Question words: ko, šta, gde, kada, zašto, kako
Open questions start with a question word: ko (who), šta (what), gde (where), kada/kad (when), zašto (why), kako (how), koliko (how much/many). The word goes at the front and the rest of the sentence follows.
Examples
- Ko je to? Who is that?
- Šta radiš? What are you doing?
- Gde živiš? Where do you live?
The full lesson
Everything in the video, in text.
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Want to ask who, what, where or why — but don't know where that word goes in the sentence? Good news: it always goes in the same place.
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There are two kinds of questions. Yes/no questions, answered with yes or no. And open questions, which ask for specific information — and those start with a question word.
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Here are the six most important ones. Ko for a person, šta for a thing, gde for a place, kada for time, zašto for a reason, and kako for manner. Learn these six and you can ask almost anything.
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The rule is simple: the question word goes first, and the rest of the sentence just follows it. You don't need to change anything else.
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Let's start with ko, when you ask about a person. Ko je to?
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With šta you ask about a thing or an action. A very common one in everyday conversation. Šta radiš?
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Gde asks about a place. The word goes first, the verb right after. Gde živiš?
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Kada asks about time. In speech you'll often hear the shorter form too — kad. Kada dolaziš?
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Zašto asks about a reason. The answer usually starts with zato što. Zašto plačeš?
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And kako, when you ask how something is done — or how someone is. Kako si?
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There's one more very useful word: koliko. With it you ask about quantity or number — how much of something there is. Koliko košta?
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Here's the most common beginner mistake: mixing up ko and šta. Ko is only for a person — who. Šta is for a thing — what. If you ask ko radiš, it makes no sense; you need šta radiš.
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A quick note for later: ko and šta change by case — koga, čega. But at the start, just use the base forms, ko and šta, and you'll be perfectly clear.
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Let's recap. Six question words: ko, šta, gde, kada, zašto, kako — plus koliko. They all go right at the front of the sentence, and the rest stays the same. That's all you need for open questions.