snímali

Snímali is a Czech verb form: it is the past tense, plural (they photographed or they were filming/recording) of the verb snímat. In use, it describes actions in the past carried out by more than one subject and is typically found in narrative or descriptive contexts. For example: Oni snímali scénu pro dokument; Minulý týden snímali venku.

Etymology and meaning: Snítmat belongs to a class of Czech imperfective verbs that highlight the process or repetition of an action. The form snímali indicates that the action of photographing, filming, or recording was in progress or occurred repeatedly in the past by a group. The exact sense of snímat depends on context and can range from taking photographs to recording audio or video; common contemporary equivalents are fotografovat or natáčet.

Grammar notes: Snímat is imperfective, so past tense forms describe ongoing or repeated past actions rather than a single completed event. The present tense forms include snímám, snímáš, snímá, snímáme, snímáte, snímají. The corresponding past tense plural form is snímali (masculine or mixed gender) and snímaly (feminine). The form snímali is therefore used when the subject group is masculine or mixed in gender.

Related terms: The noun snímání refers to the act or process of recording or capturing imagery or sound. For contrasts of aspect and nuance, Czech also uses perfective verbs such as vyfotili (they photographed) or natočili (they filmed) to emphasize a completed action.