Čujem svoje srce.

Because the verb form already shows the subject. Čujem means I hear: the ending -m marks 1st person singular.

So Ja čujem svoje srce is also possible, but ja is usually omitted unless you want emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

Čujem is the present tense, 1st person singular form of čuti.

So:

• čuti = to hear
• čujem = I hear

Depending on context, it can also feel like I can hear in English.

Because Serbian normally uses the reflexive possessive svoj when the possessor is the same as the subject of the sentence.

Here:

• subject = I (understood from čujem)
• possessor of the heart = also I

So svoje srce means my own heart.

For a learner, the safest rule is:

• if the subject owns something, use svoj
• if someone else owns it, use moj / tvoj / njegov / njen / njihov, etc.

So Čujem svoje srce is the standard choice.

You might hear it in speech, and it can appear with special emphasis or contrast, but standard Serbian strongly prefers svoje when the subject and the possessor are the same person.

So:

• normal, standard: Čujem svoje srce
• marked/emphatic: Čujem moje srce only in special contexts

As a learner, use svoje here.

Because svoj has to agree with the noun it describes.

The noun srce is:

• neuter
• singular
• here in the accusative

So the correct form is svoje.

Compare:

• svoj brat = my own brother / one’s own brother (masculine)
• svoja sestra = my own sister / one’s own sister (feminine)
• svoje srce = my own heart / one’s own heart (neuter)

It is in the accusative singular, because it is the direct object of čujem.

You are hearing what?
→ svoje srce

So the object takes the accusative.

Because many neuter singular nouns in Serbian have the same form in both cases.

So:

• nominative: srce
• accusative: srce

The case is understood from the sentence structure and the verb.

It is neuter.

A quick clue is the ending -e, which is very common for neuter nouns in Serbian, though you still have to learn gender noun by noun.

Because srce is neuter, the agreeing word is svoje, not svoj or svoja.

A helpful rough guide is:

• Čujem ≈ CHOO-yem
• svoje ≈ SVO-yeh
• srce ≈ SRT-seh

A few key points:

• č sounds like ch in church
• j sounds like y in yes
• in srce, the r can form the center of the syllable, so there is no extra vowel between s and r

That last word is often tricky for English speakers.

No.

• čuti / čujem = to hear (you perceive a sound)
• slušati / slušam = to listen (you actively pay attention)

So Čujem svoje srce means you hear your heart, not that you are intentionally listening to it.

Yes. Serbian word order is more flexible than English.

The neutral order here is:

• Čujem svoje srce.

But you could also say:

• Svoje srce čujem. → puts more emphasis on my own heart
• Ja čujem svoje srce. → emphasizes I

So the original sentence is the most neutral and natural basic version.

Because Serbian does not have articles like a and the.

So srce can mean:

• a heart
• the heart
• simply heart

The exact meaning comes from context. In svoje srce, the possessive already makes it clear whose heart is meant, so no article is needed.

Yes, but the meaning changes.

• Čujem srce = I hear a/the heart
• Čujem svoje srce = I hear my own heart

Without svoje, the sentence no longer explicitly says that it is your heart. So if that matters, keep svoje.

Yes. In context, Čujem svoje srce can correspond to either English wording.

English often adds can with verbs of perception:

• I hear it
• I can hear it

Serbian usually just uses the present tense čujem, and context tells you how natural English should phrase it.