Bilo da je onlajn, bilo da je uživo, kurs je isti.

It is a very common Serbian pattern meaning whether ... or ....

So:

• Bilo da je onlajn, bilo da je uživo, kurs je isti.
• = Whether it is online or in person, the course is the same.

This structure often introduces two alternatives and says that the main statement stays true in either case.

Not really in the way a learner might first think.

Although bilo is historically related to biti, in bilo da ... bilo da ... the whole expression works like a fixed conjunction pattern. You should learn it as one unit meaning whether ... or ... or be it ... or ..., not as a literal past-tense form.

So in this sentence, bilo does not mean was.

Because da je onlajn and da je uživo are full clauses with the verb biti in the present tense:

• je onlajn = is online
• je uživo = is in person / live

After da, Serbian often uses a finite verb form. Here, je is simply the normal is.

Serbian often leaves the subject unspoken when it is obvious from context.

English needs it in sentences like Whether it is online or in person... Serbian usually does not. The subject is understood from the situation, and in this sentence it is naturally connected with kurs in the main clause.

So:

• da je onlajn literally feels like that/is online
• natural English translation: that it is online

This kind of omitted subject is very normal in Serbian.

Here uživo means in person, face-to-face, or live/on-site, as the opposite of online.

In other contexts, uživo can also mean live, for example:

• prenos uživo = live broadcast
• gledati uživo = watch live

But in this sentence, because it is contrasted with onlajn, the natural meaning is in person.

Onlajn is the Serbian phonetic spelling of English online. It is very common and fully understandable.

You may also see online in ads, company language, or more English-influenced writing, but onlajn is a natural Serbian spelling.

In this sentence, onlajn does not change its form.

Isti agrees with kurs, which is masculine singular.

So:

• kurs = masculine singular
• therefore isti = masculine singular

The phrase kurs je isti means the course is the same.

If the noun changed, the adjective would change too:

• obuka je ista = the training is the same (feminine)
• predavanje je isto = the lecture is the same (neuter)

Yes, you could say Isti je kurs, but it changes the emphasis.

• Kurs je isti = neutral, most natural here
• Isti je kurs = more emphasis on the same

Serbian word order is flexible, but it is often used to control focus and emphasis. In this sentence, kurs je isti is the most straightforward version.

Yes, often you can.

For example:

• Onlajn ili uživo, kurs je isti.

This is shorter and also natural. But bilo da ..., bilo da ... sounds a bit more explicit and closer to whether ... or ... / regardless of whether ... or ....

So the difference is mostly one of style and emphasis, not basic meaning.

Learners usually do better to stick with the full repeated pattern:

• bilo da je onlajn, bilo da je uživo

That is the clearest standard structure.

You may hear shortened versions in real life, but the repeated bilo da is the safest and most textbook-like choice when you are learning.

Because the bilo da ... bilo da ... part comes before the main clause and forms a separate introductory unit.

So Serbian writes:

• Bilo da je onlajn, bilo da je uživo, kurs je isti.

The commas help separate:

1. the first alternative
2. the second alternative
3. the main statement

This punctuation is normal and expected here.

It is basically neutral and works well in both speech and writing.

• bilo da ..., bilo da ... sounds a little more structured and polished than just onlajn ili uživo
• but it is still very natural and common

So it would sound fine in conversation, on a website, in an email, or in course information.