Want to learn Russian but don’t know where to start? Well, how about Russian question words? They are basic, not too complicated, and can help you a ton if you decide to visit Russia or if you’re currently living in Russia.
Not only will these Russian question words help you get more familiar with the Russian language, but you might fall so in love with the language that you’ll want to become fluent. If you’re interested in learning these question words and how they could come in handy, keep reading!
Russian Question Words To Know
Want to start asking questions in Russian? This is the best way to get started! By knowing these, you will most certainly be able to form more meaningful relationships and have better conversations with Russians. Aside from that, these can open you up to so many opportunities career and education-wise.
Russian Question Word #1: Who?
Want to ask someone who a certain person is or ask who they are? Using the word Кто (Kto) is key! Take a look at the table below to learn more phrases and sentences where you can use Кто (Kto).
| English | Russian | Pronunciation |
| Who is that? | Это кто? (Eto kto?) | |
| Who are you? | Кто ты? (Kto ty?) | |
| Who are you with? | С кем Вы? (S kem vy?) | |
| Who is there? | Кто там? (Kto tam?) |
Russian Question Word #2: Where?
Planning to ask someone where a certain place in Russia is? If so, we got you! By using the question word Где? (Gde?) you’ll be able to ask any Russian where you can go from one point to another, or how to reach a certain place! Here are some important phrases to help you get started!
| English | Russian | Pronunciation |
| Where is… | Где… (Gde…) | |
| Where is the police station? | Где полицейский участок? (Gde politseyskiy uchastok?) | |
| Where is the bus station? | Где автобусная остановка? (Gde avtobusnaya ostanovka?) | |
| Where is the hospital? | Где больница? (Gde bolʹnitsa?) | |
| Where is the nearest train station? | Где здесь ближайший ЖД вокзал? (Gde zdesʹ blizhayshiy ZHD vokzal?) | |
| Where can I ride a bus from here? | Откуда я могу поехать на автобусе отсюда? (Otkuda ya mogu poyekhatʹ na avtobuse ot·syuda?) | |
| Where is the most famous restaurant here? | Где здесь самый известный ресторан? (Gde zdesʹ samyy izvestnyy restoran?) |
Russian Question Word #3: Why?
The Russian word for ‘why’ is Почему?(Pochemu?). Easy to remember, right? Look at the table below to know how to use the word in a sentence!
| English | Russian | Pronunciation |
| Why are you here? | Почему ты здесь? (Pochemu ty zdesʹ?) | |
| Why didn’t you tell me? | Почему ты мне не сказал? (Pochemu ty mne ne skazal?) | |
| Why is this so expensive? | Почему это дорого? (Pochemu eto dorogo?) | |
| Why did you leave early? | Почему ты ушел раньше? (Pochemu ty ushel ranʹshe?) | |
| Why did you do that? | Почему ты это сделал? (Pochemu ty eto sdelal?) |
Russian Question Word #4: When?
If you find yourself wanting to ask about the time and date in Russian, you can use the word Когда? (Kogda?) Below are some examples of how to use this question word!
| English | Russian | Pronunciation |
| When will it be? | Когда это будет? (Kogda eto budet?) | |
| When is it? | Когда это? (Kogda eto?) | |
| When will we go out? | Когда мы выйдем? (Kogda my vyydem?) | |
| When will I get to meet you? | Когда я встречу тебя? (Kogda ya vstrechu tebya?) | |
| When will you meet me? | Когда ты встретишь меня? (Kogda ty vstretishʹ menya?) | |
| When will you arrive? | Когда ты приедешь? (Kogda ty priyedeshʹ?) | |
| When will you leave? | Когда ты уедешь? (Kogda ty uyedeshʹ?) |
Russian Question Word #5: What?
Confused about the conversation? You can use Какая? (Kakaya?) to clarify things! By using this word, which directly translates to the word ‘what, you’ll be asking the other person to further explain what he or she is talking about! Feel free to practice some of the examples below in your next conversation!
| English | Russian | Pronunciation |
| What do you mean? | Что ты имеешь в виду? (Chto ty imeyeshʹ v vidu?) | |
| What are you talking about? | О чем ты говоришь? (O chem ty govorishʹ?) | |
| What did you say? | Что вы сказали? (Chto vy skazali?) | |
| What time is it? | Который сейчас час? (Kotoryy seychas chas?) | |
| What was that supposed to mean? | Что это должно было означать? (Chto eto dolzhno bylo oznachatʹ?) | |
| What is the meaning of this? | Что это означает? (Chto eto oznachayet?) |
Russian Question Word #6: How?
If you want to ask someone how they are or how certain things are done, you can use the Russian word Как? (Kak?) Read on to discover how to use this word in a proper sentence.
| English | Russian | Pronunciation |
| How do you do it? | Как ты сделал это? (Kak ty sdelal eto?) | |
| How are you? | Как дела? (Kak dela?) | |
| How was it? | Как это было? (Kak eto bylo?) | |
| How much is this? | Сколько это стоит? (Skolʹko eto stoit?) |
These are just some one the words you can use if you want to ask a question in Russian. Not only are these easy for beginners, but they are a great way to get acquainted with such an infamously challenging language. If you want to learn even more Russian, for your travels or other reasons, we have the perfect language learning app for you.
Learn More Russian With The Ling App Today!
Want to learn more Russian? Now you can with the Ling App!
Whether you want to learn more Russian words grammar, you can do it all with the Ling App. This language learning application isn’t just designed to make the process of learning a new language fun, but easy and effective! With the app’s mini-games, quizzes, and various other fun exercises, you’ll be shocked at how much information you’re able to retain at the end of each lesson.
So, what are you waiting for? Download the Ling App today from the App Store or Play Store to get your language learning journey started!
