"Pokud máme hlad, jíme."
Translation:If we are hungry, we eat.
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You are right. když is pretty much the same as whenever. But sometimes it can also mean "if". Like in the example above.
Yes. And when we look at them as compound words, then we discover more: po-kud - "kud" like in kudy= where to, od-kud = where from. jest-li/je-li - literally if is. This -li looks like a morpheme for the English if and is really fascinating http://ssjc.ujc.cas.cz/search.php?heslo=li&sti=33450&where=full_text&hsubstr=no
kdy-ž(e) where -ž forms many other adverbs: kde-ž, kde-ž-to, něho-ž, etc interesting that kdežto is analogous to "whereas" (similar construction and the same meaning) Sorry for this off-topic.
Nice analysis :) Just a small correction: "kudy" means "which way". The word for "where to" is "kam".
There's even an idiom involving both: "Nevím kudy kam." - meaning I am (figuratively) lost and I don't know how to proceed.
Hmm... In Russian "pokuda" means "as long as", could it be the same in this case?
no, Czech and Russian are very different and not mutually intelligible
But COULD "jestli" also be used in this sentence instead of "pokud"? I didn't see a thumbs up from anyone that "jestli" is a possibility here.
"Jestli" is accepted, but in my opinion, it sounds weird in such general statements. It works better for specific conditions, e.g.: "Jestli máš hlad, najez se." -- If you're hungry (i.e. now), eat some food.