staviti

Staviti is a verb used in Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian and Montenegrin to mean to put, to place, or to set something somewhere. It is a transitive, typically perfective verb that describes a single, completed act of placing. The imperfective counterpart is generally stavljati (to put/place repeatedly) or, in some senses, postavljati.

In present tense, staviti appears with a stem variably realized as stavim, staviš, stavi, stavimo, stavite, stave. The past tense is formed with the auxiliary biti plus the past participle (stavio, stavila, stavili, etc.). The future is usually expressed with the auxiliary form with the infinitive, as in ću staviti or ću stavit knjigu na stol (I will place the book on the table).

Usage covers both physical placement and figurative senses. Examples include staviti knjigu na stol (to put the book on the table) and figurative uses such as staviti naglasak na nečemu (to place emphasis on something) or staviti pitanje (to pose a question). The verb appears across formal and informal registers, from everyday speech to written text.

Etymology and related forms: Staviti is derived from a Slavic root related to stav, meaning position or stance, and has cognates across South Slavic languages. Its semantic range includes both concrete placement and broader contexts where something is set or established.

See also: stavljati, postaviti. These forms describe the imperfective or slightly different senses of placing or setting, and are commonly contrasted with staviti in usage.