zapamätali

Zapamätali is a past tense form of the Slovak verb zapamätať si (often used as zapamätat si in some spellings), meaning to remember or to memorize. It is the third-person plural form, used when the subject is a group (they). The form also appears in contexts where the memory is described as a completed action, reflecting the perfective aspect of zapamätať si.

Etymology and grammar: zapamätať si is a compound formed from the prefix za- with pamätať si, where pamäť means memory. The combination conveys the idea of committing something to memory or recalling it thoroughly. Zapamätali signals that the remembering happened in the past and is treated as a completed event. In contrast, pamätali (without the za- prefix) represents the imperfective form, used for general memory or repeated recalling.

Usage notes: Zapamätali si is commonly used when describing what a group remembered, often with a reflexive si to indicate personal memory. Examples include: Oni si zapamätali jeho meno. They remembered his name. Zapamätali si všetko, čo sa stalo. They remembered everything that happened. The reflexive si is frequent to emphasize the act of committing to memory.

Related forms: zapamätajú si (they will remember), zapamätal som (I remembered), pamätajú si (they remember, imperfective). See also Slovak verb aspects, memory-related vocabulary, and reflexive verb constructions.