ustanawiali

Ustanawiali is a Polish verb form. It represents the imperfective past tense of the verb ustanawiać, which means to establish, set up, determine, or appoint. The form is used with a masculine personal plural subject and conveys that the action was ongoing, repeated, or customary in the past, rather than a single completed event. In English, it is typically rendered as “they were establishing” or “they used to establish.” The corresponding feminine plural form is ustanawiały.

Morphology and usage notes: The ending -ali marks the masculine personal plural in the past imperfective. The feminine plural form is -ały, yielding ustanawiały. In past narrative, historical, and formal prose, this distinction helps indicate the gender and number of the subjects performing the action. The verb can refer to establishing rules, institutions, arrangements, or procedures, and it often appears in discussions of policy, law, or organizational development. The imperfective aspect emphasizes the process or repetition rather than a single, completed act.

Context and related forms: Ustanawiali contrasts with the perfective counterpart ustanowić, which denotes a completed act (they established). Examples in context include: “W latach 1990–1992 ustanawiali nowe zasady finansowania” (During 1990–1992 they were establishing new funding rules). The form is part of broader Polish verb families around ustanawiać and its synonyms, such as ustalać, though each carries slightly different nuances.