Chci marinovat syrový steak.

In Czech, the subject pronoun is often omitted because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

• chci = I want
• The ending tells you it is 1st person singular

So Chci marinovat syrový steak. naturally means I want to marinate a raw steak.

You can say Já chci... if you want extra emphasis, for example:

• Já chci marinovat steak, ne ty. = I want to marinate the steak, not you.

Without special emphasis, Chci... is the most natural choice.

After chci (I want), Czech usually uses an infinitive, just like English:

• Chci jíst. = I want to eat.
• Chci spát. = I want to sleep.
• Chci marinovat. = I want to marinate.

So the structure is:

• chci
  • infinitive

That is why marinovat stays in the basic dictionary form.

Marinovat means to marinate. It is a common borrowed verb, and it behaves like a normal Czech verb.

Its present-tense forms are:

• marinuju / marinuji = I marinate
• marinuješ = you marinate
• marinuje = he/she/it marinates
• marinujeme = we marinate
• marinujete = you marinate
• marinují / marinujou = they marinate

In your sentence, though, it appears as the infinitive because it follows chci.

Syrový means raw, uncooked.

So:

• syrový steak = raw steak

It is an adjective, and it has to agree with steak in gender, number, and case.

Here, steak is masculine singular, so the adjective takes the matching form syrový.

Some related words:

• syrové maso = raw meat
• syrová ryba = raw fish
• syrové vejce = raw egg

Because steak is a masculine inanimate noun, and in Czech the accusative singular of masculine inanimate nouns is usually the same as the nominative singular.

That matters because steak is the object of the verb:

• Chci co? → steak

So:

• nominative: steak
• accusative: steak

No visible change happens.

This is normal for masculine inanimate nouns.

It is in the accusative — but for masculine inanimate singular, the adjective form in the accusative is the same as in the nominative.

So:

• nominative: syrový steak
• accusative: syrový steak

Even though the case changes grammatically, the form happens to look the same.

Compare that with masculine animate nouns, where you often do see a change:

• nominative: mladý muž = young man
• accusative: mladého muže

But with steak (masculine inanimate), there is no visible difference.

It is a borrowed word, but it is fully usable in Czech.

Czech often keeps foreign food words, especially modern or international ones. Steak is commonly understood and used.

You may also sometimes see related food wording such as:

• hovězí steak = beef steak
• tuňákový steak = tuna steak

Even though it comes from English, Czech treats it like a regular noun in sentences.

Yes. Czech word order is more flexible than English, because grammatical endings do a lot of the work.

The neutral order here is:

• Chci marinovat syrový steak.

But other orders are possible for emphasis, for example:

• Syrový steak chci marinovat.
  Emphasizes the raw steak
• Marinovat chci syrový steak.
  Emphasizes marinating

Still, for a learner, the original version is the safest and most natural neutral sentence.

Chci can be tricky for English speakers.

A rough guide:

• ch in Czech is like the ch in German Bach or Scottish loch, not like English chair
• c is pronounced like ts
• i is like ee in see

So chci sounds roughly like kh-tsee, but said smoothly together.

Many learners find the cluster difficult at first. That is completely normal.

Marinovat is correct and understandable. But in cooking, Czech also often uses verbs like:

• naložit / nakládat
• marinovat

Depending on context, naložit maso do marinády can sound very natural:

• Chci naložit steak do marinády. = I want to put the steak in a marinade / marinate the steak.

So marinovat is fine, but you may also hear other cooking verbs in real-life Czech.

The sentence has a very common Czech structure:

• Chci = I want
• marinovat = to marinate
• syrový steak = raw steak

So the pattern is:

• [verb of wanting] + [infinitive] + [object]

This pattern is extremely useful:

• Chci koupit chleba. = I want to buy bread.
• Chci udělat večeři. = I want to make dinner.
• Chci uvařit polévku. = I want to cook soup.

Your sentence follows that same pattern exactly.