Recept, který mi dala kolegyně, používá jen vejce, cibuli a pepř.

Který is the relative pronoun meaning which/that.

It refers back to recept, so it must match recept in:

• gender: masculine
• number: singular

Its case depends on its job inside the relative clause který mi dala kolegyně. There, it is the direct object of dala, so it is in the accusative.

For masculine inanimate singular, the accusative form of který is still který, so the form does not change.

So:

• která would be feminine
• kterou would be feminine accusative

But the word it refers to is recept, not kolegyně, so který is correct.

It is a relative clause modifying recept.

Structure:

• Recept = the main noun
• který mi dala kolegyně = extra information about that noun

Word-for-word, it is roughly:

• který = which/that
• mi = to me
• dala = gave
• kolegyně = colleague

So grammatically it means: the recipe that my colleague gave me

This is the Czech equivalent of an English that/which clause.

Usually, no.

In English, you can say:

• the recipe that my colleague gave me
• the recipe my colleague gave me

In Czech, you normally need the relative pronoun:

• Recept, který mi dala kolegyně...

Leaving out který would sound ungrammatical here.

So this is a common difference between English and Czech:

• English can often drop that
• Czech usually cannot drop který

Mi means to me here. It is the unstressed dative form of já.

With dát = to give, you usually get:

• something = direct object
• to someone = dative

So:

• dala mi recept = she gave me a recipe / she gave the recipe to me

The forms are different because they do different jobs:

• mi = unstressed dative = to me
• mně = stressed dative = also to me, but used for emphasis or after some prepositions
• mě = accusative = me

So in this sentence, mi is the normal choice.

Because the subject is kolegyně, which is feminine singular.

In the Czech past tense, the past participle agrees with the subject in gender and number:

• masculine: dal
• feminine: dala
• neuter: dalo
• plural forms change too

So:

• kolegyně dala = the female colleague gave
• kolega dal = the male colleague gave

That is why you see dala.

Czech word order is more flexible than English word order, but it still has strong habits.

Two important things are happening here:

• který naturally comes first because it introduces the relative clause
• mi is a clitic, so it tends to go near the beginning of the clause, usually in second position

That makes který mi dala kolegyně very natural.

Other orders are possible, for example:

• který mi kolegyně dala

That is also correct and natural.

But:

• který kolegyně dala mi

is much less neutral, because mi usually does not sit at the end unless you want special emphasis.

Because in Czech, relative clauses like this are normally separated by commas.

So:

• Recept, který mi dala kolegyně, ...

This is different from English, where restrictive relative clauses often have no commas:

• The recipe that my colleague gave me uses...

Czech is much more regular here: the relative clause is typically set off by commas.

They are the direct objects of používá, so they are in the accusative.

Here is what happens:

• vejce → vejce
• cibule → cibuli
• pepř → pepř

Why do some forms change and others not?

• cibule is feminine, and its accusative singular is cibuli
• pepř is masculine inanimate, and its accusative singular looks like the nominative
• vejce also has the same visible form here

So the list is in the correct object case after používá.

It can be ambiguous from the form alone.

The form vejce can mean:

• egg
• eggs

depending on context, because several case/number forms look the same.

In a sentence about ingredients, Czech sometimes leaves this kind of thing unclear unless a number is given somewhere else.

So if you only look at vejce, it may mean either:

• one egg
• eggs in general

The broader context of the recipe would tell you which is intended.

Jen means only or just, and it is placed before the part it limits.

Here:

• používá jen vejce, cibuli a pepř

means:

• it uses only eggs, onion, and pepper

So jen applies to the ingredient list.

If you move jen, the focus can change. Czech uses word order to show what only is limiting.

You could also see:

• jenom
• pouze

These are similar in meaning:

• používá jen vejce, cibuli a pepř
• používá jenom vejce, cibuli a pepř
• používá pouze vejce, cibuli a pepř

Because the sentence is describing a general characteristic of the recipe.

Just like in English you can say:

• This recipe uses only eggs, onion, and pepper

Czech also uses the present tense for:

• general facts
• descriptions
• habitual meaning

So používá does not mean the recipe is doing something right now in a literal sense. It means this is how the recipe is formulated.

Because dala is the normal perfective past form for a completed single act:

• she gave me the recipe

That fits the meaning here: the colleague gave it to me once.

Dávala is imperfective and would suggest something like:

• repeated giving
• ongoing action
• background description

So:

• dala = a completed event
• dávala = repeated/ongoing/habitual or descriptive

In this sentence, dala is the natural choice.