Learn Hardcore Czech: Ano, rád ti pomohu s otázkou. - Yes, I will gladly help you with the question.

In Czech, short introductory words like Ano (yes), Ne (no), Dobře (okay), Jasně (sure) are usually followed by a comma when they start a sentence.

So:

Ano, rád ti pomohu s otázkou.
Ne, nemám čas.

The comma separates this introductory reaction from the rest of the sentence, similar to “Yes, I’ll help you” in English.

What’s the difference between Ano and Jo for “yes”?

Both mean “yes,” but they differ in formality:

Ano – neutral to formal. Safe in almost all contexts (with strangers, in writing, in polite speech).
Jo – informal, like “yeah” in English. Used among friends, family, people your age.

So you could say:

Ano, rád ti pomohu s otázkou. – polite/neutral
Jo, rád ti pomůžu s otázkou. – casual, friendly

Why is it rád and not ráda or rádo?

Rád is an adjective meaning glad or happy (to do something). In this structure, it agrees with the gender of the speaker:

A man says: Rád ti pomohu.
A woman says: Ráda ti pomohu.
A neuter subject (e.g. a child’s toy in a story) would use rádo, but that’s rare in real-life speech about oneself.

So the sentence Ano, rád ti pomohu s otázkou. is something a male speaker would say. A female speaker would say:

Ano, ráda ti pomohu s otázkou.

What exactly does rád add to the meaning? Can I leave it out?

Rád means that you’re happy or willing to do the action. It adds politeness and friendliness, similar to “I’d be happy to help you” or “I’ll gladly help you”.

Compare:

Pomohu ti s otázkou. – I’ll help you with the question. (neutral, straightforward)
Rád ti pomohu s otázkou. – I’ll be happy to help you with the question. (warmer, more polite)

You can leave rád out; the sentence is still correct, just less warm.

What verb is pomohu and why does it look like future?

Pomohu is 1st person singular of the perfective verb pomoci (to help).

Perfective verbs in Czech often express future with what looks like a present tense form. So:

pomohu = I will help
infinitive: pomoci (or colloquial pomoct)

By contrast, the imperfective verb pomáhat means to help (habitually, repeatedly):

pomáhám = I (generally) help / I am helping

In your sentence, pomohu expresses a single, future action: I’ll help (this time).

I often see pomůžu instead of pomohu. What’s the difference?

Both pomohu and pomůžu are correct 1st person singular future forms of pomoci / pomoct:

pomohu – slightly more formal / standard, common in writing and careful speech
pomůžu – very common in everyday spoken Czech, more colloquial

So you might hear:

Ano, rád ti pomůžu s otázkou. – extremely natural in spoken Czech
Ano, rád ti pomohu s otázkou. – perfectly correct, a bit more “textbook” or formal

Why is it ti and not tobě?

Ti and tobě are both forms of ty (informal “you”), but:

ti is a clitic (unstressed short form)
tobě is the stressed full form

Verb pomoci/pomoct takes the dative case (whom do you help? – to you = dative), so:

ti = dative, clitic form
tobě = dative, stressed form

In neutral sentences, the clitic ti is normally used and placed near the beginning of the clause:

Rád ti pomohu s otázkou.

You would use tobě for emphasis:

Rád pomohu tobě, ne jemu. – I’m happy to help you, not him.

What is special about the position of ti in rád ti pomohu?

Ti is a clitic, and Czech clitics prefer the so‑called “second position” in the clause: they usually come right after the first stressed word or phrase.

In your sentence:

Ano, rád ti pomohu s otázkou.
- Ano = first word of the sentence
- rád = first word of the main clause
- ti follows rád

Possible word orders:

Rád ti pomohu s otázkou. – neutral, usual
Já ti rád pomohu s otázkou. – adding já (I) for emphasis
Rád pomohu ti – possible but sounds marked or poetic; not typical everyday speech

So rád ti pomohu is the most natural order.

Why is it s otázkou and not something else? What case is that?

Otázkou is the instrumental singular of otázka (question).

The preposition s (meaning with) normally takes the instrumental case:

nominative: otázka – (a) question
instrumental: otázkou – with (a) question

So:

s otázkou = with a/the question
pomohu ti s otázkou = I’ll help you with the question.

If there were multiple questions:

nominative plural: otázky
instrumental plural: otázkami
pomohu ti s otázkami – I’ll help you with (the) questions.

Could I just say Ano, rád ti pomohu and drop s otázkou?

Yes. That’s completely natural:

Ano, rád ti pomohu. – Yes, I’ll be happy to help you.

The context will usually make clear that you mean help you with your question, with your homework, etc. Adding s otázkou just makes it explicit that you are talking about the question.

Can I use vám instead of ti to be polite or address more than one person?

Yes. Vám is the dative form of vy and can mean:

polite singular you (to one person formally)
plural you (to more than one person)

For polite or plural address:

Ano, rád vám pomohu s otázkou. – said by a man
Ano, ráda vám pomohu s otázkou. – said by a woman

This is what you would say to a stranger, a client, a group, etc., instead of informal ti.

Could the word order be Ano, pomohu ti rád s otázkou?

It’s possible and grammatically correct, but not the most neutral order. Word order in Czech often affects emphasis:

Rád ti pomohu s otázkou. – neutral: I’m happy to help you with the question.
Pomohu ti rád s otázkou. – puts more emphasis on pomohu ti (I’ll help you) and then adds rád as an afterthought, like “I will help you – and I’ll be happy to.”

In everyday speech, Rád ti pomohu/pomůžu s otázkou is the most common and natural version.

Is there a difference between otázka and dotaz?

Both can mean “question”, but there is a nuance:

otázka – the most general word for question; used in everyday speech, in school, in tests, etc.
dotaz – often slightly more formal, common in written language, customer inquiries, technical or official contexts (e.g. „Máte nějaký dotaz?“ – Do you have any questions?).

In your sentence, s otázkou is perfectly natural. You could also say:

pomohu ti s dotazem – I’ll help you with your query/inquiry (a bit more formal/technical).

How would I say this as a woman, and in a more conversational way?

A very natural, conversational version said by a woman would be:

Jasně, ráda ti pomůžu s otázkou.

Changes:

Ano → Jasně (Sure / Of course) – more casual
rád → ráda – agrees with female speaker
pomohu → pomůžu – more colloquial, everyday form

All of these variations are normal; which one you choose depends on formality, and on whether the speaker is male or female.

How do you pronounce rád ti pomohu?

Approximate pronunciation (with main stress always on the first syllable of each word):

rád – [raːt]
- á is a long a, like “aa” in “father,” held longer.
ti – [cɪ]
- t before i is slightly softened, close to “tyi”, but short.
pomohu – [ˈpomohu]
- stress on po, then mo and hu are shorter and lighter.

Spoken smoothly:

rád ti pomohu → [raːt cɪ ˈpomohu]

In normal conversation you’ll much more often hear rád ti pomůžu:

pomůžu – [poˈmuːʒu], with a long ú.