Chci zálohovat soubor a ztlumit mikrofon.

Because chci already means I want. In Czech, the verb ending often shows who the subject is, so the subject pronoun is usually omitted.

• chci = I want
• já chci = I want with extra emphasis, like I want / I do want

So Chci zálohovat soubor a ztlumit mikrofon. is the normal neutral way to say it.

After chtít (to want), Czech uses the infinitive, just like English uses want to + verb.

• chci zálohovat = I want to back up
• chci ztlumit = I want to mute

So the structure is:

• chci = finite verb, I want
• zálohovat / ztlumit = infinitives, to back up / to mute

Czech does not use a separate word like English to before the infinitive.

English:

• I want to back up the file

Czech:

• Chci zálohovat soubor

The infinitive form itself already does the job, so no extra word is needed.

They are in the accusative, because they are the direct objects of the verbs:

• zálohovat soubor = to back up a/the file
• ztlumit mikrofon = to mute a/the microphone

A useful point: both soubor and mikrofon are masculine inanimate singular nouns, and for that type of noun, the accusative often looks exactly the same as the nominative.

So:

• nominative: soubor

• accusative: soubor

• nominative: mikrofon
• accusative: mikrofon

That is why their forms do not visibly change here.

Because Czech has no articles.

So soubor can mean:

• a file
• the file

And mikrofon can mean:

• a microphone
• the microphone

Context tells you which one is meant. That is completely normal in Czech.

This is mainly about aspect and normal usage.

• ztlumit is perfective: it focuses on reaching the result, to mute / to make quiet
• zálohovat is commonly used as the general tech verb to back up

In Czech, verbs in the same sentence do not have to match in aspect. You choose the form that best fits each action.

Here, ztlumit mikrofon sounds natural because muting is usually seen as a single completed action. With backup, zálohovat is a common everyday choice in computer language.

If you specifically want to stress a one-time completed backup, you may also hear zazálohovat.

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

The original sentence is a neutral, natural version:

• Chci zálohovat soubor a ztlumit mikrofon.

You could also say:

• Chci soubor zálohovat a mikrofon ztlumit.

That still means the same thing, but the emphasis shifts a little. Czech often moves words around for focus or style, not because the grammar changes.

As a simple statement of your intention, chci is not rude. It just means I want.

Still, if you want to sound softer or more polite, Czech often uses:

• Chtěl bych... if the speaker is male
• Chtěla bych... if the speaker is female

So a softer version would be:

• Chtěl bych zálohovat soubor a ztlumit mikrofon.
• Chtěla bych zálohovat soubor a ztlumit mikrofon.

That is closer to I would like to back up the file and mute the microphone.

A few pronunciation points:

• Czech stress is normally on the first syllable of each word.
• chci is roughly kh-tsee. The ch is the sound heard in German Bach or Scottish loch.
• zálohovat is roughly ZAA-lo-ho-vat. The á is long.
• ztlumit is tricky. In natural pronunciation, it often sounds close to stloo-mit, because the written z is devoiced before t.
• mikrofon is similar to English microphone, but Czech stress stays on the first syllable: MI-kro-fon.

No. Soubor can also mean things like set, collection, or ensemble, depending on context.

But in a computer or technology context, soubor very naturally means file. So in this sentence, that is clearly the intended meaning.

The simplest way is to negate chci:

• Nechci zálohovat soubor a ztlumit mikrofon.

That means I don’t want to back up the file and mute the microphone.

If you mean I want neither action, Czech often uses ani:

• Nechci zálohovat soubor ani ztlumit mikrofon.

That is closer to I don’t want to back up the file or mute the microphone / I want to do neither.