Я не помню, видела ли я где-либо эту сумку раньше.

I don’t remember whether I have seen this bag anywhere before.

Breakdown of Я не помню, видела ли я где-либо эту сумку раньше.

• я: I
• не: not
• этот: this
• видеть: to see

Questions & Answers about Я не помню, видела ли я где-либо эту сумку раньше.

Why is видела feminine?

Because Russian past-tense verbs agree with the speaker’s or subject’s gender in the singular.

• видела = feminine
• видел = masculine
• видело = neuter

So this sentence suggests the speaker is female. A male speaker would say:

Я не помню, видел ли я где-либо эту сумку раньше.

What does ли mean here?

Ли marks an indirect yes/no question. In English, this is often translated as whether or sometimes if.

So:

• видела ли я = whether I had seen / if I had seen

It does not mean or or really or anything like that here. It simply turns the clause into an indirect question.

Why is ли placed after видела?

Ли usually comes after the word that is being questioned or focused. In this sentence, the questioned idea is whether I saw / had seen, so ли follows the verb:

• видела ли я

This is the most normal placement here.

A useful thing to remember: ли is not usually placed at the very beginning of the clause.