vrátili

Vrátili is a Czech verb form that functions as a past tense ending for certain verbs. It is the masculine plural form used in the past tense of both vratit se (to return oneself, i.e., to come back) and vratit (to return something to its owner). The form expresses that the action has been completed in the past and agrees with a masculine or mixed-gender plural subject. The feminine plural counterpart is vrátily, and other gender/number forms follow the standard Czech conjugation.

In reflexive use, vrátili se means “they returned” as in returning to a place: Oni se vrátili domů. In transitive use, vrátili can appear with a direct object meaning “they returned (something)”: Oni vrátili věci vrátili včas. The presence or absence of the reflexive particle se changes the sense from the intransitive “return to a place” to the transitive “return something.” The stem retains the root vrat- and receives the past-tense ending -ili for masculine plural and -ily for feminine plural.

Etymologically, vrátili derives from the Czech verb vratit (to return) and the reflexive vrátit se, with the past tense morphology shaped by Slavic verbal inflection. It is common in everyday speech and in written Czech, including journalism and literature, to describe actions of returning either to a location or of returning items.

Notes: The form includes diacritics, written as vrátili (masculine/mixed plural) and vrátily (feminine plural). Usage depends on the object of the verb (reflexive return vs. return of something) and

the gender of the subject.