# učívala / slzivala...



## Sienna-Paris

Hello - I'm trying to get a literal translation (word for word) for the belowDvořák song and am having trouble finding translations for some of the words (in bold below). I don't know if it is written in some older form of czech?

Když mne stará matka zpívat, zpívat *učívala*,
Podivno, že často, často *slzivala*.
A ted’ také pláčem *snědé líce mučim*,
Když *vigánské* děti hrát a zpívat *učim*!


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## evice-palice

Salut!

*učívala* = she used to teach me (it doesn't last anymore). It's quite the same like* učila* but it emphasizes the fact of repetition, she used to be giving me lessons... And you won't probably hear this in commonly spoken czech. Infinitive of učívala is *učívat* and it's like to teach sb regularly. But czech people mostly ignore this verb and would only use verb *učit*.

*slzívala *is the same tense like učívala used in the same sense (repetition in past). Verb is derived from* slzet = cry, weep *and the infinitive (also unusual) is slzívat (to cry every now and then)

*mučim* = *I torture, I trouble* (some archaic form of verb *mučit*, today it's standart to say *já mučím*)

*snědé líce* is the object whom I torture and its translation is *swarthy cheeks* (cheeks of the children in the next sentence)

And I have no idea of what *vigánské* could mean... (I'd guess there should have been cikánské or cigánské, lol)

*učim* = I teach, same case like *mučim *and the standart form would be *(já) učím

*And edit, the form is really quite an archaic czech, including many inversions and (today)-incorrect verb forms.


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## bibax

The correct text is (probably):

Když mne stará matka zpívat, zpívat učívala,
podivno, že často, často slzívala.
A ted' také pláčem snědé líce mučím,
když cigánské děti hrát a zpívat učím!

When my old mother taught me to sing,
it’s strange that often, often she cried.
And now I also torment my swarthy face by weeping
when I teach gypsy children to play and to sing!


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## Enquiring Mind

This form of the Czech verb is often called _*iterative *_or *frequentative* in English because it usually expresses something that "used to happen" or "happened repeatedly", as evice-palice explained.  It isn't usually dealt with at any length in basic Czech grammars, but if any non-natives want to study the topic in greater detail, there is a detailed explanation in English in Wicker808's *Brief Primer on Aspect in Czech* here - you need to scroll down to three-fifths of the page (or click on 7. Other aspects) until you reach:
*Other aspects*
As mentioned previously, imperfective verbs can be divided into three subcategories:

Durative - Indicating an action that occupies a contiguous period of time. 
 
Iterative - Indicating an action repeated at regular intervals, or ocurring generally, habitually. 
Frequentative - Indicating an action repeated at irregular intervals. 
Enjoy!


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## BezierCurve

Would the original meaning of "*slzet*" be "*to shed tears*"?


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## evice-palice

Yes, *to shed tears *is exact translation. Slzet is very bookish expression btw, same like to shed tears is in english, I guess.


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## bibax

*Roniti slzy* (= to shed tears) is somedeal bookish.

*Kanouti* (kanuly mu slzy, skanula mu slza) is also bookish.

*Slzeti* can also mean _to be streaming_ (eyes are streaming if they are inflamed), it is commonly used.


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