pomáhat

Pomáhat is a Czech verb meaning “to help.” It is imperfective, used to describe giving assistance as an ongoing or repeatable action. The perfective counterpart is pomoct, meaning “to help” as a completed act. The verb normally takes a dative object for the person helped (pomáhám mu) and can be used with the preposition s to indicate helping with a task (pomáhat s úkolem).

Conjugation in the present tense: já pomáhám, ty pomáháš, on pomáhá, my pomáháme, vy pomáháte, oni pomáhají. Past tense is formed with the auxiliary být and the past participle, for example pomáhal jsem, pomáhala jsi, pomáhali jsme. The future of the perfective pomoct is irregular: já pomůžu, ty pomůžeš, on pomůže, my pomůžeme, vy pomůžete, oni pomůžou.

Usage notes: Common constructions include “pomáhat někomu” (to help someone) and “pomáhat s něčím” (to help with something). In questions one often asks “Můžu ti pomoct?” or “Můžeš mi pomoci?”. The choice between pomáhat and pomoct depends on whether the speaker means an ongoing or a completed act of assisting.

See also: pomoc (noun; help), pomocník (assistant), podpora (support).