сестра
Cyrillic, feminine
The Serbian word for sister is сестра or sestra.
Meaning: woman or girl having the same parents (noun)
Ways to say it
| Serbian | Note |
|---|---|
| сестра | Cyrillic, feminine |
| sestra | Latin, feminine |
The word refers to a woman or girl having the same parents. It is the most common and general term for "sister" in Serbian. In a religious context, сестра is also used to refer to a nun. You can specify age using starija sestra for "older sister" or mlađa sestra for "younger sister", and use moja sestra to say "my sister".
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular form is сестра or sestra, and the plural form is сестре.
Did you know?
- The plural form сестре (sestre) sounds very similar to the word for 'scissors' in some related Slavic languages, which can cause confusion for beginners.
- In traditional Serbian rural culture, a сестра was often seen as the primary emotional bridge between her natal family and her husband's family after marriage.
- The word сестра is an unexpected relative of the English word 'sister' because both descend from the same ancient Proto-Indo-European root *swésōr.
Examples in context
- Где ти је сестра?Where is your sister?This sentence shows how to ask for the location of your сестра.Tatoeba #13970954 by cafoc64474, translation #914041 by Jane_Austen
- Ми смо брат и сестра.We are brother and sister.This sentence demonstrates the use of сестра when identifying a brother and sister.Tatoeba #1127183 by Dimitrije, translation #248611 by CK
- Ovo je moja sestra, Meri.This is my sister, Mary.This sentence uses the Latin form sestra to introduce someone.Tatoeba #4784534 by Lebad, translation #4731516 by CK
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Marija and Nikola are talking about their families.
- MarijaДа ли имаш сестру?Do you have a sister?
- NikolaДа, моја сестра живи у Београду.Yes, my sister lives in Belgrade.
- MarijaОна је старија од тебе?Is she older than you?
- NikolaНе, она је млађа сестра.No, she is the younger sister.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sister” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sestra, сестра, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
