How do you ask a question in Russian?

Emma_R Β· February 17, 2025 Β· 3 Replies

Emma_R
In English we change word order or add "do". How does it work in Russian? Is there a question word list I should learn first?

Replies (2)

Anna_TeacherTeacher
Two main ways: 1) Yes/no questionsβ€”often the same word order as a statement; you just change your intonation (voice goes up at the end). In writing, the question mark shows it. 2) Wh-questionsβ€”you use question words: ΠΊΡ‚ΠΎ (who), Ρ‡Ρ‚ΠΎ (what), Π³Π΄Π΅ (where), ΠΊΠΎΠ³Π΄Π° (when), ΠΊΠ°ΠΊ (how), ΠΊΠ°ΠΊΠΎΠΉ (what kind/which), ΠΏΠΎΡ‡Π΅ΠΌΡƒ (why), сколько (how much/many). The word order can be flexible; the question word often comes first. We practice this a lot in conversation so it becomes natural.
Emma_R
So no "do" or "does"β€”just intonation and question words. That's actually simpler!

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