Rozpalte dřevěné uhlí pod roštem.

Rozpalte is the imperative form of rozpálit, so it means something like light, ignite, or get ... burning/hot.

This form can be used for:

• you all (plural)
• you in the formal singular sense

So this sentence could be:

• an instruction to several people, or
• a polite/formal instruction to one person

Compare:

• Rozpal uhlí. = light the charcoal (informal singular)
• Rozpalte uhlí. = light the charcoal (plural or formal)

This is very common in recipes, manuals, and instructions.

The basic verb is pálit = to burn or to scorch.

The verb here is rozpálit, which adds the prefix roz-. In this context, rozpálit means:

• to ignite
• to get burning properly
• to heat up strongly

So rozpalte dřevěné uhlí is not just burn charcoal, but more specifically get the charcoal lit / glowing / properly started.

Rozpálit is perfective.

That matters because in instructions, Czech often uses the perfective imperative when the speaker wants the action to be completed as a clear result:

• Rozpalte dřevěné uhlí. = get the charcoal lit

The imperfective partner is usually rozpalovat, which would suggest an ongoing or repeated process, not a single completed instruction.

In practical terms:

• perfective = complete the action
• imperfective = focus on the process or repetition

For a one-time instruction like this, perfective is the natural choice.

Yes, literally dřevěné uhlí is wood coal, but in normal usage it means charcoal.

This is just how Czech expresses the idea:

• dřevo = wood
• uhlí = coal
• dřevěné uhlí = charcoal

So even though the literal word-for-word meaning may sound odd in English, the natural translation is simply charcoal.

Here dřevěné uhlí is in the accusative case, because it is the direct object of the verb rozpalte.

You are lighting what?

• dřevěné uhlí

However, for this particular noun phrase, the accusative looks the same as the nominative:

• dřevěné uhlí = nominative
• dřevěné uhlí = accusative

Why?

• uhlí is a neuter noun
• the adjective dřevěné agrees with it
• many neuter inanimate nouns have identical nominative and accusative forms

So the case is accusative, even though the form does not visibly change.

Because pod can take different cases depending on the meaning.

With location (where something is), pod takes the instrumental:

• pod roštem = under the grate

With movement toward a position, pod takes the accusative:

• dát něco pod rošt = put something under the grate

In your sentence, the phrase describes the location where the charcoal should be lit, so Czech uses the instrumental:

• rošt → roštem

Rošt means a grate, grill grate, or rack, depending on context.

In this sentence, it most likely means the grate in a grill or barbecue setup.

Its forms here are:

• dictionary form: rošt
• instrumental singular: roštem

So:

• pod roštem = under the grate

Yes. Czech word order is more flexible than English word order.

The neutral instructional order here is:

• Rozpalte dřevěné uhlí pod roštem.

But other orders are possible, depending on emphasis:

• Dřevěné uhlí rozpalte pod roštem.
• Pod roštem rozpalte dřevěné uhlí.

The original version sounds natural and straightforward for an instruction manual or recipe.

Because Czech has no articles like English a or the.

So dřevěné uhlí can mean:

• charcoal
• the charcoal

And pod roštem can mean:

• under a grate
• under the grate

The exact meaning depends on context. In an instruction like this, English usually adds the naturally:

• Light the charcoal under the grate.

A rough pronunciation guide:

• dřevěné ≈ drzheh-vyeh-neh
• uhlí ≈ oo-hlee
• roštem ≈ rosh-tem

A few important points:

• ř is the famous Czech sound with no exact English equivalent; it is somewhat like a rolled/r-like sound mixed with zh
• š sounds like English sh
• í is a long vowel, like a longer ee
• é is a long eh

Learners often find dř difficult, especially in dřevěné.

It can mean both, depending on context.

With charcoal, rozpalte usually means:

• light
• ignite
• get burning/glowing

In other contexts, rozpálit can mean:

• heat up strongly
• make very hot

So the core idea is to make something intensely hot or burning. With charcoal, the natural English translation is usually light the charcoal.

Yes, it sounds natural, especially in written instructions.

It has the typical style of Czech procedural language:

• imperative verb first
• object next
• location phrase last

So it fits the style of:

• recipes
• barbecue instructions
• manuals

A Czech speaker would understand it immediately as a practical instruction.