Raději vezmeme pumpičku, než abychom šli domů pěšky.

Yes, essentially. Raději means rather / preferably / would rather and is a very common way to express preference in Czech.

So in a sentence like this, Czech uses raději where English often uses would rather:

• Raději půjdu. = I’d rather go.
• Raději vezmeme pumpičku... = We’d rather take the pump...

You may also hear the colloquial form radši, which means the same thing.

Vezmeme is from the verb vzít (to take), which is perfective. In Czech, a perfective verb in the non-past form often refers to a future completed action.

So:

• vezmeme = we will take / we’ll take
• bereme = we are taking / we take from the imperfective brát

In this sentence, vezmeme fits well because it presents taking the pump as a single decision or completed action: we’ll take the pump instead.

This is one of the places where Czech uses a form that looks present, but in English it is usually translated as future.

Because it is the direct object of vezmeme, so it has to be in the accusative case.

The dictionary form is:

• pumpička = nominative singular

But after vzít / vezmeme (to take), you need the accusative:

• vezmeme pumpičku = we’ll take the pump

Also, pumpička is a diminutive form. In practice, it often just means a small pump, often a bicycle pump, and may sound more natural than a plain base form.

This is a very common Czech structure meaning rather than or instead of when followed by a whole clause.

So:

• Raději vezmeme pumpičku, než abychom šli domů pěšky.
• literally: We’d rather take the pump than that we would go home on foot.
• natural English: We’d rather take the pump than walk home.

The combination než aby + conditional clause is especially common after words expressing preference, avoidance, or a choice between two options.

For example:

• Raději odejdu, než abych se hádal. = I’d rather leave than argue.

Because abychom is the standard correct form for so that we would / for us to / than we would.

It is built from:

• aby
  • bychom

In standard Czech, you say:

• abych byl
• abys byl
• aby byl
• abychom byli
• abyste byli

You may hear aby jsme in casual speech, but it is generally considered nonstandard. A learner should use abychom.

Good question. It does look past-like, and historically it is related to the past form, but here it is part of the conditional.

The conditional in Czech is formed with:

• a past participle / l-form
• plus bych, bys, by, bychom, byste

So:

• šli bychom = we would go
• in a subordinate clause after aby: abychom šli = that we would go / for us to go

That is why šli appears here.

One more detail: šli is the masculine/mixed plural form. If the group were entirely female, you could have abychom šly instead.

Because domů means homeward / to home, while doma means at home.

So:

• jít domů = to go home
• být doma = to be at home

This works a bit like English:

• go home
• be at home

So in this sentence, movement is involved, which is why domů is correct.

Pěšky means on foot.

You are right that jít / šli often already suggests going by foot, but adding pěšky makes it explicit. It helps emphasize the contrast:

• taking the pump vs.
• going home on foot

So pěšky is not redundant here; it sharpens the alternative being rejected.

Not completely. Czech word order is fairly flexible, but this version is very natural.

Why this order works well:

• Raději is placed near the beginning to signal preference immediately.
• vezmeme pumpičku states the preferred action first.
• než abychom... then introduces the less desirable alternative.

You could rearrange parts for emphasis, but the original sentence sounds normal and idiomatic.

Yes. Radši is a common colloquial variant of raději.

So you may hear:

• Radši vezmeme pumpičku...

That sounds natural in everyday speech.
For careful neutral written Czech, raději is the safer choice.