Než půjdu do práce, připravím si sendvič a kávu.

Here než means before.

So:

• Než půjdu do práce = Before I go to work

A useful pattern is:

• Než + clause, main clause
• Než přijdeš, uklidím. = Before you come, I’ll clean up.

In this sentence, než introduces the action that happens later, and the main clause tells you what happens first.

Půjdu is the future form of jít (to go).

• jdu = I’m going / I go
• půjdu = I will go

Because the sentence is talking about something that will happen later, Czech uses půjdu:

• Než půjdu do práce... = Before I go to work...

If you said Než jdu do práce, it would usually not fit this specific future meaning. A learner should remember:

• for a one-time future event: půjdu
• for present or habitual meaning: jdu may appear in other contexts, but not naturally here for before I go referring to a future occasion

This is because připravit is a perfective verb.

In Czech, perfective verbs do not normally form a separate future with budu. Their present-tense forms are used with future meaning.

So:

• připravím = I will prepare
• not usually budu připravit

That means:

• připravím si sendvič a kávu = I’ll prepare myself a sandwich and coffee

This is a very common Czech pattern:

• napíšu = I’ll write
• udělám = I’ll do / make
• koupím = I’ll buy

Si is the short form of the dative reflexive pronoun. Here it often means something like:

• for myself
• myself in the sense of personal benefit

So:

• připravím si sendvič a kávu = I’ll make myself a sandwich and coffee

Without si, připravím sendvič a kávu could simply mean I’ll prepare a sandwich and coffee, with less emphasis on it being for your own use.

This si is very common in Czech with everyday actions:

• udělám si čaj = I’ll make myself some tea
• koupím si knihu = I’ll buy myself a book
• dám si kávu = I’ll have a coffee

It does not always need to be translated literally into English, but it is important in natural Czech.

Because do takes the genitive case.

The noun práce here is the genitive singular form of práce (work). In this noun, the genitive singular happens to look the same as the nominative:

• nominative: práce
• genitive: práce

So:

• do práce = to work / into work

This is a fixed and very common expression. Compare:

• do školy = to school
• do města = to town
• do kanceláře = to the office

A useful rule:

• do + genitive

Both nouns are the direct objects of připravím si, so they are in the accusative case.

But different nouns change differently.

sendvič

This is a masculine inanimate noun. In the singular accusative, masculine inanimate nouns are often the same as the nominative:

• nominative: sendvič
• accusative: sendvič

káva

This is a feminine noun. Its accusative singular changes:

• nominative: káva
• accusative: kávu

So:

• připravím si sendvič a kávu

This is completely normal Czech case behavior.

Because sendvič and kávu are direct objects of the verb připravím si.

In English, you also say:

• prepare a sandwich and coffee

not

• prepare for a sandwich and coffee

So Czech simply uses the verb plus accusative objects:

• připravím si co? → sendvič a kávu

That co? question is a useful way to identify the direct object.

Because Než půjdu do práce is a subordinate clause.

Czech normally separates subordinate clauses with a comma:

• Než půjdu do práce, připravím si sendvič a kávu.

This is similar to English punctuation when an introductory clause comes first:

• Before I go to work, I’ll make myself a sandwich and coffee.

So the comma is standard and expected here.

The word order is very natural:

• Než půjdu do práce, připravím si sendvič a kávu.

Literally:

• Before I go to work, I’ll prepare myself a sandwich and coffee.

Czech word order is more flexible than English, but it is not random. This version sounds neutral and natural.

You could change the order for emphasis, for example:

• Sendvič a kávu si připravím, než půjdu do práce.

This still makes sense, but it emphasizes sendvič a kávu more strongly.

For learners, the original order is the best neutral model.

Usually yes, in meaning.

• jít do práce = to go to work

But grammatically, Czech is using the preposition do plus the genitive, while English just says to work.

So the translation is natural, but the structure is different:

• Czech: do práce
• English: to work

This is a good example of why you should learn common Czech expressions as chunks:

• jdu do práce = I’m going to work
• jdu z práce = I’m coming from work

Yes, you could, and it would sound natural in many contexts.

Compare:

• připravím si sendvič a kávu = I’ll prepare/make myself a sandwich and coffee
• udělám si sendvič a kávu = I’ll make myself a sandwich and coffee

The difference is small here. Připravit can sound a little more like prepare, while udělat is a very common general verb meaning to do/make.

In everyday speech, both can work.

A rough guide for an English speaker:

• půjdu sounds approximately like POY-doo

A few notes:

• ů is a long oo sound
• j in Czech is like English y
• so půj- is something like pooy / poy
• du is like doo

The whole word is spoken smoothly as POY-doo.

Not exact English spelling, of course, but that approximation helps many beginners.