ztratili

Ztratili is a Czech verb form. It is the masculine plural past participle of ztratit, the perfective form meaning “to lose.” In Czech, past tenses for perfective verbs are built with the auxiliary form of the verb být (to be) plus the past participle, so ztratili appears in sentences like Oni ztratili klíče, meaning “They lost the keys.”

Morphology and usage

Ztratili is used for masculine or mixed-gender plural subjects. The feminine plural counterpart is ztratily, while singular forms are ztratil (masc. sg) and ztratila (fem. sg). As a result, ztratili conveys a completed action in the past: the loss has occurred and is viewed as a single, completed event.

Etymology

The form derives from the verb ztratit, which combines the prefix z- with the root tratit (to lose). The prefix z- often signals a completed or total action in Czech verb formation.

Notes

Ztratili is common in narrative and descriptive prose when reporting that a group lost something. It is specific to Czech and may be misread by speakers of languages with similar-looking forms but different meanings or conjugation patterns.

See also

ztratit, ztratil, ztratila, ztratily, Czech past tense, Czech verbs, perfective aspect.