Gdje je Mostar?
1.5aMap of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Lesson goals
Vocabulary
- Use the place words grad, most, rijeka, mapa, Mostar, and Sarajevo
- Use the location words gdje, ovdje, and tamo
- Use the prepositions u, na, and kod
Grammar
- Ask Gdje je…?
- Answer with ovdje or tamo
- Reuse familiar present-tense frames from earlier lessons.
Culture
- See Bosnia and Herzegovina on the map
- Meet Mostar and Stari Most as a future trip tease
Watch the companion video
Watch when you can, then come back for words, dialogue, and practice on this page.
How to speak Bosnian (YouTube). Companion video for Lesson 5
Finding Mostar on a real map
Bosnia and Herzegovina stretches from green hills to the Neretva valley. Sarajevo sits in a mountain bowl. Mostar lies farther south and is famous for Stari Most, the Old Bridge over the cold Neretva. Emir does not spoil the ending of Book 1. Today Ana only finds Mostar on the map, asks Gdje je Mostar?, and hears the answer Tamo. The trip can wait. The map habit starts now.
Lesson vocabulary
Tap a word to hear it. Use Loop and slower speed when you want to shadow.
Grammar
Gdje je…?
Gdje? Means where. Pair it with je for a ready question. Ask Gdje je Mostar? Ask Gdje je mapa? Ask Gdje je Amira?
- Gdje je Mostar?: Where is Mostar?
- Gdje je mapa?: Where is the map?
- Gdje je Emir?: Where is Emir?
Ovdje and tamo
Ovdje means here, near you. Tamo means there or over there, farther away. On a map Emir points and says Sarajevo je ovdje. He says Mostar je tamo. Practice with your finger on the page.
- Ovdje je Sarajevo.: Here is Sarajevo.
- Mostar je tamo.: Mostar is over there.
- Mrvica je ovdje!: Mrvica is here!
U / na / kod. Ready place lines
Learn these place lines whole rather than building them word by word. U Sarajevu = in Sarajevo. Na mapi = on the map. Kod Amire = at Amira’s. Na jugu = in the south. The grammar behind each ending can wait.
- U Sarajevu.: In Sarajevo.
- Na mapi.: On the map.
- Kod Amire.: At Amira’s.
Say again
Warm up with four lines you already know.
- Moja majka je u Americi.: My mother is in America.
- Emir je moj prijatelj.: Emir is my friend.
- Mi smo mala porodica.: We are a little family.
- Jednu kahvu, molim.: One coffee, please.
Lesson A. Gdje / ovdje / tamo
Ask Gdje je…? About anything on the table, such as mapa, kahva, or Mrvica. Answer Ovdje! When it is near. Answer Tamo! When you point away. Add city names. Ask Gdje je Sarajevo? And answer Ovdje. Ask Gdje je Mostar? And answer Tamo. Drill ten times with a finger on an imaginary map. Emir makes Ana point south for Mostar every time she asks.
- Ask with Gdje je plus a place.
- Answer with Ovdje or Tamo.
Match the place words
Match Bosnian to English.
Lesson B. On the map of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Open the map. Say Na mapi. Find Sarajevo and say U Sarajevu. Add ovdje. Find Mostar and say Mostar je tamo, na jugu. Name the river and bridge as story bait. Say Neretva je rijeka. Say Stari most. Then place yourselves. Say Mi smo kod Amire, u Sarajevu. Emir grins and says Mostar? Uskoro. Ana writes Gdje je Mostar? In her notebook and draws a tiny bridge.
- Keep u Sarajevu, na mapi, kod Amire, and na jugu ready.
- Reuse je from Lesson 2.
Mapa na stolu
Amira’s café. A paper map of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the table beside two fildžans.
Play the full scene once. Then tap a line to hear it. On some lines you can record yourself for a short Speak Check.
Speak Check listens to your recording and sends back short tips.
Speak Check listens to your recording and sends back short tips.
Speak Check listens to your recording and sends back short tips.
Practice
Your keyboard may not have č ć š ž đ. Tap the accent buttons under each box to insert them.
Write the Bosnian word for ‘where’.
Hint: Starts with gd-
Write the Bosnian word for ‘here’.
Hint: ov-…
Write the Bosnian word for ‘there / over there’.
Hint: ta-…
Type the question. Where is Mostar? (include ?)
Hint: Gdje je…?
Write ‘on the map’ (na + mapi).
Hint: Two words
Write ‘at Amira’s’ (kod + Amire).
Hint: kod…
Write the Bosnian word for river (needs je).
Hint: ri-…
Write the Bosnian word for bridge.
Hint: Same letters as English almost
Fun facts
Mostar means the bridge keeper
Mostar’s name is tied to the bridge and the people who kept the crossing. The root links to most, the word for bridge. Stari Most is the famous postcard, but the whole old town carries the story. Remember the name’s meaning when you pin Mostar on the map in this lesson.
Ovdje vs tamo
Bosnian learners often mix ovdje and tamo. Ovdje means here, and tamo means there. A simple hand habit helps keep them straight, with your palm down for ovdje and a point away for tamo. Practice the pair out loud until the gestures and words stay attached.
Kod plus a name
Kod Amire is how you say you are at Amira’s place. Bosnian uses kod plus a person for homes, shops, and cafés all the time. It is shorter and more natural than building a full address every visit. Learn the pattern now, because you will reuse it for almost every friendly destination.
The Mostar trip can wait
Book 1 saves the real Mostar trip for later on purpose. Lesson 5 only marks Mostar on the map and practices the question Gdje je Mostar? Emir’s grin hints that the trip is coming, but not yet. For today, find the city on the map and let the visit wait.
Čuj Bosnu. Mostar on camera
Travel talk names places. Walk Mostar and Stari Most with a 4K tour and listen for place atmosphere.
Speaker · Urban Walking Tour · Mostar / Stari Most · focus ~60–90 seconds of the walk
Watch & listen
Urban Walking Tour on YouTube (YouTube Terms of Service (embed))
Watch the bridge and streets. Listen for any tour voice naming Mostar.
Press play on the video above. After you have listened, show the gist question.
Bosnia today
Mostar went twelve years without local elections
Mostar is a map lesson and a civic warning at the same time. Disputes over ethnically engineered election rules left the city without local elections from 2008 to 2020. Ordinary municipal democracy froze while courts and politicians fought over power-sharing formulas. Asking where Mostar is on the map also means remembering that postwar rules can stop a city from voting for more than a decade.
Practice game
True or false on the map
Mark each statement true or false.
‘Gdje je Mostar?’ asks where Mostar is.
Ovdje means far away / over there.
Kod Amire means at Amira’s.
Most means river.
Na mapi means on the map.
Quick review
A few words from this lesson, plus ones you missed before. Flip the card, then mark how it went.
Card 1 / 5
More resources
- How to speak Bosnian (YouTube). Companion video for Lesson 5
- Next. Lesson 6. Koliko je sati?. Clock time and the city’s daily rhythm
- Book 1 curriculum. See all lessons
Lesson quiz
Or open the full-page quiz: Lesson 5 quiz
Lesson 5 section quiz
1. What does ‘gdje’ mean?
2. ‘Ovdje’ means…
3. How do you ask ‘Where is Mostar?’
4. ‘Kod Amire’ means…
5. What is a ‘rijeka’?
6. ‘Most’ means…
7. On Emir’s map, Mostar is…
8. ‘Na mapi’ means…
9. Sarajevo is a…
