zamijeniti

Zamijeniti is a verb in Croatian (also used in Bosnian and Serbian) meaning to replace, substitute, or swap one thing for another. It is a transitive, perfective verb; its imperfective counterpart is zamijenjati (or zamjenjivati) and, more generally, mijenjati. The action emphasizes completion of the replacement rather than a continuous process. The noun zamjena denotes a replacement or substitution; zamjenik refers to a substitute or deputy.

Etymology and forms: The word is derived from the root mijenjati with the prefix za-, which gives the sense of substituting one thing for another. As a perfective verb, zamijeniti typically describes a completed replacement, while its imperfective forms describe the process or repetition of replacing.

Usage: Zamijeniti is used when one object or person is substituted for another. Examples: Potrebno je zamijeniti staru bateriju novom. (The old battery needs to be replaced with a new one.) Kompanija je zamijenila svog menadžera novim direktorom. (The company replaced its manager with a new director.) U sportu, zamjena igrača označava privremenu ili trajnu zamjenu tijekom utakmice.

In computing and everyday language, zamijeniti can refer to replacing characters or terms, as in zamijeniti znak ili riječ u tekstu. The related noun zamjena is common in contexts ranging from logistics to software updates.

See also: zamjena, zamjenik, mijenjati.