Dnešní oběd je skoro hotový.

Dnešní means today’s.

It is an adjective formed from den (day), but it is not built in a fully transparent way for beginners, so it is best learned as a whole word:

• den = day
• dnešní = today’s

Czech often uses adjectives like this where English uses today’s, yesterday’s, etc.

Examples:

• dnešní oběd = today’s lunch
• dnešní program = today’s program
• dnešní počasí = today’s weather

Because oběd is the subject of the sentence, so it is in the nominative case, which is the basic dictionary form.

In this sentence:

• Dnešní oběd = the subject
• je skoro hotový = is almost ready

So oběd stays in its base form.

Also, oběd is a masculine inanimate noun.

Je is the 3rd person singular form of být (to be).

The subject is oběd (lunch), which is singular, so Czech uses:

• je = is

So:

• oběd je hotový = lunch is ready

Compare:

• Oběd je hotový. = The lunch is ready.
• Obědy jsou hotové. = The lunches are ready.

Because hotový is an adjective and it must agree with oběd.

Since oběd is:

• masculine
• singular
• nominative

the adjective also takes the masculine singular nominative form:

• hotový

Compare the agreement:

• oběd je hotový = lunch is ready
• polévka je hotová = soup is ready
• jídlo je hotové = food is ready

So the ending changes depending on the noun.

In this sentence, hotový means ready.

With food, hotový often means that it is prepared and ready to eat.

So:

• Oběd je hotový. = Lunch is ready.

But in other contexts, hotový can also mean finished, done, or completed.

For example:

• Práce je hotová. = The work is finished.

So the exact English translation depends on context.

Skoro means almost.

It modifies hotový, so:

• skoro hotový = almost ready

Its position here is very natural:

• Dnešní oběd je skoro hotový.

Czech word order is fairly flexible, but this is the normal, neutral way to say it.

A learner can think of it as:

• subject: Dnešní oběd
• verb: je
• adverb + adjective: skoro hotový

Yes. Skoro and téměř both mean almost / nearly.

So both are possible:

• Dnešní oběd je skoro hotový.
• Dnešní oběd je téměř hotový.

In many everyday situations, skoro feels a bit more common and conversational.

Because Czech has no articles.

English says:

• the lunch
• a lunch
• today’s lunch

Czech usually just uses the noun without an article:

• oběd

Whether it means a lunch, the lunch, or simply lunch depends on context.

So:

• Dnešní oběd je skoro hotový.

can be understood as:

• Today’s lunch is almost ready.

without any separate word for the.

Because dnešní is an attributive adjective, and in Czech these normally come before the noun.

So:

• dnešní oběd = today’s lunch

This is the standard position, just like:

• dobrý oběd = a good lunch
• teplý oběd = a warm lunch

Putting it after the noun would usually sound unnatural in a basic sentence like this.

Czech word order is more flexible than English, but the sentence you have is the most neutral and natural version:

• Dnešní oběd je skoro hotový.

Other word orders are possible in special contexts, especially for emphasis, but they are not the default patterns beginners should copy first.

For example, Czech may move words around to highlight new information or contrast, but if you simply want to say the sentence normally, the original order is best.

A rough English-friendly guide:

• dnešní ≈ dnyesh-nee
• oběd ≈ ob-yet

A few useful notes:

• ě often causes a y/ye-like sound after many consonants.
• š is pronounced like sh in shoe.
• Czech stress is usually on the first syllable:
  • DNEŠní
  • O-běd
  • HO-to-vý

This is only an approximation, but it helps beginners get close.

Yes, in practice it refers to the lunch for today or today’s lunch.

English may phrase this in different ways:

• today’s lunch
• the lunch today
• lunch for today

Czech commonly uses the adjective dnešní for this idea:

• dnešní oběd

So even if English offers more than one natural wording, the Czech phrase is straightforward and very common.