Learn Hardcore Czech: Moje rodina odpočívá spolu doma.

Czech agrees the verb with grammatical number, not with the idea of “many people inside the family”.
This actually matches standard English: we also say “My family is resting” (singular) more often than “My family are resting”.

Using a plural verb odpočívají with rodina would be considered incorrect in standard Czech.

Why is it moje rodina and not můj rodina?

The possessive pronoun must agree with the gender and number of the noun:

rodina = feminine singular
The corresponding possessive form for “my” is moje (for feminine & neuter singular in the basic/nominative form).

Some forms of “my”:

můj – masculine animate in nominative singular (e.g. můj bratr – my brother)
moje – feminine or neuter in nominative singular (e.g. moje sestra, moje auto)
moji – masculine animate plural (e.g. moji bratři – my brothers)

So: moje rodina is the correct agreement.

I’ve seen má rodina instead of moje rodina. Is that different?

Both are possible, but there’s a nuance:

moje rodina – fully neutral, the most common in everyday speech.
má rodina – a shorter, slightly more formal/literary variant.

In modern spoken Czech, learners are safest using moje rodina.
You’ll see má more often in writing, songs, or more formal style.

What are the details of the verb odpočívá? Which form is it?

odpočívá is:

infinitive: odpočívat – “to rest, to relax”
person: 3rd person
number: singular
tense: present
aspect: imperfective (ongoing / repeated action)

So it can mean:

Moje rodina odpočívá.
- My family is resting (right now).
- My family (usually) rests.

Czech present tense of an imperfective verb can express both “is doing” and “does (habitually)” depending on context.

Why do we use odpočívat (imperfective) and not a perfective verb like odpočinout si?

Imperfective vs perfective:

odpočívat – imperfective: focuses on the process or a habit:
- They are resting / They rest.
odpočinout si – perfective: focuses on a single completed act of resting:
- They will get some rest / They will have a rest.

In the sentence Moje rodina odpočívá spolu doma, we are describing what they are doing now (or usually do), so imperfective odpočívá is natural.

Examples:

V neděli moje rodina odpočívá. – On Sundays my family rests.
Po práci si moje rodina odpočine. – After work my family will (get to) rest / will have a rest (one occasion).

Is spolu necessary? Doesn’t “my family is resting” already imply “together”?

Without spolu, the sentence just states that the family is resting:

Moje rodina odpočívá doma. – My family is resting at home.

Adding spolu highlights that they are all doing it together, not separately:

Moje rodina odpočívá spolu doma. – My family is resting together at home.

So spolu is not grammatically required, but it expresses an extra nuance: the “togetherness” is emphasized.

What exactly does doma mean, and why is there no preposition like v?

doma is an adverb meaning “at home”. It does not need a preposition:

Jsem doma. – I am at home.
Moje rodina odpočívá doma. – My family is resting at home.

Compare with related forms:

domů – “(to) home” (direction):
- Jdu domů. – I’m going home.
dům – “house” (noun):
- dům – a (building) house
- v domě – in a house / in the house.

So doma already includes the idea of “at”.

Can I change the word order, like Moje rodina doma odpočívá spolu or Doma moje rodina odpočívá spolu?

Yes. Czech word order is relatively flexible, but it affects emphasis and flow more than basic meaning.

All of these are grammatically possible:

Moje rodina odpočívá spolu doma. – neutral, light emphasis at the end on at home.
Moje rodina odpočívá doma spolu. – slight extra emphasis on together at the very end.
Moje rodina doma odpočívá spolu. – “at home” is moved earlier; emphasis can sound slightly different.
Doma moje rodina odpočívá spolu. – starts with doma, so “AT HOME, my family is resting together” (contrast with not being elsewhere).

For a learner, the original order Moje rodina odpočívá spolu doma is natural and safe.

Why is it rodina (feminine)? Are there any signs that tell me the gender?

Yes. In Czech, many nouns ending in -a are feminine, including rodina.

Basic patterns (not absolute, but common):

-a → usually feminine: rodina, žena, škola
consonant → usually masculine: dům, stůl, strom
-o, -e, -í → usually neuter: město, moře, nádraží

Because rodina is feminine singular:

moje rodina (not můj rodina)
rodina odpočívá (feminine singular verb form)

How do I pronounce Moje rodina odpočívá spolu doma? Where is the stress, and what about the special letters?

Key points:

Stress: In Czech, stress is almost always on the first syllable of each word:
- MO‑je RO‑di‑na OD‑po‑čí‑vá SPO‑lu DO‑ma
Special letters:
- č – like ch in “church”.
  - odpočívá → od‑po‑chee‑vá
- Long vowels (marked with an accent) are held longer:
  - í in odpočívá is a long ee sound: od‑po‑čee‑vá

Approximate pronunciation (rough English-like guide):

Moje – MO‑yeh
rodina – RO‑dee‑nah
odpočívá – OD‑po‑chee‑vaah (with long ee in čí)
spolu – SPO‑loo
doma – DO‑mah

All consonants are pronounced clearly; there is no silent letter in this sentence.