Želimo se usidriti blizu otoka.

Želimo is the 1st person plural present tense of željeti = to want / to wish.

So:

• želim = I want
• želimo = we want

In this sentence, želimo means we want and is followed by another verb in the infinitive: se usidriti.

Here se is part of the verb usidriti se.

It does not literally mean ourselves in the English sense. A better way to think of it is:

• usidriti se = to anchor / to drop anchor
• literally, it is a reflexive form, but in normal use you should learn it as a single verb expression

So Želimo se usidriti means We want to anchor, not We want to anchor ourselves in a strongly literal way.

Because se is a clitic, and Croatian clitics usually go in second position in the sentence or after the first stressed element.

So the natural order is:

• Želimo se usidriti

and not:

• Želimo usidriti se

That second version sounds unnatural in standard Croatian.

This is a very common pattern:

• Moramo se vratiti = We must return
• Želimo se odmoriti = We want to rest

This is mainly about aspect.

• sidriti (se) = imperfective
• usidriti (se) = perfective

In Croatian, aspect shows whether you see an action as:

• ongoing / repeated / habitual → imperfective
• completed / reaching its result → perfective

Here, usidriti se is natural because the idea is to carry out the action and end up anchored.

So:

• Želimo se usidriti = We want to anchor / get anchored

If you used sidriti se, it would sound more like talking about the activity in a general or ongoing sense.

Because blizu takes the genitive case.

The base noun is:

• otok = island

Its genitive form is:

• otoka

So:

• blizu otoka = near the island

This is similar to:

• blizu grada = near the city
• blizu kuće = near the house

A useful rule: after blizu, expect the genitive.

Formally, otoka can be:

• genitive singular of otok
• genitive plural of otok

So by itself, blizu otoka can sometimes be ambiguous: it could mean near the island or near the islands.

In your sentence, the meaning shown to the learner makes it clear that it is singular.

If you want to make the difference obvious, words like demonstratives help:

• blizu ovog otoka = near this island
• blizu ovih otoka = near these islands

Because in Croatian, when the subject is the same, željeti is commonly followed by an infinitive.

So:

• Želimo se usidriti = We want to anchor

This is the normal standard Croatian pattern.

A useful comparison:

• Želimo otići = We want to leave
• Želimo vidjeti more = We want to see the sea

If the subject changes, Croatian often uses a da-clause instead:

• Želimo da se oni usidre = We want them to anchor

So in your sentence, since we are both the wanters and the ones doing the anchoring, the infinitive is the natural choice.

Yes. Croatian word order is fairly flexible, but different orders change the emphasis.

The given sentence:

• Želimo se usidriti blizu otoka.

is a neutral, natural order.

You could also say:

• Blizu otoka želimo se usidriti.

That puts more emphasis on near the island.

What usually stays stable is the placement of the clitic se, which still needs to stay in its normal clitic position.

Not exactly.

Usidriti se specifically means to anchor or to drop anchor.

If you mean to dock, to come alongside, or to tie up at a pier, Croatian may use other verbs, such as:

• pristati = to come ashore / dock / put in
• privezati se = to tie up, moor oneself

So:

• usidriti se blizu otoka = anchor near the island
• pristati u luku = dock in the harbor

A rough pronunciation guide:

• Ž sounds like the s in measure or vision
• lj in words like željeti is a soft sound, roughly similar to the lli in million for many English speakers
• c is not in this sentence, but if you see it elsewhere, it is pronounced ts

A rough English-style approximation of the whole sentence is:

ZHEH-lee-mo seh oo-SEE-dree-tee BLEE-zoo OH-toh-kah

That is only approximate, but it gives the general idea.

A quick breakdown:

• Želimo = we want
• se usidriti = to anchor
• blizu = near
• otoka = of the island / island in the genitive after blizu

So the structure is:

[We want] + [to anchor] + [near the island]

This is a very typical Croatian pattern:

• finite verb first
• infinitive phrase after it
• location phrase at the end