Moja majka je ovde, a moj otac je tamo.

to be

Breakdown of Moja majka je ovde, a moj otac je tamo.

• ovde: here
• tamo: there
• moj: my

Questions & Answers about Moja majka je ovde, a moj otac je tamo.

Why is it moja majka but moj otac?

Because moja and moj are different forms of the possessive adjective moj (my), and they must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

• majka (mother) is feminine singular, so you use moja
• otac (father) is masculine singular, so you use moj

So:

• moja majka = my mother
• moj otac = my father

This kind of agreement is very important in Serbian.

What does je mean here?

Je is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb biti (to be).

So:

• majka je ovde = mother is here
• otac je tamo = father is there

It is the Serbian equivalent of is in this sentence.

Why is je used twice?

Because there are really two separate clauses:

• Moja majka je ovde
• a moj otac je tamo

Each clause has its own subject and its own verb to be, so je appears in both parts.

In English, you could not normally say My mother here, and my father there, and standard Serbian also needs the verb here.