pomoci / poradit + Dative

Dative Object with Help and Advice Verbs

Level 3

In Czech, you don't "help someone" directly. Instead, you "give help to someone." This means verbs like pomoci/pomoct (to help) and poradit (to advise) require the person receiving the action to be in the dative case, not the accusative.

How It Works

English treats "help" and "advise" as transitive verbs taking a direct object ("I help him"). Czech treats them as actions directed toward a beneficiary, requiring the dative case.

Pomoci / Pomoct and Pomáhat (to help)
The person being helped is always in the dative case. Note the aspect pair: pomoci / pomoct is perfective, while pomáhat is imperfective. Both govern the dative. Also, pomoci/pomoct has an irregular conjugation. Because it is perfective, its present-tense forms express the future tense. The base root consonant is -h-, which is retained in the past tense (pomohl). In the present tense, the middle forms (pomůžeš, pomůže, pomůžeme, pomůžete) always mutate to -ž- in all registers. The 1st-person singular and 3rd-person plural have two variants: the formal pomohu, pomohou (with -h-) and the standard everyday pomůžu, pomůžou (with -ž-). Note also its irregular imperative forms, where the consonant mutates to -z-: pomoz (informal singular), pomozme (first-person plural), and pomozte (formal/plural).

  • Můžu vám pomoct? (Can I help you?)
  • Pomáhám matce. (I am helping my mother. Notice the k → c mutation in the dative.)
  • Pomoz mi! (Help me!)

Poradit and Radit (to advise / recommend)
The perfective verb is poradit, and its imperfective counterpart is radit (to give advice on an ongoing basis). These verbs often take two objects: the person in the dative and the thing being recommended in the accusative (poradit komu co).

  • Poradila mi dobrou knihu. (She recommended a good book to me. mi = dative, knihu = accusative. Note that while poradit works here, the primary verb for "to recommend" is doporučit.)
  • Radím ti dobře. (I am giving you good advice.)

Advising someone to do something
To advise someone to do an action, you can use either a subordinate clause with aby or a bare infinitive. The person advised remains in the dative.

  • Poradil mi, abych to nedělal. (He advised me not to do it.)
  • Radím ti mlčet. (I advise you to stay silent.)

Helping someone to do something
Helping someone to do an action uses either a bare infinitive or a subordinate clause with aby, depending on the meaning. The bare infinitive is used for direct shared action (when you directly participate in the activity). An aby clause is used to express purpose or enablement (helping someone so that they can achieve something). The person being helped remains in the dative.

  • Pomůžu ti to najít. (I will help you find it. – direct shared action)
  • Pomohl mi, abych to stihl. (He helped me so that I would make it on time. – enablement)

Helping with / Advising on something
To express what you are helping with or advising on, use the preposition s + instrumental case (pomoci/poradit komu s čím).

  • Pomůžu ti s úkolem. (I will help you with the homework.)
  • Poradil mi s počítačem. (He advised me on the computer.)

Reflexive Forms: Poradit si, Poradit se, and Pomoct si
Adding reflexive pronouns changes the meaning of these verbs.

  • Poradit si (with dative reflexive si) means "to manage," "to cope," or "to figure something out." (Poradím si sám. – I will manage by myself.)
  • Poradit se (with accusative reflexive se) means "to consult" with someone. It is often followed by s + instrumental case. (Musím se poradit s právníkem. – I need to consult with a lawyer.)
  • Pomoct si means "to help oneself," often used in the negative phrase "I can't help it." (Nemůžu si pomoct. – I can't help it.)

The Passive Voice Trap
Because these verbs govern the dative, they cannot form a personal passive like in English ("I was helped"). The beneficiary must remain in the dative. You can use the impersonal periphrastic passive (Bylo mi pomoženo), but it is much more natural to use the active voice with an unexpressed "they" subject (Pomohli mi).

Important Myths to Avoid:
1. "The dative always translates to 'to' or 'for'." This is false. With verbs like pomoct, the English translation uses no preposition, but Czech still requires the dative.
2. "Pomoct is slang." Some older textbooks claim pomoct is incorrect. In reality, pomoct is fully codified, standard, and the preferred form in modern everyday communication. Pomoci is formal and literary.

Examples (5)

  1. Můžu vám pomoct?

    Can I help you?

    Word by Word: Can-I to-you to-help?

    Uses the dative pronoun 'vám' instead of the accusative 'vás'.

  2. Lékař už nemohl pacientovi pomoci.

    The doctor could no longer help the patient.

    Word by Word: Doctor already not-could to-patient to-help.

    Uses the formal infinitive 'pomoci' and the masculine animate dative ending '-ovi'.

  3. Poradila mi dobrou knihu.

    She recommended a good book to me.

    Word by Word: She-advised to-me good book.

    A ditransitive use: 'mi' (to me) is dative, while 'dobrou knihu' (good book) is accusative.

  4. Musíme pomoct sestře.

    We have to help our sister.

    Word by Word: We-must to-help to-sister.

    Notice the r → ř mutation in the dative feminine noun 'sestra' → 'sestře'.

  5. Kdo ti poradil?

    Who advised you?

    Word by Word: Who to-you advised?

    Uses the dative pronoun 'ti' (to you, informal singular).

Common Mistakes

  • Using the accusative case instead of the dative.

    Můžu vás pomoct?
    Můžu vám pomoct?

    Because English uses a direct object ("help you"), learners often default to the accusative pronoun (vás, tě, ho). In Czech, you must use the dative (vám, ti, mu) because you are giving help to someone.

  • Translating the English passive voice ('I was helped') word-for-word into a nominative subject.

    Byl jsem pomožen.
    Pomohli mi. / Bylo mi pomoženo.

    Because 'pomoci' and 'poradit' take a dative object, they cannot form a standard personal passive. The person receiving help must stay in the dative case. Instead of a literal translation, use the active voice with a 'they' subject ('Pomohli mi' - They helped me) or the impersonal passive ('Bylo mi pomoženo' - It was helped to me).

  • Forgetting consonant mutations in feminine dative nouns.

    Pomáhám matke.
    Pomáhám matce.

    Feminine nouns ending in -a undergo mandatory palatalization in the dative singular (k → c, h → z, r → ř). 'Matka' becomes 'matce'.

How It Connects

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pomoci / poradit + DativeLevel 3Dative Object with Help and Advice Verbs

Learn This First

To use the verbs 'pomoci' (to help) and 'poradit' (to advise) correctly, you need to understand how the dative case marks the person receiving the help or advice. You should also be familiar with dative personal pronouns and how verb aspect affects the meaning of these actions.

Words in This Pattern

pomociporadit