Gde je prodavnica?

A simple approximation is gde ye pro-dav-nee-tsa.

A bit more closely:

• Gde = gdeh or gdeh?, with a hard g
• je = ye
• prodavnica = pro-dav-nee-tsa

Notes:

• j in Serbian is pronounced like English y in yes
• c in Serbian is pronounced like ts
• Serbian spelling is very phonetic, so words are usually pronounced the way they are written

Yes. Gde is the standard Serbian word for where.

Examples:

• Gde je prodavnica? = Where is the shop/store?
• Gde si? = Where are you?

You may also see gdje, especially in some regional varieties. In standard Serbian, gde is the usual form.

Je means is. It is the 3rd person singular form of the verb biti (to be).

So:

• gde = where
• je = is
• prodavnica = shop/store

Literally, the sentence is Where is store/shop?

Je is the short, unstressed form of is, and it is the normal choice in everyday sentences like this.

• Gde je prodavnica? = the usual, natural way
• Gde jeste prodavnica? sounds unusual in a neutral question

The full form jeste is generally used for emphasis, contrast, or very formal structure. For a basic question, use je.

Serbian does not have articles like English a and the.

So prodavnica can mean:

• a shop
• the shop
• the store

The exact meaning depends on context.

That is why Gde je prodavnica? can naturally be translated as Where is the shop? or Where is the store?

It is in the nominative singular.

Why? Because prodavnica is the subject of the sentence, and after the verb to be in this kind of sentence, Serbian uses the nominative:

• Prodavnica je tamo. = The shop is there.
• Gde je prodavnica? = Where is the shop?

Also, prodavnica is a feminine noun, which you can often recognize from the -a ending.

This is the normal Serbian word order for a simple where is...? question.

The pattern is:

• Gde
  • je
    • noun

Examples:

• Gde je škola? = Where is the school?
• Gde je stanica? = Where is the station?

You may sometimes hear slightly different word order for emphasis, but Gde je prodavnica? is the standard and safest form to learn.

Yes, but the meaning is not exactly the same in every context.

• prodavnica usually means shop/store in a general, everyday sense
• radnja can also mean shop, but it can have other meanings too depending on context

If you want the most neutral, beginner-friendly word for store/shop, prodavnica is an excellent choice.

Yes, prodavnica is a feminine noun.

That matters because adjectives and some past-tense forms must agree with it.

For example:

• velika prodavnica = a big shop
• nova prodavnica = a new shop

Both velika and nova are in feminine singular form to match prodavnica.

Usually yes. Prodavnica is a broad, general word for shop/store.

But Serbian also has more specific words:

• supermarket = supermarket
• apoteka = pharmacy
• pekara = bakery
• knjižara = bookstore

So if you know the exact type of store, you can ask more specifically:

• Gde je apoteka? = Where is the pharmacy?
• Gde je pekara? = Where is the bakery?

Yes, if you are asking a real question, your voice will usually rise somewhat at the end, much like in English.

In writing, the question mark already shows it is a question:

• Gde je prodavnica?

In speech, natural question intonation helps make it sound correct and clear.

No, not in standard Serbian.

Use gde, not kde.

Some other Slavic languages use forms like kde, but in Serbian the normal word is:

• gde = where

So the correct sentence is:

• Gde je prodavnica?