Potřebuji pomoc.

to need

Breakdown of Potřebuji pomoc.

• pomoc: help; assistance

Questions & Answers about Potřebuji pomoc.

What does each word in Potřebuji pomoc. do grammatically?

• Potřebuji = I need
• pomoc = help

Grammatically:

• Potřebuji is a 1st person singular verb form, so it already includes the subject I
• pomoc is a noun, not a verb, in this sentence

So Czech does not need a separate word for I here.

Why is there no word for I?

In Czech, the verb ending often tells you who the subject is.

• potřebuji already means I need
• potřebuješ would mean you need
• potřebuje would mean he/she/it needs

Because of that, já is usually omitted unless you want emphasis or contrast.

• Potřebuji pomoc. = normal, neutral
• Já potřebuji pomoc. = I need help, with extra emphasis

What case is pomoc in after potřebuji?

It is in the accusative case, because potřebovat usually takes a direct object.

A useful detail is that pomoc is one of those nouns whose nominative and accusative forms look the same:

• nominative: pomoc
• accusative: pomoc

So even though the form does not change here, the grammatical role is still accusative.