Po cestě domů se zastavím v pekárně pro rohlík a chléb.

Po here means something like along / on in the expression po cestě = on the way.

After po in this meaning, Czech uses the locative case.
The noun cesta becomes cestě in the locative singular.

• cesta = road, way, journey
• po cestě = on the way

This is a very common expression. In this sentence, Po cestě domů means on the way home.

Because domů expresses motion toward home, while doma means at home.

• jdu domů = I’m going home
• jsem doma = I’m at home

So in Po cestě domů, the idea is movement in the direction of home, which is why domů is correct.

The verb here is zastavit se, which means to stop, to stop by, or to drop in somewhere briefly.

So:

• zastavím se v pekárně = I’ll stop by the bakery

The se is part of the verb. It is not a separate object like myself in English. You should learn zastavit se as a whole expression.

This is a very important Czech grammar point.

Zastavit se is a perfective verb. In Czech, perfective verbs do not normally express a present ongoing action. Their present-tense forms usually refer to the future.

So:

• zastavím se = I will stop by

Even though the form looks present, the meaning is future.

Compare:

• zastavuji se = I am stopping / I stop regularly or repeatedly (imperfective)
• zastavím se = I will stop once / I’ll stop by (perfective)

Because v means in / at, and when it refers to location, it takes the locative case.

The noun pekárna changes like this:

• pekárna = bakery
• v pekárně = in / at the bakery

So zastavím se v pekárně means I’ll stop by at the bakery or more naturally I’ll stop by the bakery.

Here pro means for in the sense of to get / pick up / buy something.

So:

• jít pro něco = to go get something
• zastavit se pro něco = to stop by for something

In this sentence:

• pro rohlík a chléb = for a bread roll and bread

A natural English translation would be to pick up a roll and some bread.

Pro takes the accusative case.

That is why:

• rohlík is accusative
• chléb is accusative

In this sentence, those forms happen to look the same as the dictionary form.

Why?

• rohlík is masculine inanimate, and its accusative singular is the same as nominative: rohlík
• chléb is also masculine inanimate, and its accusative singular is the same as nominative: chléb

So the case is accusative, even though the form does not visibly change.

A rohlík is a very common Czech bread roll, usually a long, slightly curved white roll.

It is one of the most basic bakery items in Czech-speaking countries. It is not exactly the same as a British roll or an American dinner roll, so it is often best just to remember it as a specific Czech kind of bread roll.

Because Czech has no articles.

English distinguishes:

• a bakery
• the bakery

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

So v pekárně can mean:

• in a bakery
• in the bakery
• at a bakery
• at the bakery

depending on the situation.

The same applies to rohlík and chléb.

Yes, Czech word order is much more flexible than English word order.

This sentence begins with Po cestě domů because it sets the scene first: on the way home.

Then comes the action:

• se zastavím v pekárně
• pro rohlík a chléb

That order sounds natural and neutral.

Other word orders are possible, for example to change emphasis, but this version is very normal:

• Po cestě domů se zastavím v pekárně pro rohlík a chléb.

English relies heavily on word order for grammar, but Czech uses endings much more, so word order is often about focus and style.

Yes, in natural English you would often say a roll and some bread.

Czech often uses the singular noun chléb where English prefers the uncountable expression some bread.

So:

• pro rohlík a chléb literally = for a roll and bread
• natural English = to get a roll and some bread

This is a normal difference between the two languages, not a mistake.

They are very close in meaning, and in many situations both can mean on the way home.

• Po cestě domů = on the way home
• Cestou domů = on the way home / while going home

In everyday speech, both are common. Sometimes cestou domů can sound a little more compact or idiomatic, but the difference is small in many contexts.

So a very similar sentence would be:

• Cestou domů se zastavím v pekárně pro rohlík a chléb.

It can imply either, depending on context.

The structure zastavit se pro něco means stop by to get something. In a bakery, that usually suggests buying it, but the grammar itself does not force that meaning.

So the sentence most naturally suggests:

• I’ll stop by the bakery to get a roll and some bread

In real life, that usually means buying them.