ukrywa

Ukrywa is the third-person singular present tense form of the Polish verb ukrywać, meaning to hide or conceal. In everyday usage, ukrywa describes someone or something actively performing the act of concealing in the present. It appears in sentences such as "On ukrywa dokumenty" (He is hiding the documents) or "Ona ukrywa prawdę" (She hides the truth). The form is part of the imperfective aspect; its perfective counterpart ukryć has a future tense instead of a present form, for example "ukryje" (he will hide).

Etymology and related forms: Ukrywać is built from the prefix u- with the root kryć, related to the verb kryć (to cover). Related nouns and adjectives include ukrycie (concealment), ukryty (hidden), and ukrywanie (hiding, the act of concealing). The present tense forms of ukrywać follow standard Polish conjugation: ja ukrywam, ty ukrywasz, on/ona/ono ukrywa, my ukrywamy, wy ukrywacie, oni/one ukrywają.

Usage and nuance: Ukrywa is commonly used to describe deliberate concealment—physical hiding of objects, concealing information, intentions, or identities. It can carry neutral or negative connotations depending on context, from ordinary secrecy to deceit or obstruction. In literary or journalistic language, it may describe motivations behind concealment or the act of keeping something out of sight.

Examples:

- On ukrywa klucz w szafie.

- Oni ukrywają prawdę przed opinią publiczną.

- Firma ukrywa dane w raporcie.

Notes: The imperfective-present form ukrywa contrasts with the perfective ukryć, whose present tense does not exist; instead, ukryć is used with future forms such as ukryje, to express a completed act.