The base verb is plivat — “to spit” (imperfective, the general/ongoing action). The thing being spat is usually sliny (“saliva,” used in the plural).
1. plivat — present tense
- já plivu — I spit
- ty pliveš — you spit
- on / ona plive — he / she spits
- my pliveme — we spit
- vy plivete — you spit (plural / formal)
- oni plivou — they spit
Viděla jsem, jak plive do dálky semínka od melounu.
I saw him spitting melon seeds into the distance.
2. plivnout — one single spit
The perfective plivnout is a single, one-off action. Its past tense has two accepted forms — both are fine:
On plivnul na zem. / On plivl na zem.
He spat on the ground.
3. With prefixes: odplivnout si, vyplivnout
Prefixes add direction and nuance:
- odplivnout si — to spit to the side (often in disgust or for luck)
- vyplivnout — to spit out (get something out of your mouth)
On si odplivl.
He spat (to the side).
Vyplivl zub. / Vyplivl hodně slin.
He spat out a tooth. / He spat out a lot of saliva.
Prefix logic: od- = away/aside (spit to the side), vy- = out (spit something out). Spot these prefixes and you can guess dozens of other Czech verbs.
One root, four moves: plivat, plivnout, odplivnout si, vyplivnout. Charming? No. Useful? Surprisingly, yes.
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