pokazati

Pokazati is a verb found in several South Slavic languages, including Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian, and Slovenian. Its basic meaning is to show or display something to someone, or to demonstrate a fact, action, or object. The verb is typically used transitively, as in pokazati nešto (to show something) or pokazati nekom nešto (to show someone something). It can also indicate pointing out or indicating, for example pokazati put (to show the way).

As a perfective verb, pokazati usually describes a completed act of showing. The corresponding imperfective form is pokazivati, which expresses the ongoing or repeated action of showing. In verb conjugation, pokazati appears in past tense as pokazao/pokazala/pokazalo (depending on gender) and in present/future forms according to the language’s standard conjugation patterns.

In addition to literal showing, the sense of the word can be figurative. For instance, it can mean to demonstrate or reveal something about a person or situation, such as pokazati interes (to show interest) or pokazati da nešto važi (to show that something is true). A related auxiliary or reflexive usage exists in some languages, for example pokazati se, meaning to appear or to show up.

Etymologically, pokazati is formed with a prefix and a root related to the idea of making something visible or evident. The form is common across Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian, and Slovenian, with minimal meaning variation between these languages.

See also: kazati (to say), pokazivanje (displaying), pokazivanje/izlaganje (exhibition).