Želimo se obratiti zračnom prijevozniku i predati prigovor.

Želimo means we want.

It is the 1st person plural present tense of željeti (to want). Croatian often uses the present tense in the same way English does here: we want to...

So:

• želim = I want
• želiš = you want
• želi = he/she/it wants
• želimo = we want
• želite = you (plural/formal) want
• žele = they want

In this sentence, Želimo introduces two actions the speakers want to do:

• se obratiti zračnom prijevozniku
• predati prigovor

Because after želimo (we want), Croatian normally uses the infinitive, just like English uses to + verb.

So:

• želimo se obratiti = we want to contact/address
• želimo predati = we want to submit

This is a very common pattern:

• Želim učiti. = I want to study.
• Želimo putovati. = We want to travel.
• Žele razgovarati. = They want to talk.

In Croatian, the infinitive often ends in -ti:

• obratiti
• predati

Because obratiti se is the normal dictionary form of this verb in the meaning to address someone / to turn to someone / to contact someone for help or action.

Without se, obratiti usually has other meanings, such as to turn, to convert, or to reverse/change direction, depending on context. But obratiti se nekome is a fixed expression meaning something like:

• to turn to someone
• to address someone
• to contact someone formally

So here:

• obratiti se zračnom prijevozniku = to contact / address the air carrier

The se is not optional here.

Croatian short unstressed words, called clitics, usually go near the second position in the clause. Se is one of these.

So instead of saying:

• Želimo obratiti se... ❌

Croatian normally says:

• Želimo se obratiti... ✅

This placement is very natural in Croatian. English speakers often want to keep se right next to the verb, but Croatian word order works differently with clitics.

Compare:

• Moram se javiti. = I have to get in touch / report.
• Želim se odmoriti. = I want to rest.
• Možemo se dogovoriti. = We can agree / arrange it.

It is in the dative singular.

That is because obratiti se takes the dative: you address yourself to someone or turn to someone.

The base form is:

• zračni prijevoznik = air carrier

In the dative singular, it becomes:

• zračnom prijevozniku = to the air carrier

So the pattern is:

• obratiti se nekome = to address/contact someone
• obratiti se liječniku = to contact a doctor
• obratiti se službi za korisnike = to contact customer service
• obratiti se zračnom prijevozniku = to contact the air carrier

Because both the adjective and the noun have to match the case, number, and gender.

The basic form is:

• zračni prijevoznik
  
  • zračni = air / aerial
  • prijevoznik = carrier / transporter

Since the phrase is in the dative singular masculine, both words change:

• zračni → zračnom
• prijevoznik → prijevozniku

This agreement is normal in Croatian adjective + noun phrases.

Compare:

• dobar čovjek → dobrom čovjeku
• velik grad → velikom gradu
• zračni prijevoznik → zračnom prijevozniku

It means air carrier, which is very close to airline, but slightly more formal and legal/administrative in tone.

• zračni = air
• prijevoznik = carrier / transport operator

In everyday speech, people may also say things like:

• aviokompanija = airline company
• avio-prijevoznik = air carrier

But zračni prijevoznik is a very standard formal expression, especially in official or complaint-related contexts.

So in this sentence, it sounds appropriate and somewhat formal.

Yes, here prigovor means complaint or formal objection/complaint.

• predati = to hand in / submit
• prigovor = complaint, objection

So predati prigovor means:

• to submit a complaint
• to file a complaint

This is natural in formal situations.

A useful distinction:

• prigovor often sounds a bit more formal or administrative
• žalba can also mean complaint, but often also appeal, depending on context

So predati prigovor is a good choice if the idea is formally submitting a complaint to a company or service provider.

Croatian has no articles like English a/an/the.

Instead, Croatian shows grammatical relationships mostly through case endings.

So English says:

• to the air carrier

Croatian says:

• zračnom prijevozniku

The ending -u on prijevozniku and -om on zračnom show the role that English often expresses with to the.

Whether it means an air carrier, the air carrier, or just air carrier depends on context.

This is one of the biggest differences for English speakers learning Croatian.

It can correspond to all of those, depending on context.

In this sentence, the most natural English translations are probably:

• to contact the air carrier
• to address the air carrier
• to turn to the air carrier

The literal sense of obratiti se nekome is close to turn to someone, but in practical usage it often means contact someone formally, address someone, or approach someone for action/help.

So if the learner already knows the meaning, the key point is that obratiti se is a standard formal verb for initiating communication with an authority, company, office, or person.

Because the sentence talks about wanting to perform complete, goal-oriented actions:

• obratiti se = to make contact / address someone
• predati = to submit / hand in

Both are perfective verbs, which is very common when talking about a single complete action someone intends to carry out.

The imperfective partners would be something like:

• obraćati se = to be addressing / to address repeatedly
• predavati = to be handing in repeatedly / to hand over in an ongoing or repeated sense

But in this context, the perfective forms are much more natural, because the idea is:

• make contact once
• submit a complaint once

So the sentence focuses on the completion of those actions, not on an ongoing process.

Yes, Croatian word order is more flexible than English, but not every order sounds equally natural.

The original sentence:

• Želimo se obratiti zračnom prijevozniku i predati prigovor.

is clear and natural.

You could also hear variations such as:

• Želimo predati prigovor i obratiti se zračnom prijevozniku.

But that changes the emphasis and order of actions slightly.

What you generally should keep in mind is:

• se usually stays in clitic position near the beginning
• the standard order given here is very natural in formal language

So yes, Croatian allows flexibility, but the original sentence is a good model to follow.

Yes, that is a very natural way to understand it.

A slightly more literal translation is:

• We want to contact the air carrier and submit a complaint.

But in normal English, people might say:

• We want to contact the airline and make a complaint.
• We want to get in touch with the airline and file a complaint.

So the Croatian sentence is fairly formal, and the English translation can be adjusted to sound more natural depending on the situation.

A few parts may be difficult for English speakers:

• Ž in Želimo sounds like the s in measure
• č in zračni sounds like ch in church
• ć does not appear here, but learners often compare it with č; in standard pronunciation, ć is softer
• prijevozniku has the sequence ije, which can take practice
• prigovor is stressed naturally in Croatian speech, but Croatian stress is not usually marked in ordinary writing

A rough approximation:

• Želimo ≈ zheh-lee-mo
• zračnom ≈ zrach-nom
• prijevozniku ≈ pree-ye-voh-znee-koo
• prigovor ≈ pree-go-vor

These are only approximations, but they can help at the beginning.