Czech vocabulary loves to grow from a single root. The root -stav- is all about building / putting up, and from it you get a verb, a place, a person and a process. Learn one, recognise them all.
The verb: stavět vs postavit
Like most Czech verbs, “to build” comes as an aspect pair. Use stavět for the ongoing process, and postavit for the finished result.
stavět
to build (imperfective — in progress, repeatedly)
postavit
to build (perfective — build and complete it)
stavět most přes řeku
to build a bridge across the river
Postavili nový dům za rok.
They built a new house in a year. (finished)
The nouns in the family
- stavba — construction / a building (a structure, or the act of building)
- staveniště — a construction site (colloquially also just stavba)
- stavitel — a builder / master builder
- stavební — construction- (adjective: stavební firma = construction company)
Na staveništi pracuje deset lidí.
Ten people are working on the construction site.
Tahle stavba potrvá dva roky.
This construction (project) will take two years.
For Russian speakers: the family maps neatly onto Russian стро-. postavit → построить, stavět → строить, staveniště → стройплощадка / стройка, stavitel → строитель, stavba → строительство. Same idea, Czech clothing.
Bonus: the same root, extra meanings
The -stav- root stretches a little further, which is worth knowing:
- postavit se — to stand up (literally “put oneself up”)
- přestavět — to rebuild / remodel
- postava — a figure / a character (in a story)
So next time you pass a staveniště, you’ll know the stavitel is busy with a stavba — and that they’re going to postavit something great.
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