zamknout

Zamknout is a Czech verb meaning to close securely, that is, to lock or to shut with a lock or bolt. It is used for locking doors, windows, containers, or gates, and can also mean to seal off or to shut down something (for example, zamknout podnik means to close down a business). The action implies that a locking mechanism has been engaged, often with a key or bolt. The noun zámek, meaning both a lock and, in a separate sense, a castle, is etymologically related to the verb.

Aspect and related forms: zamknout is a perfective verb, indicating a single, completed action. Its imperfective counterpart is zamykat. In practical use, zamknout emphasizes the result (the object is locked). Common collocations include zamknout dveře (lock the doors), zamknout okno (lock the window), or zamknout na zámek (lock with a lock). The verb can also appear in figurative senses such as zamknout se před někým (to shut oneself off from someone).

Conjugation (illustrative forms): present/future: já zamknu, ty zamkneš, on zamkne, my zamkneme, vy zamknete, oni zamknou. Imperfective counterpart: já zamykám, ty zamykáš, on zamyká, my zamykáme, vy zamykáte, oni zamykají. Past tense: já jsem zamkl/zamkla, ty jsi zamkl(a), on zamkl, my jsme zamkli, vy jste zamkli, oni zamkli. Imperative: zamkni (ty), zamkněte (vy).

See also: zavřít (to close, without implying locking), zámek (lock), zamykání (locking, locking process).

Examples: Včera jsem zamkl dveře na zámek. Zamkni prosím dveře, když odcházíš. Firma byla po nabytí bezpečnosti zamknuta a uzavřena pro veřejnost.