Questions & Answers about Moja sestra živi u gradu, ali moj brat živi u kući.
Why is it moja sestra but moj brat?
Because moj / moja / moje must agree with the gender of the noun.
- sestra is a feminine noun, so you use moja
- brat is a masculine noun, so you use moj
This is the same possessive adjective, just in different forms.
A few basic forms are:
- moj brat = my brother
- moja sestra = my sister
- moje dete = my child
So the ending changes to match the noun.
Why is there no word for the or a in Serbian?
Serbian normally does not use articles like English the and a/an.
So:
- sestra can mean sister, a sister, or the sister
- brat can mean brother, a brother, or the brother
- grad can mean city, a city, or the city
The exact meaning depends on context. This is very normal in Serbian, so learners have to get used to understanding definiteness without articles.
Why is živi used for both sestra and brat?