Question Words in Russian: кто, что, где, когда and More
The main Russian question words, how to form yes/no questions and examples for everyday conversation.
Asking questions is the quickest way to get conversation started.
The main question words
| Russian | Romanised | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| кто | kto | who |
| что | shto | what |
| где | gdye | where |
| куда | kuda | where to |
| откуда | otkuda | where from |
| когда | kogda | when |
| почему | pochemu | why |
| зачем | zachem | what for |
| как | kak | how |
| какой | kakoy | which, what kind of |
| сколько | skol'ko | how much, how many |
Note that что is pronounced shto.
Examples
- Кто это? Who is this?
- Что это? What is this?
- Где вы живёте? Where do you live?
- Куда вы идёте? Where are you going?
- Откуда вы? Where are you from?
- Когда вы приедете? When will you arrive?
- Почему вы учите русский? Why are you learning Russian?
- Сколько это стоит? How much does this cost?
Где and куда
Russian separates location from direction:
- Где вы? Where are you?
- Куда вы идёте? Where are you going?
Yes/no questions
You can form a yes/no question just by raising your voice at the end:
- Вы говорите по-русски? Do you speak Russian?
You can also add ли after the key word, in more formal speech:
- Говорите ли вы по-русски?
Answers
- Да (da), yes
- Нет (nyet), no
- Не знаю (nye znayu), I don't know
Tips
- Learn где, куда and откуда as a set.
- Raise intonation for yes/no questions.
- Use the dictionary to check meanings.
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