Nechám nápovědu na stole.

Here nechám means I’ll leave.

But nechat is a very common Czech verb with several meanings, depending on context. It can mean things like:

• to leave: Nechám to tady. = I’ll leave it here.
• to let / allow: Nech mě být. = Leave me alone / Let me be.
• to have something done: Nechám si ostříhat vlasy. = I’ll have my hair cut.

In Nechám nápovědu na stole, the combination of the verb plus a direct object (nápovědu) and a location (na stole) clearly gives the meaning I’ll leave the hint/help on the table.

That is because nechat is a perfective verb.

In Czech, perfective verbs do not normally have a true present meaning. Their present-looking forms are used for the future instead.

So:

• nechám = I will leave
• not I leave in the normal present sense

This is a very important Czech pattern:

• dělat (imperfective) → dělám = I am doing / I do
• udělat (perfective) → udělám = I will do

So nechám is formally a present form, but functionally it means future.

Because nechám and budu nechávat express different aspects.

• nechám = perfective, usually a single completed action
• budu nechávat = imperfective future, often a repeated, ongoing, or less bounded action

In this sentence, the speaker most likely means one concrete act: I’ll leave the hint on the table. That is why nechám is the natural choice.

Compare:

• Nechám nápovědu na stole. = I’ll leave the hint on the table.
  one completed action

• Budu nechávat nápovědu na stole. = I’ll be leaving / will keep leaving the hint on the table.
  repeated or process-like

Because nápovědu is the accusative singular form, and it is the direct object of the verb.

The dictionary form is:

• nápověda = nominative singular

But after a transitive verb like nechat, the thing being left goes in the accusative:

• nápověda → nominative
• nápovědu → accusative

This is a regular pattern for many feminine nouns ending in -a:

• žena → ženu
• kniha → knihu
• nápověda → nápovědu

So the sentence uses nápovědu because it is what is being left.

Because na can take different cases depending on whether it expresses location or direction.

• na + locative = on / at a location
• na + accusative = onto / movement toward a surface

Here, na stole means on the table as a location.

So:

• na stole = on the table
• na stůl = onto the table

Compare:

• Nechám nápovědu na stole. = I’ll leave the hint on the table.
• Dám nápovědu na stůl. = I’ll put the hint onto the table.

Even though English often uses on the table for both ideas, Czech distinguishes them clearly by case.

Stole is the locative singular of stůl (table).

The noun changes because it follows the preposition na in a location meaning.

• dictionary form: stůl
• locative singular: stole

So:

• na stole = on the table

This is just a form you need to learn with the noun. Czech nouns often change quite a lot across cases.

Because Czech often omits subject pronouns when the verb ending already makes the subject clear.

The ending -ám in nechám tells you the subject is I.

So:

• Nechám nápovědu na stole.
• Já nechám nápovědu na stole.

Both are possible, but the version without já is more neutral and natural in many contexts.

Adding já usually gives extra emphasis, for example:

• Já nechám nápovědu na stole, ne ty.
  I’ll leave the hint on the table, not you.

Because Czech does not have articles like English a/an and the.

So a noun like nápověda or stůl appears without an article, and the exact meaning is understood from context.

Depending on the situation, Nechám nápovědu na stole could correspond to:

• I’ll leave a hint on the table
• I’ll leave the hint on the table

English requires an article, but Czech does not.

Yes. Czech word order is more flexible than English because case endings show grammatical roles.

The neutral order here is:

• Nechám nápovědu na stole.

But other orders are possible, with different emphasis:

• Nápovědu nechám na stole.
  Emphasizes nápovědu.

• Na stole nechám nápovědu.
  Emphasizes the location on the table.

The basic meaning stays similar because:

• nápovědu is still accusative
• na stole is still a location phrase

So word order in Czech often affects focus and style more than core meaning.

Nápověda can mean several related things, depending on context:

• hint
• clue
• prompt
• help
• help text

For example:

• in a game or puzzle, it may mean hint
• in software, it may mean help
• in a test or exercise, it may mean prompt

So in this sentence, the exact English word depends on the context you were given. Grammatically, though, the Czech sentence works the same way regardless of which of those meanings fits best.