ostáva

Ostáva is a Slovak verb form meaning remains or is left. It is the third-person singular present tense of the imperfective verb ostávať, which means to remain, to stay, or to be left over. Ostáva expresses that something continues to exist or that a quantity or amount remains after some event or passage of time. The present tense forms of ostávať are: ja ostávam, ty ostávaš, on/ona ostáva, my ostávame, vy ostávate, oni ostávajú.

In usage, ostáva is commonly employed to describe what is left or what endures. It can refer to time remaining, material leftovers, or a continuing state. For example, Ostáva mi ešte päť minút means There are still five minutes left for me. On the table ostáva chlieb a maslo means Bread and butter remain on the table. In contrast, the verb zostať (often used in its imperfective form zostávať or in the perfective zostane) conveys similar meanings, and ostáva is sometimes found in contexts where the emphasis is on ongoing existence rather than a completed action.

Etymology and relation to other languages: ostávať is a native Slovak verb, with cognates in other Slavic languages, such as Czech zůstávat and Polish zostawać. These forms share the core meaning of remaining or being left over, though exact usage and aspect may differ between languages.

See also: zostávať, zostať, ostávať, zostatok.