pracují

Pracují is a Czech verb form meaning “they work.” It is the third-person plural present tense of the verb pracovat (to work). The verb belongs to the -ovat group, and its present tense forms follow a regular pattern: pracuji, pracuješ, pracuje, pracujeme, pracujete, pracují. The form pracují is used specifically with plural subjects.

The aspect of pracovat is imperfective, describing ongoing or repeated activity rather than a completed action. The corresponding perfective forms are created with prefixes, for example odpracovat means “to work through” or “to complete a period of work,” and would have present tense forms such as odpracují, depending on the subject.

Usage and examples: pracují is used for plural subjects, and can accompany prepositional phrases indicating place or object, as in “Oni pracují na projektu” (They are working on a project) or “Pracují ve skladu” (They work in the warehouse). The verb can refer to employment as well as general activity, for instance “Oni pracují jako programátoři” (They work as programmers). Related nouns include práce (work, job) and adjectives such as pracovní (work-related).

Notes: in addition to present tense, verbs derived from pracovat include forms for other tenses and moods, such as budou pracovat (they will work) or pracovali by (they would work). The form pracují is a common, neutral way to describe ongoing work by multiple subjects in Czech.