Ne želim da propustim polazak.

In Serbian, after verbs like želeti (to want), a very common and natural pattern is:

želeti + da + present tense

So:

Ne želim da propustim polazak
literally works like I do not want to miss the departure.

The infinitive can sometimes be used in Serbian, but da + present is extremely common and often the most natural choice in everyday language.

So for a learner, it is best to recognize:

• želim da idem = I want to go
• želim da vidim = I want to see
• želim da propustim = I want to miss

With ne, it becomes:

• ne želim da idem = I don’t want to go
• ne želim da propustim polazak = I don’t want to miss the departure

Here, da propustim means to miss in the sense of fail to catch / fail to be there in time for something.

Breaking it down:

• da = introduces this kind of clause after želim
• propustim = I miss / I would miss / to miss, depending on context

Even though propustim is technically a present-tense form, after da it often corresponds to an English infinitive or a future-oriented idea.

So:

• želim da idem = I want to go
• želim da propustim = I want to miss
• ne želim da propustim = I don’t want to miss

In this sentence, the meaning is clearly about a future event: the speaker does not want to miss the departure.

This is mainly about verb aspect, which is very important in Serbian.

• propustiti = perfective
• propuštati = imperfective

Here, propustim comes from propustiti, the perfective verb. Perfective is used because the sentence refers to one complete event: missing a particular departure.

So:

• Ne želim da propustim polazak = I don’t want to miss the departure
  → one specific event

If you used the imperfective form propuštam, it would sound more like an ongoing or habitual action, which does not fit as well here.

Compare:

• Često propuštam autobus. = I often miss the bus.
  → repeated/habitual
• Ne želim da propustim autobus. = I don’t want to miss the bus.
  → one specific occasion

Propustim is the 1st person singular present tense form of the perfective verb propustiti.

So the conjugation looks like this:

• ja propustim = I miss
• ti propustiš = you miss
• on/ona/ono propusti = he/she/it misses
• mi propustimo = we miss
• vi propustite = you miss
• oni/one/ona propuste = they miss

In this sentence, the subject is implied by želim:

• želim = I want
• therefore propustim also refers to I

So the full sense is:

Ne želim da ja propustim polazak.
But Serbian normally does not say ja unless it needs emphasis.

Polazak means departure, setting off, or the start of a trip/journey.

It is commonly used for transportation and scheduled movement, such as:

• a bus departure
• a train departure
• a flight departure
• the moment of leaving

So propustiti polazak means to miss the departure.

This is a fairly natural and standard expression. Depending on context, Serbian might also use a more specific object:

• Ne želim da propustim autobus. = I don’t want to miss the bus.
• Ne želim da propustim voz. = I don’t want to miss the train.
• Ne želim da propustim let. = I don’t want to miss the flight.

But polazak is a good general word when the focus is on the departure itself, not just the vehicle.

Because polazak is the direct object of propustim.

The verb propustiti takes an object in the accusative case.

For masculine inanimate nouns, the accusative singular is usually the same as the nominative singular.

So:

• nominative: polazak
• accusative: polazak

That is why the word stays the same in this sentence.

If you see polaska, that is usually genitive singular, for example:

• vreme polaska = the time of departure

So:

• propustiti polazak = accusative, direct object
• vreme polaska = genitive, of departure

In Serbian, ne is normally written as a separate word before a verb:

• ne želim = I do not want
• ne znam = I do not know
• ne mogu = I cannot

So Ne želim is exactly what you should expect.

You may have seen forms like nisam or nemam, where negation is written together with the verb. Those are important exceptions, but with želim, the correct form is definitely:

ne želim

Yes: the word order is very natural and neutral.

A straightforward Serbian pattern is:

Ne + verb + da + verb + object

So here:

• Ne = not
• želim = I want
• da propustim = to miss
• polazak = the departure

This word order is the normal, unmarked way to say it.

You can change the word order for emphasis, but then the tone changes:

• Polazak ne želim da propustim.
  = It’s the departure that I don’t want to miss.

That sounds more emphatic. For everyday use, Ne želim da propustim polazak is the best default version.

Because Serbian has no articles like English a / an / the.

So polazak can mean:

• a departure
• the departure

The exact meaning depends on context.

In this sentence, English would usually say the departure, because the speaker probably has a specific departure in mind. But Serbian does not need a separate word for the.

This is very common in Serbian:

• Vidim autobus. = I see a bus / the bus
• Čekam voz. = I’m waiting for a train / the train
• Propustio sam polazak. = I missed the departure

Context tells you which meaning is intended.

Yes, you could, but it is not exactly the same.

• Ne želim da propustim polazak = I don’t want to miss the departure
• Neću da propustim polazak = literally I won’t miss the departure or sometimes I refuse to miss the departure

So the difference is:

• ne želim focuses on desire / intention
• neću focuses more on future refusal / determination

If you simply want to express I don’t want to miss the departure, then Ne želim da propustim polazak is the better match.

A simple pronunciation guide would be:

Ne že-lim da pro-pu-stim po-la-zak

A few useful sound notes:

• ž sounds like the s in measure
• j sounds like English y in yes
• c in Serbian is not here, but in general it is pronounced ts
• Serbian spelling is very phonetic, so words are usually pronounced as written

So roughly:

Ne zhelim da propustim polazak

That is only an approximation, but it helps.

Also remember that Serbian stress is not usually marked in normal writing, so learners often need to hear the sentence spoken a few times to master the natural rhythm.

Yes. A more literal breakdown would be:

• Ne = not
• želim = I want
• da propustim = that I miss / to miss
• polazak = departure

So a very literal gloss would be:

I do not want to miss the departure.

Or even more word-for-word:

I do not want that I miss the departure.

But that second version is not natural English. It is only useful for understanding the Serbian structure.

The natural English translation is:

I don’t want to miss the departure.