Moje dcera chce k chlebu marmeládu, ale můj syn chce raději šunku.

Because Czech possessive words like my change to match the gender, number, and case of the noun they belong to.

• dcera = daughter, a feminine noun
• syn = son, a masculine noun

So:

• moje dcera = my daughter
• můj syn = my son

This is nominative singular in both cases, but the forms differ because the nouns have different genders.

A few nominative singular forms of my are:

• můj for masculine
• moje for feminine
• moje for neuter

So the form depends on the noun, not on the speaker.

They are the subjects of the sentence, so they are in the nominative case.

• Moje dcera chce... = My daughter wants...
• můj syn chce... = my son wants...

In Czech, the subject is normally in the nominative. That is why you see the dictionary-like forms:

• dcera
• syn

Because they are direct objects of chce.

The verb chtít = to want usually takes the accusative case for the thing wanted.

So:

• marmeláda → marmeládu
• šunka → šunku

These are both feminine singular nouns, and many feminine nouns ending in -a change to -u in the accusative singular.

Examples:

• mám kávu = I have coffee
• chci vodu = I want water
• jí šunku = he/she eats ham

So in your sentence:

• chce marmeládu
• chce šunku

Here k chlebu means something like with bread, for bread, or to go with bread.

The preposition k often means to in a physical sense, but in food contexts it can mean as an accompaniment to something.

So:

• k chlebu marmeládu = jam to have with bread
• k chlebu šunku = ham to have with bread

It is a very natural Czech way to express what someone wants with bread.

Because the preposition k requires the dative case.

The noun chléb changes in the dative singular to chlebu.

So:

• nominative: chléb
• dative: chlebu

After k, you need the dative:

• k chlebu
• k synovi
• k domu

This is one of the important things to memorize with Czech prepositions: many of them always govern a specific case.

Raději means rather, preferably, or instead.

In this sentence it shows preference:

• můj syn chce raději šunku = my son would rather have ham / prefers ham

It often appears with verbs like chtít:

• Dám si raději čaj. = I’d rather have tea.
• Půjdu raději pěšky. = I’d rather go on foot.

So raději adds the idea that the son prefers ham over another option, probably over jam in this context.

That is the most natural place here. In Czech, word order is more flexible than in English, but it still affects emphasis and information flow.

• chce raději šunku sounds neutral and natural
• it emphasizes the preference before naming the preferred thing

Czech often places short adverbs like raději before the word or phrase they relate to most closely.

Other word orders are possible, but they can sound marked or emphasize something different.

Because each clause has its own verb:

• Moje dcera chce k chlebu marmeládu
• ale můj syn chce raději šunku

Czech can sometimes omit repeated words if the meaning is obvious, but repeating chce is completely normal and clear.

It makes the contrast neat:

• daughter wants one thing
• son wants another

The conjunction ale = but sets up that contrast.

No, Czech word order is fairly flexible, but this sentence uses a very natural neutral order.

Current order:

• Moje dcera chce k chlebu marmeládu, ale můj syn chce raději šunku.

This sounds like normal, straightforward narration.

Because Czech uses case endings, you could rearrange parts of the sentence more than in English, for example for emphasis. But the neutral order usually goes from known information toward new information, and that is what this sentence does.

A learner should usually treat this version as a good default model.

No. Czech does not use articles like English a/an and the.

So:

• dcera can mean a daughter or the daughter, depending on context
• syn can mean a son or the son
• marmeládu can mean jam or the jam, depending on context

The exact meaning is usually understood from the situation, word order, or context.

That is why the Czech sentence can be shorter than the English equivalent.

In everyday Czech, marmeláda is often used more broadly than English marmalade. Depending on context, it may refer to a sweet fruit spread that an English speaker might call jam.

So although the dictionary word may look like marmalade, in ordinary usage learners will often meet it where English would naturally say jam.

That is a vocabulary point rather than a grammar point, but it is useful to know so you do not assume it always means specifically orange-style marmalade.