Raději vyměním duši, než abych ji znovu zalepil.

Yes. Raději means rather, preferably, or I’d rather in this kind of sentence.

So Raději vyměním... means something like I’d rather replace...

• raději = standard written form
• radši = common spoken/colloquial form

Both are very common, and learners will hear radši a lot in everyday speech.

Because vyměnit is a perfective verb.

In Czech, perfective verbs use their “present-tense” forms to talk about a completed action in the future. So:

• vyměním = I will replace
• not I am replacing right now

That is why Czech does not need budu here.

Compare:

• vyměním duši = I’ll replace the inner tube
• měním / vyměňuji duši = I’m replacing / I replace the inner tube

Literally, yes: duše can mean soul.

But in everyday practical language, especially with bicycles or tires, duše also means inner tube.

So in this sentence it does not mean anything spiritual. It means the tube inside the tire.

This is a good example of a Czech word with both a literal meaning and a common technical meaning.

Because it is the direct object of vyměním.

The verb vyměnit takes an object in the accusative case, and duše is a feminine noun. Its forms are:

• nominative: duše
• accusative: duši

So:

• duše = the soul / the inner tube as a subject
• vyměním duši = I will replace the inner tube as an object

Než abych means something like rather than (for me) to... or simply rather than...

It introduces the second part of the comparison after raději:

• Raději vyměním duši = I’d rather replace the tube
• než abych ji znovu zalepil = than patch it again

This is a very normal Czech pattern:

• raději X než abych Y

English often uses just than + verb, but Czech often uses než abych + verb.

By itself, zalepil does look like a past form, but here it is part of the conditional:

• abych zalepil

Czech conditional is built with:

• bych, bys, by, bychom, byste
  plus
• the l-participle form of the verb

So abych zalepil means for me to patch / that I would patch, not simple past.

In this sentence, English translates it naturally as than patch it again.

Yes. It shows the speaker is masculine.

In the conditional, the l-participle agrees with the speaker’s gender in the singular:

• male speaker: abych zalepil
• female speaker: abych zalepila

So the sentence as written sounds like it is spoken by a man. A woman would normally say:

• Raději vyměním duši, než abych ji znovu zalepila.

Ji means her / it here, and in this sentence it means it.

It refers back to duši, which is a feminine noun. Since ji is the direct object of zalepit, it is in the accusative:

• duše is feminine
• accusative pronoun for it/her = ji

So:

• ji znovu zalepil = patched it again

Because short pronouns like ji usually appear early in the clause.

Czech has a strong tendency to place these short unstressed words in an early position, often near the beginning of the clause. After abych, it is very natural to put ji before the adverb and the main verb:

• abych ji znovu zalepil

That word order is normal and natural.

Znovu means again or anew.

Yes, znova also exists and is common in speech. Both are possible, though znovu is often treated as the more standard form.

So:

• znovu zalepit = patch again
• znova zalepit = same meaning, slightly more colloquial in many contexts

Because both actions are seen as single completed results:

• vyměnit = replace something completely
• zalepit = patch/seal it up successfully

The sentence is comparing two complete actions:

• replace the tube
• patch it again

That is why perfective verbs fit well here.

If you used imperfective verbs, the meaning would shift more toward process, repetition, or general activity.

There are alternatives. For example, Czech speakers might also say:

• Raději vyměním duši, než ji znovu zalepím.

That is a bit more direct and conversational.

The version with než abych is still perfectly natural, but it can sound a little more explicit or stylistically marked. Learners should understand both patterns.

So both ideas are common:

• raději ... než ...
• raději ... než abych ...

Not completely, but the given order is very natural.

Czech word order is flexible, but changing it changes emphasis. The sentence starts with Raději to highlight the preference right away.

The given version sounds smooth and neutral:

• Raději vyměním duši, než abych ji znovu zalepil.

Other orders are possible, but they may sound more marked or emphasize different parts of the sentence. For learners, the original order is a good model to remember.