stajala

Stajala is a feminine singular past tense form of the verb stajati, found in several South Slavic languages such as Croatian, Bosnian, and Serbian. It marks a past action related to standing, typically in constructions with the auxiliary verb biti (to be) in compound tenses, or as the feminine past participle in narrative clauses. For example: Ona je stajala pred domom, meaning “She was standing (or stood) in front of the house.”

Etymology and related forms: The verb stajati means “to stand,” and stajala derives from this root. The full past tense paradigm in these languages includes masculine, feminine, and neuter singular forms as well as plural forms, such as stajao (masc), stajala (fem), stajalo (neut), and stajali (pl). These forms agree with the subject in gender and number.

Usage and nuance: Stajala commonly appears to describe a standing action in the past, either ongoing or completed depending on the broader aspect of the sentence. It is used in both spoken and written language to depict scenes, positions, or states in time past. Dialectal and stylistic variations may influence its exact aspectual reading, but it remains a standard past-tense feminine form in everyday usage.

See also: stajati, past tense in South Slavic languages, and agreement of past participles in Croatian, Bosnian, and Serbian.