It is well known that in Russian there are six cases, and each noun, adjective or pronoun has to be declined. That’s why today’s post will be about interrogative pronouns кто (who) and что (what).

Let’s look at the table:

Questions with “who” and “what” in the Russian language

Now, let’s clarify a little bit when we need to use each of the cases. First of all, please check the list of Russian prepositions that are followed by the certain case. That can help you a lot to make grammatically correct questions in Russian.

I’ll give you a few examples. The preposition “без” (without) is followed by the Genitive case. So, to ask: What can’t you live without? is Без чего ты не можешь жить? And so on.

Acc.На что ты смотришь?What are you looking at?
Dat.К кому ты идёшь в гости?Who are you going to?
Prep.О ком вы говорили?Who were you talking about?
Inst.С чем ты обычно ешь макароны?What do you normally eat pasta with?
Gen.Вместо кого она завтра работает?Who is she covering for tomorrow?
Inst.Над чем висит полотенце?What is the towel hanging over?
Gen.Для кого они испекли пирог?Who did they bake the cake for?
Prep.На чём вы едете в отпуск?What mode of transportation are you taking
for your vacation?
Gen.Из чего сделана эта ваза?What is this vase made of?

When you pose a question about the main subject, you use the Nominative case.

Кто написал эту статью?Who wrote this article?
Что случилось на стадионе?What happened at the stadium?
Кто ей нравится?Who does she like?
Что нам нужно для приготовления салата?What do you need to cook the salad?

Now let’s consider some examples of every case without a preposition:

Gen. Чего у нас нет в гараже?What do we not have in our garage?
Gen.Кого они боятся?Who are they afraid of?
Gen.Чего ты достиг за эти годы?What have you achieved over these years?
Dat.Кому принадлежал этот дом?Who did this house belong to?
Dat.Чему ты радуешься?What are you happy about?
Dat.Кому ты больше доверяешь?Who do you trust more?
Inst.Кем она будет работать?What job will she have?
Inst.Чем вы увлекаетесь?What are you keen on?
Inst.Кем будут гордиться их родители?Who will their parents be proud of?

Knowing what case to use after a certain verb, preposition and adjective, will help you a lot in mastering your speaking skills in Russian.

Learn about New textbook Russian Express Course A0 – A1.1.

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