pobídnout

Pobídnout is a Czech verb meaning to urge, prompt, or encourage someone to take action. It denotes giving a nudge or a formal prompt that leads another person to act, typically in a constructive and non-coercive way. It is the perfective counterpart of the imperfective pobízet, which describes encouraging in general or repeated acts. The noun pobídka (an incentive or prompt) is derived from the same family.

In use, pobídnout is transitive and usually takes the person who is encouraged as the direct object and often a following phrase such as k čemu or a clause introduced with aby: for example, "Vláda ho pobídla k reformám." "Kampaň měla pobídnout voliče, aby šli volit." It can appear with imperatives: "Pobídněte děti, aby se vrátily dříve." The phrase "pobídnout ke spolupráci" is also common.

A note on nuance: pobídnout emphasizes a decisive or timely prompt rather than ongoing encouragement, and is generally neutral to positive in tone. It can be contrasted with "přesvědčit" (to convince) or "nutit" (to coerce), which imply different degrees of volition.

Related terms: the imperfective pobízet (to encourage, to urge, often repeatedly) and the noun pobídka (incentive, spur).