Learn Hardcore Czech: Můj otec rád vaří večeři doma. - My father likes to cook dinner at home.

otec – more formal, neutral; used in official contexts, writing, or more careful speech.
táta – informal, like dad; used in everyday family conversation.

So:

Můj otec rád vaří večeři doma. – My father likes cooking dinner at home. (neutral)
Můj táta rád vaří večeři doma. – My dad likes cooking dinner at home. (more colloquial, warmer)

What exactly does rád mean here?

Rád is usually translated here as likes to or enjoys (doing something).

Literally, it’s an adjective meaning something like glad / pleased, but in constructions like:

rád + verb

it means to like doing that verb:

Můj otec rád vaří. = My father likes cooking. / My father likes to cook.

Important: rád agrees with the gender and number of the subject:

Můj otec rád vaří. (masculine singular)
Moje matka ráda vaří. (feminine singular)
Moji rodiče rádi vaří. (plural, at least one male)
Moje sestry rády vaří. (plural, all female)

How do I say likes to cook in Czech, and why isn’t there a verb like to like here?

The idea likes to cook is expressed with:

rád vaří

Czech often uses rád + verb instead of a separate verb like English to like when talking about activities:

rád čte – he likes reading
ráda zpívá – she likes singing
rádi cestujeme – we like traveling

You can use verbs like mít rád (to like, to be fond of), but that’s more for liking things or people:

Mám rád kávu. – I like coffee.
Mám rád svého otce. – I like / love my father (as a person).

For liking an activity, rád + verb is the most natural.

What form is vaří, and what is the infinitive?

Vaří is the 3rd person singular present tense form of the verb vařit (to cook).

infinitive: vařit – to cook
ja (I) vařím
ty (you, sg.) vaříš
on/ona/ono (he/she/it) vaří
my (we) vaříme
vy (you, pl./formal) vaříte
oni (they) vaří

So Můj otec vaří = My father cooks / is cooking.

The verb vařit is imperfective, so it describes ongoing or repeated action (cooking in general, or the process).

Why is it večeři and not večeře?

The basic (dictionary) form is:

večeře – dinner / supper (feminine noun)

In this sentence, večeři is the direct object of the verb vaří (he cooks what? – dinner). Direct objects are usually in the accusative case.

For večeře (feminine), nominative and accusative differ:

Nominative (subject): večeře – Večeře je hotová. (Dinner is ready.)
Accusative (object): večeři – Vařím večeři. (I cook dinner.)

So here:

Můj otec vaří večeři. – My father cooks (the) dinner.

Why is there no word for the in večeři? Where is the?

Czech does not have articles like a/an or the.

Whether English would use a dinner or the dinner is usually shown by context, word order, and sometimes by other words, but not by a separate article.

vařit večeři can be translated as to cook dinner, to cook the dinner, or to cook a dinner, depending on context.

In your sentence:

Můj otec rád vaří večeři doma.
→ My father likes cooking dinner at home.

What does doma mean, and why is it not v domě or domů?

doma means at home.
v domě means in the house (more literal, “inside the building”).
domů means (to) home (direction towards home).

Your sentence uses doma because it describes location:

Můj otec rád vaří večeři doma.
→ My father likes cooking dinner at home.

Compare:

Můj otec je doma. – My father is at home.
Můj otec jde domů. – My father is going home.
Můj otec je v domě. – My father is in the house. (neutral, just the building)

Can I change the word order, like Můj otec vaří rád večeři doma?

Czech word order is more flexible than English, but not every order sounds equally natural.

The neutral, most natural order here is:

Můj otec rád vaří večeři doma.

If you say Můj otec vaří rád večeři doma, it sounds a bit unusual. Rád tends to be placed closer to the verb it modifies, usually before it (especially in neutral sentences):

rád vaří
ráda zpívá
rádi cestují

Other orders are possible for emphasis:

Můj otec večeři rád vaří doma.
(Could emphasize the dinner, or contrast with other meals.)
Večeři rád vaří můj otec.
(Emphasis on it’s my father who likes cooking the dinner.)

But for a learner, stick to:

Můj otec rád vaří večeři doma.

Why is there no he in the Czech sentence?

Czech is a pro‑drop language, which means subject pronouns (já, ty, on, ona, my, vy, oni) are often omitted when the verb ending already shows the person and number.

Here, the subject můj otec (“my father”) is explicitly stated, so adding on (“he”) would be redundant:

Můj otec rád vaří večeři doma. – natural
Můj otec on rád vaří večeři doma. – wrong

If the subject were only a pronoun, you would usually still drop it unless you want emphasis:

Vaří večeři doma. – He is cooking dinner at home. (subject understood from context)
On vaří večeři doma. – He is cooking dinner at home. (emphasis on “he”)

Does rád always look the same, or does it change with gender and number?

Rád changes to agree with the subject:

masculine singular: rád
- Můj otec rád vaří.
- Jsem rád. (said by a man: I am glad / I’m happy about it.)
feminine singular: ráda
- Moje matka ráda vaří.
- Jsem ráda. (said by a woman.)
plural with at least one male: rádi
- Moji rodiče rádi vaří.
- Jsme rádi. (we are glad – group with a male)
plural, all female: rády
- Moje sestry rády vaří.
- Jsme rády. (we are glad – group of only women)

So in your sentence, rád matches otec (masculine singular).

Could I say just Otec rád vaří večeři doma without můj?

Yes, you can, but the nuance changes slightly.

Můj otec rád vaří večeři doma. – clearly my father.
Otec rád vaří večeři doma. – the father / father likes cooking dinner at home.

Without můj, it can sound:

a bit more formal or general (e.g., in some written contexts),
or referring to “father” as a known family member in context (for example when it’s obvious whose father you mean).

In everyday conversation about your own family, Můj otec / Můj táta is the most straightforward.

Are there any tricky pronunciation points in Můj otec rád vaří večeři doma?

Yes, a few:

Můj – the ů is a long u sound; ůj is a diphthong, something like “mooy”.
otec – stress is always on the first syllable in Czech: O‑tec.
rád – long á; final d is pronounced clearly.
vaří – the ř sound is unique to Czech, a kind of rolled r plus ž ([r] + [ʒ]) together. It’s difficult for many learners; approximate it as a soft r
- zh at first.
večeři – again the ř sound in -ři; stress: VE‑če‑ři (first syllable).