Learn Hardcore Czech: V neděli máme doma oběd se salátem a ovocem a pro mě je to nejlepší jídlo pro zdraví. - On Sunday we have lunch at home with salad and fruit and for me it is the best food for health.

The basic noun is neděle (Sunday), feminine.
With the preposition v (in, on a day), days of the week go into the locative singular:
- nominative: neděle
- locative: (v) neděli

So:

v neděli = on Sunday
na neděli would sound more like for Sunday (as in “for Sunday I’ve planned…”), not a simple statement of when something happens.
v neděle is wrong because neděle must change its ending in the locative.

Why is it máme oběd and not something like jíme oběd for “we have lunch”?

In Czech, using mít (to have) with a meal is the most natural way to say you “have” that meal in the general sense:

máme oběd = “we have lunch” (scheduled / as an event)
jíme oběd = “we are eating lunch” (the physical act, right now)

In your sentence, V neděli máme doma oběd… describes a regular event or arrangement, so máme oběd fits better than jíme oběd.

What is the difference between doma and v domě / doma / domů? Why is doma used here?

These words are related but not the same:

doma = at home (location, no movement)
- máme doma oběd – “we have lunch at home”
v domě = in the house (more literal, physical inside-a-building meaning)
- used when you really mean “inside this building”, not just “at home”
domů = (to) home (movement toward home)
- jdu domů – “I’m going home”

The sentence talks about where lunch takes place (no movement), so doma (= at home) is correct.

Why is it se salátem a ovocem? What case is that, and why does s change to se?

se salátem a ovocem is preposition + instrumental case:

The preposition s/se (“with”) normally takes the instrumental case:
- salát → se salátem (instrumental singular)
- ovoce → s ovocem (instrumental singular: ovocem)

The form of the preposition:

s becomes se mainly for easier pronunciation, especially before some consonant clusters.
se salátem is smoother than s salátem.

So:
oběd se salátem a ovocem = “lunch with salad and fruit”.

Why is it ovocem and not just ovoce here?

Ovoce (fruit) is a neuter mass noun. Its forms:

nominative / accusative singular: ovoce
instrumental singular: ovocem

Because the preposition s/se requires the instrumental, we must use the instrumental form ovocem, not the base ovoce:

nominative: Ovoce je zdravé. – “Fruit is healthy.”
with s: se salátem a ovocem – “with salad and fruit”

What does pro mě literally mean, and how is it different from pro mne?

pro mě literally means “for me”:

pro = “for”
já (I) → accusative: mě / mne

Differences:

mě and mne are grammatically the same case; both are correct after pro.
pro mě is more colloquial and common in everyday speech.
pro mne sounds a bit more formal or literary.

So pro mě je to nejlepší jídlo… = “for me it is the best food…”.

Why is it je to nejlepší jídlo and not to je nejlepší jídlo? Is there a difference?

Both are possible, but there is a nuance:

To je nejlepší jídlo. – neutral “That is the best meal.”
Je to nejlepší jídlo. – very similar, but in this context it often sounds a bit more evaluative / emphatic, like:
- “It is the best meal (in my opinion).”

In your sentence:

…a pro mě je to nejlepší jídlo pro zdraví.

This rhythm and word order are very natural in Czech; after a longer phrase (a pro mě), putting je to there flows nicely.

Why does jídlo stay in the basic form here? What case is jídlo in je to nejlepší jídlo?

Here jídlo (“meal, food”) is in the nominative singular, because:

After the verb být (to be), when you are identifying or classifying something, you use the nominative:
- To je jídlo. – That is (a) meal.
- Je to nejlepší jídlo. – It is the best meal.

So jídlo stays in its dictionary form (nominative neuter singular).

What does nejlepší mean grammatically? How is it formed?

nejlepší is the superlative form of dobrý (good):

dobrý – good
lepší – better (comparative)
nejlepší – best (superlative: “the most good”)

It declines like an adjective, but in nejlepší jídlo it is:

nominative
neuter singular
agreeing with jídlo (which is neuter singular)

So nejlepší jídlo = “the best meal / food”.

What does pro zdraví mean exactly? Why pro and not some other preposition?

pro zdraví literally = “for health”:

pro
- accusative means something like:
  - “for the benefit of”, “good for”, “suitable for”

zdraví (health) is a neuter noun whose nominative and accusative singular are the same: zdraví.
So pro zdraví is grammatically pro + accusative.

Examples:

dobré pro zdraví – good for health
špatné pro zdraví – bad for health

Your sentence: nejlepší jídlo pro zdraví = “the best food for (your) health”.

Why is the conjunction a used twice: se salátem a ovocem a pro mě…? Is that normal?

Yes, using a twice here is normal and natural:

First a joins two items in a list:
- se salátem a ovocem – “with salad and fruit”
The second a joins two clauses:
- V neděli máme doma oběd se salátem a ovocem
- a pro mě je to nejlepší jídlo pro zdraví.

So the second a is like English “and” starting a new part:
“On Sunday we have lunch at home with salad and fruit, and for me it is the best food for health.”

Could the word order be Doma máme v neděli oběd… or Máme oběd doma v neděli…? How flexible is the word order?

Czech word order is fairly flexible, but the neutral order here is:

V neděli máme doma oběd…

Other orders are possible and still correct, but they change the focus or sound less natural:

Doma máme v neděli oběd…
– Slight emphasis on doma (“At home, we have lunch on Sunday…”).
Máme oběd doma v neděli…
– More emphasis on the fact that we have lunch, and then you add where and when.

The given sentence sounds like a simple, natural statement of when first, then what and where.

Why are there no articles like “a” or “the” in the Czech sentence?

Czech does not use articles (no direct equivalent of “a/an” or “the”). The meaning is taken from:

context,
word order,
and sometimes from demonstratives like ten / ta / to (this/that, the).

So:

oběd se salátem a ovocem can mean “lunch with salad and fruit” or “a lunch with salad and fruit” or “the lunch with salad and fruit” depending on context.

In this sentence, English naturally uses:
“On Sundays we have lunch at home with salad and fruit…” without needing articles in Czech.