Upitne riječi: Question words: kakav and koji
In lesson 3 and lesson 5 you already learned the most important question words. Here you see them all together and learn three more: kada, zašto and kamo. Then come the two question words that change along, just like an adjective from lesson 8: kakav (what kind of, what … like) and koji (which).
All question words at a glance
| Question word | Meaning | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| tko | who | Tko je to? | Who is that? |
| što | what | Što je to? | What is that? |
| gdje | where | Gdje je Ana? | Where is Ana? |
| kamonew | where to | Kamo idemo? | Where are we going? |
| odakle | where from | Odakle si? | Where are you from? |
| kadanew | when | Kada je doručak? | When is breakfast? |
| zaštonew | why | Zašto si umoran? | Why are you tired? |
| kako | how | Kako si? | How are you? |
| koliko | how much | Koliko košta? | How much does it cost? |
| kakavnew | what kind of, what … like | Kakav je stan? | What is the flat like? |
| kojinew | which | Koja majica? | Which T-shirt? |
gdje or kamo? gdje is where something is, kamo is where you are going: Gdje je Ana? but Kamo idemo? In everyday speech you also often hear gdje instead of kamo, and kad instead of kada.
Kakav: what kind of, what … like
With kakav you ask what something is like: big or small, beautiful, expensive, cold… So the answer is usually an adjective. kakav changes with the word you are talking about, exactly like dobar / dobra / dobro. And just like dobar → dobra, the a drops out: kakav → kakva.
| Gender | Singular | Example | Plural | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | kakav | Kakav je stan? – Velik je. | kakvi | Kakvi su ljudi? – Dobri su. |
| feminine | kakva | Kakva je kava? – Hladna je. | kakve | Kakve su cipele? – Crne su. |
| neuter | kakvo | Kakvo je vrijeme? – Lijepo je. | kakva | Kakva su sela? – Mala su. |
Koji: which
With koji you ask which thing or person someone means, out of a few options. koji also changes with the gender and the plural.
| Gender | Singular | Example | Plural | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | koji | Koji grad? – Zagreb. | koji | Koji studenti? – Ivan i Marko. |
| feminine | koja | Koja majica? – Plava. | koje | Koje cipele? – Crne. |
| neuter | koje | Koje vino? – Bijelo. | koja | Koja sela? – Ston i Cavtat. |
Careful: koje is both neuter singular (koje vino) and feminine plural (koje cipele), and koji is masculine in the singular and the plural (koji grad, koji studenti).
Kakav or koji?
Kako or kakav?
Both sometimes translate as “how”. kako never changes and asks how something goes or how you do something: Kako si? kakav asks what a thing or person is like, and adapts to that word: Kakav je stan? Kakva je Ana?
Kakvo je vrijeme? (What is the weather like?) is something you hear every day in Croatia. Answer with a neuter form, because vrijeme is neuter: Lijepo je! or Hladno je.
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