Sada želim malo da se odmaram.

Serbian often leaves out subject pronouns when they are already clear from the verb ending. Želim already means I want, so ja is not necessary.

You can add ja for emphasis or contrast:

• Ja sada želim malo da se odmaram. = I want to rest a bit now.

So the sentence is fully natural without ja.

After verbs like želim (I want), Serbian very often uses da + present tense rather than an infinitive.

So:

• želim da se odmaram = I want to rest / be resting

This is one of the most important patterns in Serbian. An English speaker expects to rest, but Serbian usually prefers da plus a conjugated verb here.

The verb is odmarati se, which means to rest. The se is part of the verb.

Without se, you do not get the normal meaning to rest oneself / to rest in this everyday sense. So you should learn it as a unit:

• odmarati se = to rest
• odmoriti se = to rest, to get some rest

Because se is a clitic, and clitics have special word-order rules in Serbian.

In a main clause:

• Odmaram se. = I am resting.

After da, the clitic usually comes right after da:

• da se odmaram

So da odmaram se sounds wrong in standard Serbian.

This is a question of aspect.

• odmarati se is imperfective: resting as a process, ongoing action, or repeated activity
• odmoriti se is perfective: to rest and complete that rest, to get rested

So:

• Želim da se odmaram. = I want to be resting / I want to spend some time resting.
• Želim da se odmorim. = I want to rest and recover / I want to have a rest.

English often uses just rest for both, but Serbian makes the difference much more clearly.

Here malo means a little, a bit, or for a while.

It does not usually mean a mathematically small amount. With verbs, it often just softens the statement or means for a short time:

• malo da se odmaram = to rest a bit

So it sounds natural and conversational.

Yes. Serbian word order is flexible, and malo can move.

For example:

• Sada želim malo da se odmaram.
• Sada želim da se malo odmaram.

Both are natural. The difference is small:

• before da: it sounds like I want to do a bit of resting
• inside the da-clause: it sounds a bit more directly tied to the resting itself

In everyday speech, both are fine.

Because in Serbian, želim + da + present is the normal way to express a wanted action, even if that action is about to happen next rather than at the exact same moment.

So:

• želim = I want
• da se odmaram = that I rest / to rest

The second verb is in the present form, but the whole structure means I want to rest. This is completely standard Serbian grammar.

Želim is correct and natural, but it can sound a bit more deliberate or a little more formal than hoću.

Compare:

• Želim malo da se odmaram. = I want to rest a bit.
• Hoću malo da se odmaram. = I want to rest a bit. / I feel like resting a bit.

In casual speech, many speakers might choose hoću or another softer expression such as voleo bih depending on tone. But želim is absolutely normal.

Yes.

• sada = full form
• sad = very common short form in speech and writing

So:

• Sad želim malo da se odmaram.

is completely natural.

You can also leave it out if now is already obvious from the context:

• Želim malo da se odmaram.

Yes, Serbian word order is fairly flexible.

You could also say:

• Želim sada malo da se odmaram.
• Sad želim da se malo odmaram.

The basic meaning stays the same, but the focus shifts slightly depending on what you want to emphasize.

One thing is much less flexible, though: se should stay in its normal clitic position, so da se odmaram is the expected order.

Because it uses odmarati se (imperfective), it leans more toward I want to spend some time resting or I want to be resting a bit now.

If you want the idea I want to take a rest now as a more complete one-time action, Serbian often prefers the perfective verb:

• Sada želim malo da se odmorim.

So the version with odmaram highlights the process, while odmorim highlights the completed rest.