváte, obývají. The noun obývání denotes the act of inhabiting, and obývaný means inhabited. In passive constructions you may encounter forms like město bylo obýváno, meaning the city was inhabited.

Usage notes: The verb frequently appears in historical, demographic, or descriptive writing to indicate who lives in a place and for how long. It can emphasize occupancy by humans rather than mere physical presence of objects. In contemporary speech, more common verbs for simple living are bydlet or žít, with obývat tending to carry a more formal or literary tone.

Examples: Většina obyvatel obývá malý dům na okraji města. Historická města byla obývána různými národy. Dnes ostrov obývá několik komunit, které spolupracují na ochraně místního ekosystému.