Gde je moja torba?

• Gde = where
• je = is
• moja = my
• torba = bag

So the sentence structure is very close to English: Where is my bag?

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

In this sentence, the subject is moja torba (my bag), and torba is singular, so Serbian uses je = is.

Examples:

• Gde je torba? = Where is the bag?
• Gde su torbe? = Where are the bags?

So if the noun were plural, you would use su, not je.

Because torba is a feminine noun in Serbian.

Possessive words like my change form to match the gender, number, and case of the noun they describe.

Here are the basic singular forms of my:

• moj for masculine nouns
• moja for feminine nouns
• moje for neuter nouns

Examples:

• moj telefon = my phone
• moja torba = my bag
• moje dete = my child

So torba is feminine, which is why the correct form is moja.

It is in the nominative case.

In a sentence like Gde je moja torba?, the thing being asked about, moja torba, is the grammatical subject, so Serbian uses the nominative.

That is why you see the basic dictionary form:

• torba = nominative singular

If the noun were used in another role, the form could change. For example:

• Vidim torbu. = I see the bag.
  Here torba becomes torbu because it is in the accusative.

A simple approximate pronunciation is:

gde yeh MOH-yah TOR-bah

A few notes:

• gde is said as one syllable or very close to it, something like gdeh
• j in Serbian is pronounced like English y
• je sounds like yeh
• moja sounds like MOH-ya
• torba sounds like TOR-ba

Serbian spelling is quite phonetic, so words are usually pronounced the way they are written.

For this kind of question, gde is the normal standard word for where.

You may also hear:

• kuda = which way / where to in the sense of direction
• odakle = from where
• dokle = how far / until where

But for Where is my bag?, gde is exactly the right choice.

Yes, Serbian word order is more flexible than English, but Gde je moja torba? is the most natural neutral order.

You may also hear:

• Gde je torba moja? — possible, but unusual and marked
• Moja torba je gde? — grammatically possible in special contexts, but not normal for a simple question

For everyday use, stick with:

Gde je moja torba?

Yes, you use a question mark just like in English:

Gde je moja torba?

In speech, intonation also helps show that it is a question, but in writing the question mark is standard.

Torba is a very common general word for bag, but the best translation depends on the type of bag.

For example:

• torba = bag, handbag, satchel, general bag
• tašna = handbag, purse
• ranac = backpack
• kesa = plastic bag, shopping bag
• kofer = suitcase

So Gde je moja torba? is correct for Where is my bag?, especially if you mean a general bag or handbag.

Serbian does not have articles like English a and the.

So:

• torba can mean a bag or the bag
• the exact meaning depends on context

That is why Serbian says simply:

Gde je moja torba?

There is no separate word for the.

You would say:

Gde su moje torbe?

Changes:

• je becomes su because the subject is plural
• moja becomes moje
• torba becomes torbe

So:

• Gde je moja torba? = Where is my bag?
• Gde su moje torbe? = Where are my bags?