Рад тебя видеть.

Рад is a short-form adjective meaning glad. In modern Russian, this word is normally used in the short form when talking about a person’s feeling:

• Я рад = I’m glad (masculine speaker)
• Я рада = I’m glad (feminine speaker)
• Мы рады = We’re glad

So in Рад тебя видеть, рад works like glad in Glad to see you.

Because тебя is the accusative/genitive form of ты, and here it is the object of видеть (to see).

• ты = you as the subject
• тебя = you as the object

Compare:

• Ты видишь меня = You see me
• Я вижу тебя = I see you

In Рад тебя видеть, the hidden idea is basically I am glad to see you, so you has to be in the object form: тебя.

Because the structure is рад + infinitive, meaning glad to do something.

So:

• Рад тебя видеть = Glad to see you
• literally: [I am] glad to see you

If you said Рад тебя вижу, that would be ungrammatical. After рад, Russian uses the infinitive:

• рад помочь = glad to help
• рад познакомиться = glad to meet
• рад тебя видеть = glad to see you

Yes. Russian often omits subject pronouns when they are obvious from context.

So:

• Я рад тебя видеть = full version
• Рад тебя видеть = very natural shortened version

Since рад is masculine singular, it already suggests I if a man is speaking. In conversation, leaving out я sounds completely normal.

A woman would say:

• Рада тебя видеть.

That is because рад changes to match the speaker’s gender and number:

• рад — masculine
• рада — feminine
• рады — plural

Examples:

• Рад тебя видеть. = said by a man
• Рада тебя видеть. = said by a woman
• Рады тебя видеть. = We’re glad to see you

Use вас instead of тебя:

• Рад вас видеть. = said by a man, formal or plural
• Рада вас видеть. = said by a woman, formal or plural

So:

• тебя = informal singular you
• вас = formal singular you or plural you

This is a very common polite phrase in Russian.

It is very natural. Рад(а) тебя/вас видеть is a common real-life phrase used when meeting someone.

You may also hear:

• Очень рад тебя видеть. = Very glad to see you.
• Я очень рада вас видеть. = I’m very glad to see you.
• Рад снова тебя видеть. = Glad to see you again.

So this is not artificial at all; it is a normal conversational expression.

The most neutral and common order is:

• Рад тебя видеть.

You can change the order for emphasis, but the standard version is best for learners.

For example:

• Тебя рад видеть sounds marked and emphasizes you
• Видеть тебя рад is possible in poetic or stylized speech, but not the normal everyday order

So if you want the safest natural version, use Рад тебя видеть.

The meaning is the same. The difference is mostly style and emphasis.

• Рад тебя видеть = more compact, conversational
• Я рад тебя видеть = slightly fuller, can sound a bit more explicit or emphatic

In everyday Russian, omitting я is very common.

A careful pronunciation is approximately:

• Рад — rat (the final д is pronounced more like t because of final devoicing)
• тебя — tye-BYA
• видеть — VEE-dyetʹ

Stress:

• рад
• тебя
• видеть

So the whole phrase is roughly:

rat tye-BYA VEE-dyetʹ

The exact sounds are softer than in English, especially in тебя and видеть.

No. The natural structure is glad to see you.

Russian uses:

• рад + object + infinitive

So the literal grammar is closer to:

• [I am] glad [you] to see

But the correct English translation is:

• Glad to see you
• I’m glad to see you

So it is better to learn the whole pattern as one chunk:

Рад(а) тебя/вас видеть = Glad to see you