Asking Questions in Russian

Questions are how you learn a language inside the language. Russian makes them easy: put the question word first, keep the rest of the sentence unchanged, and you're done. No "do", no word-order gymnastics.

The Big Five

Remember: a statement becomes a yes/no question without changing a single word — just raise the melody. Это дом. → Это дом? Russians hear the question mark in your voice.

какой — What Kind

Какой asks which one or what kind: Какой это дом? — Большой! It changes shape to match the noun, like an adjective — какой дом, какая книга, какое окно. For now, just recognize its three faces.

The Learner's Superpower

Как means how — you know it from Как дела? Its cousin phrases carry your whole learning life: Как это по-русски? (how is this in Russian?), Как сказать…? (how do you say…?).

Tiny Answers

Answers can be one word. Кто это? — Анна. Где кот? — Вот он!

Вот is the pointing word — here is: Вот дом — here's the house. Вот, пожалуйста — here you are (handing something over).

Common Mistakes

• Adding a helper verb. No Russian "do": Где ты работаешь? — literally "where you work?"
• Mixing кто and что for animals. Pets are кто (who) — Russians count them as someones.
• Forgetting the rising melody. Это чай. and Это чай? differ only in intonation — flat delivery turns your question into a statement.

What You Can Do Now

You can ask for any fact you're missing: who, what, where, when, why, which — and when a word is missing, «Как это по-русски?» fills the gap on the spot.