ovládá

Ovládá is a Czech verb meaning to control, to master, or to dominate something or someone. It is transitive and commonly used for skills, situations, devices, or systems. The infinitive is ovládat; the form ovládá appears in the present tense for the third person singular.

Conjugation and forms: present tense forms are já ovládám, ty ovládáš, on/ona/ono ovládá, my ovládáme, vy ovládáte, oni ovládají. The past tense is ovládal (masc.), ovládala (fem.), ovládalo (neut.). The past participle is ovládaný. The imperative forms are ovládej (singular) and ovládejte (plural or formal).

Usage notes: ovládá takes a direct object in the accusative, for example: ovládá jazyk (masters a language), ovládá situaci (controls the situation), ovládá software. It can also refer to mastery of a skill or competency: ovládá angličtinu na vysoké úrovni. In technical or mechanical contexts it can describe controlling a device or system, e.g., ovládá řízení vozu. Nuance wise, ovládat emphasizes ongoing competence or capability, whereas perfective verbs like ovládnout express a completed act of taking control or mastering in a single stroke. For nuances of coping with a task, zvládat is often preferred.

Origin and related terms: ovládá is derived from the same semantic field as vládnout (to govern). Related nouns include ovládání (control or operation) and vládnutí (governing). The word sits within a family of Czech verbs dealing with authority, mastery, and control.