oslavovat oslavit slavit

Discussion in 'Grammar & Pronunciation' started by Kikko, May 29, 2008.

  1. Kikko

    Kikko Well-Known Member

    Ehi there,
    I was asking myself about the difference between Oslavovat, (oslavit) and Slavit.

    Fanoušci oslavovali jasné vítězství, jež se zadařilo dnes večer.

    Why should I prefere oslavovali instead of slavili to say they were celebrating?
     
  2. Karel_lerak

    Karel_lerak Well-Known Member

    One of the czech play with words, how to derive finished verb from unfinished and vice versa:

    slaviti = unfinished
    oslaviti = finished, derived from "slaviti"
    oslavovati = unfinished, derived from "oslaviti" by "(o)va"

    There is no real difference between "slaviti" and "oslavovati". They are interchangable almost in every context.
    May be some stylistics or personal preference.

    There exist many such examples, eg.:

    dát - podat - podávat
    sekat - osekat - oseknout
    sídlit - osídlit - osidlovat
    hořet - ohořet - ohořívat
    chladit - ochladit - ochlazovat (almost no difference between chladit x ochlazovat in many contexts)
    chladit - zchladit - zchlazovat
    chránit - ochránit - ochraňovat (almost no difference between chránit x ochraňovat in many contexts)
    and many others ...

    Usually, there is a difference in meaning between the first and last verb, but not always. The shift in meaning is mostly between the first and second verb, where the preposition brings the change in meaning, not only change in finiteness.
     
  3. wer

    wer Well-Known Member

    It could be alternatively derived from “oslava” (= celebration). It depends on the particular meaning of the verb.

    “Slavit” is “celebrate”, while “oslavovat” is rather “make celebration”.

    slavit vítězství ~ enjoy the win
    oslavovat vítězství ~ enjoy the celebration of the win

    But yes, it’s arguable and practically interchangeable in the given context.
     

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