Můj syn má kašel, ale jinak se cítí dobře.

Můj means my.

It changes form to match the noun it belongs to. Here it goes with syn (son), which is masculine singular in the nominative, so the correct form is můj syn.

For comparison:

• moje dcera = my daughter
• moje dítě = my child
• mého syna = my son (in some other cases, not as the subject)

Because syn is the subject of the sentence, so it is in the nominative case.

In English, the noun usually does not change form, but in Czech it often does. Here the basic dictionary form syn is exactly the form you need for my son as the subject.

Yes. This is the normal Czech pattern.

Czech often uses mít (to have) with symptoms or illnesses:

• má kašel = has a cough
• má rýmu = has a runny nose
• má horečku = has a fever

So můj syn má kašel is a very natural way to say that your son has a cough.

Because kašel is a masculine inanimate noun, and in the singular its nominative and accusative forms are the same.

So although it is grammatically the direct object after má, the form does not change:

• nominative: kašel
• accusative: kašel

That is very common in Czech.

Ale means but, and jinak means otherwise, apart from that, or in other respects.

So ale jinak means something like:

• but otherwise
• but apart from that

It shows contrast: he has a cough, but in general he feels fine.

Because the verb is cítit se, which means to feel in the sense of to feel physically or emotionally.

Without se, cítit usually means to feel/sense something:

• Cítím vůni. = I smell / sense a scent.
• Cítím bolest. = I feel pain.

But:

• Cítím se dobře. = I feel well.

So in this sentence, se is a normal and necessary part of the expression.

Because se is a clitic in Czech. That means it usually goes in the second position of its clause.

In jinak se cítí dobře, the first element is jinak, so se comes right after it.

This second-position rule is very common with short unstressed words like se, si, jsem, jsi, etc.

Cítí is the 3rd person singular present tense form of cítit se.

So it means:

• he feels
• she feels
• it feels

Here the subject is můj syn, so it means he feels.

A few related forms:

• cítím se = I feel
• cítíš se = you feel
• cítí se = he/she feels

Because dobře is an adverb, and with cítit se Czech normally uses the adverb:

• cítí se dobře = he feels well

Using dobrý/dobrá would give a different structure and usually would not sound right here.

A useful pattern to remember is:

• cítit se dobře = to feel well
• cítit se špatně = to feel bad
• cítit se lépe = to feel better

Yes, if the context already makes it clear whose son you mean.

Czech often leaves out words that are understood from context. But můj syn is clearer and more explicit, especially if this is the first time you mention him.

So:

• Můj syn má kašel. = clear and explicit
• Syn má kašel. = possible in context, but less specific on its own

A simple English-friendly approximation is:

mooy sin maa KA-shel, a-le YI-nak se TSEE-tee DOB-zhe

A few notes:

• můj ≈ mooy
• kašel = KA-shel
• jinak starts with a y sound: YI-nak
• cítí = TSEE-tee
• ř in dobře is a special Czech sound; beginners often approximate it as zh

Also, Czech stress usually falls on the first syllable of each word.