A1 Questions 6 min read Easy

Asking Basic Questions: Who, What, Where (Кто, Что, Где)

Use Kto, Chto, and Gde at the start of sentences without a verb to ask basic questions.
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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Use 'Kto' for people, 'Chto' for things, and 'Gde' for places to start asking questions in Russian.

  • Kto (Кто) asks about people: Кто это? (Who is this?)
  • Chto (Что) asks about objects/actions: Что это? (What is this?)
  • Gde (Где) asks about location: Где ты? (Where are you?)
Question Word + Verb + Subject/Object?

Overview

Ever wondered why you can’t just find a verb like "is" or "are" when asking questions in Russian? You’re scrolling through Instagram, you see a cool photo of a mysterious person in Moscow, and you want to ask "Who is this?" In Russian, you simply say Kto eto?. No fluff, no extra verbs, just straight to the point. Russian question words are your first real superpower in the language. They allow you to identify people, things, and locations without needing to master complex sentence structures yet. If you can point and say a question word, you can communicate.
Russian question words are the building blocks of every conversation you’ll have. Whether you’re trying to find the nearest Starbucks, identifying a new friend in a group chat, or asking what that weird-looking soup is at a local canteen, you need these three words: Kto, Chto, and Gde. Unlike English, Russian doesn't use the verb "to be" in the present tense. This makes your life much easier! You don't have to worry about "is," "am," or "are." You just drop the question word and the subject together, and boom—you’re a Russian speaker. Think of these words as the "Big Three" of survival Russian. Mastering them is like getting the starter pack in a video game; it’s basic, but you can’t beat the boss without it.

How This Grammar Works

In English, we say "Who is that?" or "Where is the station?" In Russian, the "is" is invisible. It’s there in spirit, but not in the text. To ask a question, you generally put the question word at the beginning of the sentence.
  1. 1Identify your target: Is it a person? Use Kto. Is it a thing? Use Chto. Is it a place? Use Gde.
  2. 2Add the subject: This is the person or thing you’re asking about.
  3. 3Intonation is king: In Russian, you don't always change the word order for a question. Your voice needs to rise on the question word to show you're actually asking something.
Example

Kto eto? (Who is this?).

One quirky thing to remember: Chto is almost never pronounced the way it's spelled. If you say "Ch-to," you'll sound like a 19th-century robot. Modern Russians say "Shto." It’s like the secret handshake of the language. If you say "Shto," you’re in the club.

Formation Pattern

1
Creating these questions follows a very simple formula. You don't need a PhD in linguistics for this one.
2
The 'Who' Pattern: Kto + [Noun/Pronoun]?
3
Kto ty? (Who are you?)
4
The 'What' Pattern: Chto + [Noun/Pronoun]?
5
Chto eto? (What is this?)
6
The 'Where' Pattern: Gde + [Noun/Pronoun]?
7
Gde metro? (Where is the metro?)
8
Note that Russian often uses the word eto (this/that/it) as a universal placeholder. If you're pointing at something and don't know what it is, Chto eto? is your best friend. If you're looking at a photo on a friend's phone, Kto eto? works every time. It’s the ultimate shortcut for beginners. Don't worry about gender or plurals yet; at the A1 level, these basic forms are incredibly versatile.

When To Use It

You’ll use these words in almost every social interaction.
  • Social Media: You see a tag in a photo: Kto eto? (Who is this?).
  • Delivery Apps: You’re waiting for your food and the map looks glitchy: Gde moya pica? (Where is my pizza?).
  • Shopping: You see a weird gadget on a Russian tech site: Chto eto? (What is this?).
  • Travel: You’re lost in a train station: Gde bilet? (Where is the ticket?).
These words are also the foundation for more complex questions later on. Even if you forget every other word in a sentence, shouting Gde? while looking confused will usually get a local to point you in the right direction. It's not the most elegant way to travel, but it works! Just remember to use a polite tone. Russian doesn't have a "please" built into the question word, so your face and tone do the heavy lifting.

Common Mistakes

The biggest trap for English speakers is trying to translate the word "is."
  • Mistake: Kto iz eto? (Who is this?).
  • Correction: Just say Kto eto?. The "iz" doesn't exist here.
Another classic mistake is the pronunciation of Chto. Avoid the hard "Ch" sound. It should sound like "Shto" (like 'shot' but with an 'o').
Also, don't confuse Gde with Kuda. This is a common A1-A2 hurdle. Gde asks for a static location (Where is it sitting?), while Kuda asks for a direction (Where is it going?). If you're asking where the bathroom is, use Gde. If you're asking where the Uber is taking you, that's a different story. For now, stick to Gde for anything that isn't moving.

Contrast With Similar Patterns

As you progress, you'll see these words change their endings (cases). For example, Kto might become Kogo or Komu. Don't panic! At the A1 level, you only need the Nominative case (the dictionary form).
Compare these to English:
  • English: Who, Whom, Whose.
  • Russian: Kto, Kogo, Chey.
In the beginning, just focus on the basic Kto, Chto, and Gde.
Also, compare Gde (Where) with Zdes (Here) and Tam (There). They form a little family of location words.
  • Gde kofe? (Where is the coffee?)
  • Kofe tam. (The coffee is there.)
It’s a simple call-and-response system that makes basic conversation feel like a game of ping-pong.

Quick FAQ

Q

Do I need to change Kto if I'm asking about a girl?

Nope! At this level, Kto is universal. It doesn't care about gender.

Q

Why does Chto sound like 'Shto'?

It’s just how the language evolved. It's easier to say. Think of it like the 'k' in 'knife'—it's there on paper, but not in the air.

Q

Can I use Gde for people?

Absolutely. Gde Ivan? (Where is Ivan?) is a perfectly normal thing to ask.

Q

Is it rude to just ask Chto? if I didn't hear someone?

It can be a bit blunt, like saying "What?". A more polite way is Chto-chto? or just Povtorite, pozhaluysta (Repeat, please). But among friends, Chto? is fine.

3. Basic Interrogative Usage

Russian Transliteration Meaning Usage
Кто
Kto
Who
People
Что
Chto
What
Things
Где
Gde
Where
Location

Meanings

These are the fundamental interrogative words used to request information about identity, objects, and location.

1

Identity

Asking for the identity of a person or living being.

“Кто это?”

“Кто твой друг?”

2

Object/Action

Asking for the identity of an object or an activity.

“Что это?”

“Что ты делаешь?”

3

Location

Asking for the physical position of someone or something.

“Где мой телефон?”

“Где Москва?”

Reference Table

Reference table for Asking Basic Questions: Who, What, Where (Кто, Что, Где)
Question Word English Translation Pronunciation Hint Used For...
`Кто`
Who
Ktoh
People and pets
`Что`
What
Shto
Objects and concepts
`Где`
Where
Gdeh
Locations and positions

Formality Spectrum

Formal
Кто там?

Кто там? (At the door)

Neutral
Кто там?

Кто там? (At the door)

Informal
Кто там?

Кто там? (At the door)

Slang
Кто там?

Кто там? (At the door)

The Big Three Russian Questions

Question Words

People

  • Кто Who

Objects

  • Что What

Location

  • Где Where

Who vs. What in Russian

Animate (Кто)
Друг Friend
Кошка Cat
Inanimate (Что)
Кофе Coffee
Книга Book

Choosing the Right Question Word

1

Are you asking about a person?

YES
Use Кто
NO
Go to next step
2

Are you asking about a place?

YES
Use Где
NO ↓

Common Scenarios

☕

At the Café

  • • Что это?
  • • Где меню?
  • • Кто официант?
📱

On Social Media

  • • Кто это?
  • • Что это за тренд?
  • • Где ты?
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Examples by Level

1

Кто это?

Who is this?

2

Что это?

What is this?

3

Где ты?

Where are you?

4

Где Москва?

Where is Moscow?

1

Что ты делаешь?

What are you doing?

2

Кто твой друг?

Who is your friend?

3

Где находится банк?

Where is the bank located?

4

Что ты хочешь?

What do you want?

1

Кого ты видел?

Whom did you see?

2

Чего ты хочешь от меня?

What do you want from me?

3

Где бы ты хотел жить?

Where would you like to live?

4

Кто из них прав?

Which of them is right?

1

Не знаю, кто это сделал.

I don't know who did this.

2

Что бы ни случилось, я буду там.

Whatever happens, I will be there.

3

Где бы я ни был, я помню о доме.

Wherever I am, I remember home.

4

Кто бы мог подумать?

Who would have thought?

1

Кто из нас не ошибался?

Who among us hasn't made a mistake?

2

Что ни день, то новые новости.

Every day brings new news.

3

Где уж нам до них.

We are nowhere near their level.

4

Кто есть кто в этой истории?

Who is who in this story?

1

Что за человек этот Иван?

What kind of person is this Ivan?

2

Где-где, а в Петербурге красиво.

If anywhere, it's beautiful in St. Petersburg.

3

Кто-кто, а он точно знает.

He, if anyone, definitely knows.

4

Что к чему, я не пойму.

I don't understand what's what.

Easily Confused

Asking Basic Questions: Who, What, Where (Кто, Что, Где) vs Gde vs Kuda

Learners use Gde for movement.

Asking Basic Questions: Who, What, Where (Кто, Что, Где) vs Kto vs Chto

Using Kto for animals or objects.

Asking Basic Questions: Who, What, Where (Кто, Что, Где) vs Chto vs Kak

Using Chto for 'how'.

Common Mistakes

✗

Кто это? (for a chair)

✓

Что это?

Kto is for people only.
✗

Gde is pronounced 'G-dee'

✓

Gde (G-deh)

The 'e' is not an 'ee' sound.
✗

Chto is pronounced 'Ch-to'

✓

Shto

The 'ch' is a historical spelling.
✗

Kto is plural

✓

Kto is singular

Kto always takes singular verbs.
✗

Gde ты идешь?

✓

Куда ты идешь?

Gde is for static location, Kuda for movement.
✗

Что ты хочешь?

✓

Чего ты хочешь?

Some verbs require genitive.
✗

Кто ты видел?

✓

Кого ты видел?

Direct object requires accusative.
✗

Где ты был?

✓

Где ты был?

Actually correct, but watch for case agreement.
✗

Что он сказал?

✓

Что он сказал?

Correct, but ensure verb gender matches.
✗

Кто это сделал?

✓

Кто это сделал?

Correct, but watch for past tense gender.
✗

Что за...

✓

Что за...

Ensure correct usage of 'za'.
✗

Где-где

✓

Где-где

Ensure correct intonation.
✗

Кто-кто

✓

Кто-кто

Ensure correct intonation.

Sentence Patterns

Кто ___?

Что ___?

Где ___?

Кто ___ в ___?

Real World Usage

Texting constant

Ты где?

Ordering food very common

Что это?

Job interview common

Кто вы?

Travel common

Где метро?

Social media very common

Кто это?

Classroom common

Что значит это слово?

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💡

The Silent 'Is'

Never look for the word 'is' in Russian present tense questions. It doesn't exist! Just put the question word and the noun together.
⚠️

Pronunciation Alert

Don't say 'Ch-to'. It sounds very foreign. Always pronounce 'Что' as 'Shto'.
🎯

The 'Eto' Hack

If you don't know the noun, just use 'Eto' (this). 'Kto eto?' or 'Chto eto?' will cover 90% of your beginner needs.

Smart Tips

Always use 'Chto'.

Кто это? (book) → Что это? (book)

Use 'Kuda' instead of 'Gde'.

Где ты идешь? → Куда ты идешь?

Use 'Kto'.

Что это? (person) → Кто это? (person)

Keep it simple.

Где ты делаешь? → Что ты делаешь?

Pronunciation

/ʂto/

Chto

Pronounced as 'Shto'.

/gdʲe/

Gde

The 'd' is soft before 'e'.

Rising

Кто? ↑

Questioning tone

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Kto is for the 'K'rew (people), Chto is for 'C'hings, Gde is for 'G'eography (places).

Visual Association

Imagine a person (Kto) holding a box (Chto) while standing on a map (Gde).

Rhyme

Kto is who, Chto is what, Gde is where, give it a shot!

Story

I asked 'Kto' is at the door. He was holding 'Chto' (a gift). I asked him 'Gde' he bought it.

Word Web

КтоЧтоГдеКогоЧегоКуда

Challenge

Write 3 questions about your room using these words.

Cultural Notes

Asking 'Who is this?' is very direct. Use 'Izvinite' (excuse me) first.

These words are Proto-Slavic in origin.

Conversation Starters

“

Кто твой любимый актер?

“

Что ты любишь есть?

“

Где ты живешь?

“

Кто сегодня придет?

Journal Prompts

Write about who is in your family.
Write about what you have in your bag.
Write about where you want to travel.
Write about what you did yesterday.

Common Mistakes

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

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Test Yourself

Fill in the blank with the correct question word.

___ это? (Asking about a person)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Кто
Use 'Кто' (Who) when asking about people.
Which sentence is correct for asking 'Where is the hotel?' Multiple Choice

Choose the correct sentence:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Где отель?
'Где' is the correct word for location ('Where').
Find the mistake in this sentence asking about a sandwich. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Кто это сэндвич?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Что это сэндвич?
A sandwich is an object, so you must use 'Что' (What), not 'Кто' (Who).

Score: /3

Practice Exercises

8 exercises
Fill in the blank.

___ это? (Who is this?)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Кто
Kto is for people.
Choose the correct word. Multiple Choice

___ ты? (Where are you?)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Где
Gde is for location.
Correct the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Кто это? (pointing at a book)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Что это?
Chto is for objects.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

ты / Где / ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Где ты?
Standard order.
Match the word to the meaning. Match Pairs

Match Kto, Chto, Gde.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Who, What, Where
Correct definitions.
Choose the correct word. Multiple Choice

___ ты делаешь?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Что
What are you doing?
Fill in the blank.

___ ты идешь?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Куда
Kuda is for movement.
Build a question. Sentence Building

Use Kto.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Кто там?
Natural order.

Score: /8

Practice Bank

10 exercises
Fill in the blank. Fill in the Blank

___ мой телефон?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Где
Translate 'What is this?' into Russian. Translation

What is this?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Что это?
Put the words in the correct order to ask 'Who is there?' Sentence Reorder

там / Кто / ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Кто там?
Match the Russian word with its English meaning. Match Pairs

Match the words:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Кто:Who, Что:What, Где:Where
How do you ask 'Where is the WiFi?' Multiple Choice

Choose the best option:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Где вай-фай?
Correct the question: 'Shto eto?' (written correctly) Error Correction

Што это?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Что это?
Fill in the blank. Fill in the Blank

___ твой папа?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Кто
Translate 'Where are you?' (informal). Translation

Where are you?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Где ты?
Which question word matches a pizza? Multiple Choice

___ это? (It's a pizza)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Что
Ask 'Where is the museum?' Sentence Reorder

музей / Где / ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Где музей?

Score: /10

FAQ (8)

It's a historical spelling that stuck.

Usually no, use Chto or 'Kakaya sobaka'.

Yes, static location.

People will understand, but it sounds unnatural.

Yes, like Kak, Pochemu, Kogda.

Yes, in different cases.

Yes, for emphasis.

Ask questions about everything you see.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

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In Other Languages

Spanish high

Quién/Qué/Dónde

Spanish has accents.

French high

Qui/Quoi/Où

French requires more complex sentence structure.

German high

Wer/Was/Wo

German has more complex case endings.

Japanese moderate

Dare/Nani/Doko

Japanese question words stay in place.

Arabic moderate

Man/Ma/Ayna

Arabic is written right-to-left.

Chinese low

Shéi/Shénme/Nǎlǐ

Chinese is non-inflected.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Next
Saying 'Not' in Russian (не)

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