Kvásek připravíme z žitné mouky a vody.

Kvásek is a starter / leaven, especially in baking. In many contexts it means a sourdough starter or a fermented mixture used to help dough rise.

So in this sentence, it is the thing being made.

Připravíme is the 1st person plural form of připravit, so literally it means we will prepare or we prepare.

In Czech recipes, this form is very common. It often sounds like an instruction that includes the reader, similar to English recipe style:

• Kvásek připravíme... = We prepare the starter... / Prepare the starter...

So even though it says we, it is often just the normal recipe style.

It is future in meaning.

That is because připravit is a perfective verb. In Czech, perfective verbs use present-tense endings, but the meaning is usually future:

• připravíme = we will prepare

This is very common in Czech. So the form looks present, but the meaning is future/completed action.

It is accusative singular, because it is the direct object of the verb připravíme.

You are preparing what?
→ kvásek

A useful detail: kvásek is masculine inanimate, and for many masculine inanimate nouns, the nominative and accusative look the same. So:

• nominative: kvásek
• accusative: kvásek

Here z means from / out of, which fits the idea of making something from ingredients:

• z žitné mouky a vody = from rye flour and water

By contrast, s usually means with / together with, not made from.

So in this sentence:

• z = the starter is made from flour and water

Z takes the genitive.

That is why both nouns after it are in the genitive:

• žitná mouka → z žitné mouky
• voda → z vody

So if you see z, a good first guess is that the next noun will be in the genitive.

Because the basic form is:

• žitná mouka = rye flour

After z, it must change to the genitive singular:

• žitná → žité / žitné? Here the correct feminine genitive singular is žité? No — for žitná, the correct form is žité? Actually in standard Czech with this adjective pattern, it is žité? Wait — the actual form in the sentence is žitné, and that is correct.
• mouka → mouky

So the full phrase becomes:

• z žitné mouky

The adjective must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case, so both words change together.

Because z requires the genitive, and the genitive singular of voda is vody.

• nominative: voda
• accusative: vodu
• genitive: vody

So:

• z vody = from water

If you said vodu, that would be accusative, which does not work after z.

No. The conjunction a just means and. It joins two items that are both controlled by z.

So the structure is:

• z žitné mouky a vody

Both mouky and vody are in the genitive because they both depend on z.

Because flour and water are usually treated as mass nouns here.

The sentence means:

• some rye flour
• some water

It is not talking about multiple separate flours or waters. So singular is the normal choice.

Yes. Czech word order is fairly flexible.

This sentence:

• Kvásek připravíme z žitné mouky a vody.

could also be:

• Připravíme kvásek z žitné mouky a vody.
• Z žitné mouky a vody připravíme kvásek.

The basic meaning stays the same, but the emphasis changes a bit.

With Kvásek first, the sentence starts by telling you what is being made. That works well in recipe style.

Because Czech has no articles.

English needs words like:

• a starter
• the starter

Czech usually does not. The meaning is understood from context.

So kvásek can mean:

• a starter
• the starter

depending on the situation.

Žitné means rye here.

It comes from the adjective žitný = rye, which is related to the noun žito = rye (the grain).

So:

• žito = rye
• žitný / žitná / žitné = rye, made of rye, relating to rye

In this sentence, žitné agrees with mouky, not with kvásek.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

KVAA-sek PRZHI-pra-vee-meh z ZHEET-neh MOW-kee a VOH-dih

A few useful points:

• Czech stress is usually on the first syllable of each word.
• ž sounds like the s in measure.
• ř in připravíme is a special Czech sound with no exact English equivalent. Learners often approximate it at first, and that is normal.
• á and í are long vowels.

So even if your ř is not perfect yet, the sentence will still be understood.