Moja majka radi u restoranu.

Because moja has to agree with majka in gender, number, and case.

• majka = a feminine singular noun
• so my must also be feminine singular: moja

Compare:

• moj brat = my brother
• moja majka = my mother
• moje dete = my child

So moja is the correct form for a feminine noun like majka.

Radi is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb raditi, which means to work.

So:

• ja radim = I work
• ti radiš = you work
• on/ona radi = he/she works

In this sentence, majka is she, so radi is the correct form.

It can mean both, depending on context.

Serbian present tense often covers both:

• My mother works in a restaurant
• My mother is working in a restaurant

Usually the surrounding context tells you whether it is a general fact or something happening right now.

Because after u meaning in / inside, Serbian normally uses the locative case for location.

• dictionary form: restoran
• locative singular: restoranu

So:

• u restoranu = in the restaurant / in a restaurant

This is a very common pattern:

• u gradu = in the city
• u školi = at school / in school
• u kući = in the house / at home

Because masculine nouns like restoran often take -u in the locative singular.

So:

• nominative: restoran
• locative: restoranu

This happens because the preposition u here expresses location, and location calls for the locative case.

Yes, majka means mother, but it can sound a bit more neutral or formal than mama.

Common choices:

• majka = mother
• mama = mom / mum

So this sentence is perfectly natural, but in everyday speech many people would also say:

• Moja mama radi u restoranu.

Yes, often you can, especially if it is already clear whose mother you mean.

• Moja majka radi u restoranu. = explicitly my mother
• Majka radi u restoranu. = Mother/My mother works in a restaurant, depending on context

Serbian often leaves out words that are understood from the situation.

Because Serbian usually does not need a subject pronoun when the verb already shows the person and number.

In English, you must say:

• She works

In Serbian, the verb form often makes the subject clear enough:

• radi already means he/she/it works

Since majka is already the subject, adding ona would usually be unnecessary:

• Moja majka radi u restoranu.

You could say Ona radi u restoranu, but only when she is needed for emphasis or contrast.

Yes. Serbian word order is more flexible than English word order.

The neutral order here is:

• Moja majka radi u restoranu.

But other orders are possible for emphasis, for example:

• U restoranu radi moja majka. = emphasis on in a restaurant
• Radi moja majka u restoranu. = more marked, depends on context

Even though word order can change, the original version is the most straightforward and natural for a beginner to use.

It can mean either one.

Serbian does not have articles like a and the, so u restoranu could mean:

• in a restaurant
• in the restaurant

Context tells you which meaning is intended.

A simple English-friendly approximation is:

MO-ya MY-ka RA-di oo res-to-RA-noo

A few helpful points:

• j is pronounced like English y
• c in majka is not present; the jk cluster is pronounced clearly
• r in Serbian is usually rolled or tapped
• u is like oo in food

So:

• moja sounds like MO-ya
• majka sounds like MY-ka
• radi sounds like RA-di
• u sounds like oo
• restoranu sounds like res-to-RA-noo

Yes. Serbian uses both Latin and Cyrillic scripts.

In Cyrillic, the sentence is:

Моја мајка ради у ресторану.

The meaning and grammar are exactly the same; only the script changes.