Godišnji odmor počinje danas.

Literally, godišnji odmor means something like annual rest or yearly break.

In normal everyday Serbian, it usually means vacation, especially annual leave from work or paid holiday leave. So it is often closer to annual leave than to a general vacation in the English sense.

Because this is an adjective + noun phrase:

• godišnji = annual / yearly
• odmor = rest / break / vacation

Together they form the standard expression godišnji odmor.

Grammatically, godišnji describes odmor, so it changes to match it in gender, number, and case.

It is in the nominative singular because it is the subject of the sentence.

• odmor is a masculine singular noun
• godišnji is masculine singular nominative to agree with odmor

So the structure is basically:

• Godišnji odmor = the subject
• počinje = the verb
• danas = an adverb meaning today

Because Serbian does not have articles like a or the.

So godišnji odmor can mean:

• a vacation
• the vacation
• annual leave

The exact meaning depends on context. In this sentence, English naturally uses the or no article depending on translation style, but Serbian does not need one.

Počinje is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb počinjati / početi meaning to begin / to start.

Here it agrees with the singular subject godišnji odmor.

So:

• ja počinjem = I begin
• ti počinješ = you begin
• on/ona/ono počinje = he/she/it begins

Since godišnji odmor is singular, the verb is počinje.

Because Serbian, like English, often uses the present tense for something that begins today or according to a schedule.

So Godišnji odmor počinje danas is completely natural and means:

• The vacation starts today
• Annual leave begins today

It is a present form, but it refers to an event beginning at the current time frame.

Yes. Serbian word order is fairly flexible.

The version Godišnji odmor počinje danas is neutral and natural.

You could also hear:

• Danas počinje godišnji odmor
• Počinje godišnji odmor danas

But these may shift the emphasis:

• Danas first emphasizes today
• the original sentence sounds like a straightforward statement

So the given order is probably the most neutral one for a learner to use.

No. Danas is an adverb, meaning today.

Because it is an adverb, it does not change for case, gender, or number. It simply gives time information.

A rough pronunciation guide:

• godišnji ≈ go-DEESH-nyi
• odmor ≈ OD-mor
• počinje ≈ PO-chee-nye
• danas ≈ DA-nas

A few useful sound notes:

• č sounds like ch in church
• nj sounds like ny in canyon
• š sounds like sh in shoe

So počinje has that nj sound near the end, not a hard n + j pronounced separately.

It is a very common and standard way, especially for time off from work.

But Serbian can use different words depending on context:

• godišnji odmor = annual leave, work vacation
• odmor = rest, break, vacation in a broader sense
• raspust = school break/holiday
• letovanje = summer holiday, usually by the sea
• zimovanje = winter holiday

So in this sentence, godišnji odmor strongly suggests annual leave from work.

Yes, in conversation people often shorten godišnji odmor to just godišnji when the meaning is clear.

For example:

• Na godišnjem sam. = I’m on vacation / I’m on annual leave.
• Kad ideš na godišnji? = When are you going on vacation?

But in a full, neutral sentence, godišnji odmor is very clear and standard.

Sometimes learners notice both forms and wonder about the difference.

• počinje comes from the imperfective verb and is very natural here
• počne comes from the perfective verb početi

In Serbian, the present tense of a perfective verb often refers to the future, not a simple present situation. Because of that, počinje danas is the safer and more natural choice for a sentence like this.

So for learners, it is best to keep:

• Godišnji odmor počinje danas.

Yes. Because Serbian has no articles, both are possible depending on context.

In English, you choose based on the situation:

• Vacation starts today if speaking generally or idiomatically
• The vacation starts today if you mean a specific planned vacation

The Serbian sentence itself does not force that distinction.