Yes/no questions: say a normal sentence and raise your voice on the word you’re asking about. Other questions: start with a question word such as что (what), где (where) or когда́ (when). Word order stays the same.
1. Yes/no questions: move the rise
The word you raise your voice on is the one you’re asking about. Same sentence, three different questions. Listen to each and notice where the jump is (shown in red).
2. The 16 question words
Put the question word first, then the rest of the sentence as normal. Notice there are three words for “where”, depending on location, direction or origin.
3. “Who” and “what” change their case
Кто (who) and что (what) change form like nouns, through all six cases. In fact, the case names in grammar books are these very questions.
| Case | кто · who | что · what | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ктоkto | чтоshto | |
| Genitive | кого́ka-VO | чего́chi-VO | |
| Dative | кому́ka-MU | чему́chi-MU | |
| Accusative | кого́ka-VO | чтоshto | |
| Instrumental | кемkyem | чемchem | |
| Prepositional | о комa kom | о чёмa chom |
4. Answering: да, нет and more
Russians often answer by repeating the key word rather than just saying “yes”. To say no, use нет to answer and не before the word you’re negating.
5. 12 questions you’ll ask every day
Learn these as whole phrases. Each one uses a pattern from this page.
6. Choice questions with или
To offer options, join them with и́ли (I-li), “or”. Your voice rises on the first option and falls on the last.
7. Tag questions: “…, right?”
English adds “isn’t it?” or “right?”. Russian adds a short word at the end. Each one has a slightly different feel.
8. Questions inside sentences
In sentences like “I don’t know where he lives”, the question keeps its question word and its normal order. For yes/no questions, add ли after the key word: “I don’t know whether he’ll come.” A comma always separates the two parts.
| Direct question | Inside a sentence | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing changes: just add “I don’t know,” and a comma. | ||
| Same words, same order. No question mark. | ||
| Yes/no question: move the key word first and add ли. Never use е́сли (if) here. | ||
| Again, key word + ли. |
9. Asking politely
Direct questions can sound blunt. These four patterns soften a request, from neutral to very polite. All use вы, the polite “you”.
10. Question particles: ра́зве, неуже́ли, а, ну
Small words at the start of a question add surprise, doubt or impatience.
11. Pick the question word
Read the English and choose the Russian word that starts the question.