Pračka má poruchu.

• pračka = washing machine
• má = has
• poruchu = a fault / a malfunction / a problem

So the sentence is literally The washing machine has a fault, which is a natural way in Czech to say that it is broken or not working properly.

Because porucha changes form here to the accusative case.

The verb mít (to have) normally takes a direct object, and direct objects are often in the accusative in Czech.

• nominative: porucha = a fault
• accusative: poruchu = a fault as the object of has

So:

• Pračka má poruchu. = The washing machine has a fault.

This is one of the first very common case patterns learners meet:

• mám knihu = I have a book
• má auto = he/she has a car
• pračka má poruchu = the washing machine has a fault

Czech does not use articles like English a/an/the.

That means pračka can mean:

• a washing machine
• the washing machine

and poruchu can mean:

• a fault
• sometimes just fault/problem in context

You understand which one is meant from the situation, not from an article.

Má is the 3rd person singular present tense of mít (to have).

Here is the present tense of mít:

• mám = I have
• máš = you have
• má = he/she/it has
• máme = we have
• máte = you have
• mají = they have

Since pračka is a singular noun, Czech uses má:

• Pračka má poruchu.

Pračka is a feminine singular noun.

In this sentence it is in the nominative case, because it is the subject of the sentence — the thing that has the fault.

So the structure is:

• Pračka = subject, nominative
• má = verb
• poruchu = object, accusative

Yes, it is natural and standard.

Pračka má poruchu sounds like:

• The washing machine has a fault
• The washing machine is faulty
• There is something wrong with the washing machine

Other natural Czech ways to express a similar idea are:

• Pračka je rozbitá. = The washing machine is broken.
• Pračka nefunguje. = The washing machine doesn’t work.
• Pračka je v poruše. = The washing machine is out of order / malfunctioning.

These are similar, but not exactly identical in nuance.

They are close, but not exactly the same.

• má poruchu = has a fault / has a malfunction
  This sounds a bit more like there is some technical problem.
• je rozbitá = is broken
  This is often broader and more direct.
• nefunguje = doesn’t work
  This focuses on the result, not the cause.

So if you are talking about an appliance, má poruchu is very natural because machines often have faults.

A rough pronunciation for an English speaker is:

PRACH-ka maa PO-roo-khoo

A few useful points:

• ř is not in this sentence, so that part is easy.
• č sounds like ch in church
• ch in poruchu is like the ch in German Bach or Scottish loch, not English ch
• Czech stress is usually on the first syllable of each word:
  • PRAČ-ka
  • MÁ
  • PO-ru-chu

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

The neutral order is:

• Pračka má poruchu.

But you could also say:

• Poruchu má pračka.

This would sound more marked or emphatic, something like:

• It’s the washing machine that has a fault
• The thing that has a fault is the washing machine

So for a basic learner, Pračka má poruchu is the safest and most natural order.

Yes. Závada is another word meaning fault / defect / problem.

So these are both possible:

• Pračka má poruchu.
• Pračka má závadu.

Very roughly:

• porucha often suggests a malfunction
• závada can sound like a defect/fault

In everyday speech, both can work for machines and appliances.

It is mostly neutral standard Czech.

It works well in:

• everyday conversation
• customer service
• repair contexts
• written instructions or reports

It is not especially formal, but it is not slangy either. It is a normal, useful sentence to know.