zachowuje

Zachowuje is a form of Polish verbs zachowywać and zachować. It operates in two main senses: to keep or maintain something in a particular state, and, in the reflexive construction with się, to behave in a certain way. In everyday language, zachowuje can be used with a direct object (to keep something) or with a reflexive pronoun (to behave). Examples include zachowuje spokój (he keeps calm) and zachowuje dokumenty (he keeps/retains documents) or, with reflexive, zachowuje się nieodpowiednio (he behaves inappropriately).

Grammatical notes: zachuje is the third-person singular present indicative form. It derives from the imperfective verb zachowywać, whose present tense forms are ja zachowuję, ty zachowujesz, on zachowuje, my zachowujemy, wy zachowujecie, oni zachowują. The related, perfective verb zachować expresses completion or retention and has future forms such as zachowa (he will keep) or zachowają (they will keep). The reflexive construction zachowuje się is used specifically to describe behavior or conduct.

Etymology and semantic scope: both forms share a root chować (to keep, hide, store) with the prefix za- imparting sense of retention or completion. The prefixing often shifts meaning toward preserving a state (to keep, to retain) rather than the act of performing an action, depending on context. The noun zachowanie (behavior, conduct) is a common derivative.

See also: zachowywać, zachować, zachowanie, zachowywać się. The word is widely used in formal and informal Polish, including contexts ranging from everyday action to discussions of manners and protocol.