ztratil

Ztratil is the masculine singular past tense form of the Czech verb ztratit, meaning to lose. It is used when the subject has completed the action of losing something. As a perfective verb, ztratil indicates a completed event, and its other gender and number forms are ztratila (feminine singular), ztratili (masculine plural), and ztratily (feminine plural).

In everyday Czech, ztratil appears in statements such as Ztratil jsem klíče, meaning I lost my keys, where the subject is first person masculine. The form can also be used with other subjects, for example, Ztratil klíče (he lost his keys). The verb is commonly employed for concrete losses (objects, money) as well as more abstract losses (time, patience).

Etymology and language notes: ztratit is formed with the prefix z- added to the root tratit, meaning to lose; the word has its origins in the Czech branch of the Slavic languages and belongs to the perfective aspect. The imperfective counterpart is ztrácet, used for ongoing or repeated loss in present or future contexts.

In contrast, Slovak uses stratil as the equivalent masculine past tense form, without the initial z. The phrase ztratil se exists in Czech to mean that someone got lost, with se functioning as a reflexive clitic.

See also: ztratit; ztratil se; stratil (Slovak equivalent).