zprostedkovat

Zprostedkovat is a Czech verb meaning to mediate, arrange, or broker a deal or connection between parties. It denotes acting as an intermediary to facilitate an agreement, exchange, or transmission of information. The verb is transitive and takes a direct object, such as zprostředkovat kontakt, zprostředkovat práci, or zprostředkovat smlouvu. In business and everyday life, it is used when a person or firm arranges introductions, negotiations, or the transfer of services between two sides.

Etymology and spelling: the standard form is zprostředkovat, derived from prostředek (means, intermediary) with the prefix z- indicating bringing something about. The variant zprostedkovat (without the háček over ř) is a common misspelling or typographical error and is not correct in standard Czech orthography.

Usage notes: zprostředkování (noun) refers to mediation or brokerage; zprostředkovatel (mediator, broker) is the agent who performs the mediation. The term is widespread in legal, commercial, and employment contexts, as well as in informal introductions and matchmaking. In some contexts, more specific verbs such as vyjednat (negotiate) or domluvit (arrange, agree) may be used in addition or instead, depending on nuance.

Conjugation: as a regular verb of the -ovat class, zprostředkovat follows standard Czech conjugation patterns for such verbs.

See also: zprostředkování, zprostředkovatel, prostředek, mediator.