Ne želim da izgubim.

not

Breakdown of Ne želim da izgubim.

• želeti: to want
• da: that
• izgubiti: to lose

Questions & Answers about Ne želim da izgubim.

What does each word in Ne želim da izgubim mean?

• Ne = not
• želim = I want
• da = a very common particle that introduces another verb, often where English uses to
• izgubim = I lose / to lose in this kind of construction

So the whole sentence means I don’t want to lose.

Why is there no word for I in the sentence?

In Serbian, the verb form usually already shows the subject.

• želim = I want
• izgubim = I lose

Because of that, ja (I) is often omitted.
You could say Ja ne želim da izgubim, but that adds emphasis, something like I don’t want to lose.

Why does Serbian use da izgubim instead of an infinitive like to lose?

Serbian very often uses da + present-tense verb where English uses an infinitive.

So instead of saying something exactly like I don’t want to lose, Serbian commonly says the equivalent of:

• I don’t want that I lose → Ne želim da izgubim

This is completely normal Serbian grammar.
The infinitive izgubiti does exist, but after verbs like (), the structure is extremely common and often preferred in modern speech.