In February, Nikki was assigned a school project called family history. She had to interview her oldest relative, record the conversation, and then present it to the class. The oldest relative of Nikki is ninety-one years old; she lives in Rostov and doesn’t speak a word of English.
Nika, ten years old, Toronto, speaks Russian at home every day. She understands her grandmother’s stories, watches cartoons with her mother, and reads them out loud in syllables. In ten years of her life, she has heard tens of thousands of Russian questions. And it turns out that she can’t answer even one in Russian.
This situation is not uncommon and is not related to vocabulary. It is related to the fact that the Russian language is structured differently than the English language, and a child who is an immigrant simply has no way to notice this.
The first list, written on the kitchen table
Mom suggested that we prepare in advance and write the questions on paper. Nika wrote for about twenty minutes and brought back eight lines of text.
«You remember the war?»
«Who did you see when you were little?»
«What do you like to eat?»
«When were you born?»
Mom read and understood one thing. The daughter did not forget the words; she honestly translated her English questions word by word, and the result was what it was.
The first and third lines are broken the same way. There is an extra verb in them, «does», which is not needed in a Russian question at all. The English question is assembled. The do, does or did are added to the statement; the subject is rearranged and the meaning of the verb is adjusted. You remember is transformed into do you remember, and this task in the English-speaking school is mastered by the first grade.
No one collects Russian questions; they are spoken. The words remain in place and in the same forms, but the question makes the voice. «Do you remember the war?» and «Do you remember the war?» consist of identical words; the difference lies in the intonation and in the writing, which is reduced to a single character.
Nikin's brain honestly asked for the Russian equivalent of do, found the closest meaning of «to do» and inserted it. This error is so typical that teachers recognize it by the sound of it.
What happens to the word who
The second line is more cleverly broken, and Mom couldn't initially explain what was wrong.
«Who did you see?» sounds strange, and why exactly, you can’t tell at first glance. The clue lies in the fact that the English word “who” hardly changes. Formally, there is a form whom, and it is conventionally placed after a preposition and in the complement position; in practice, however, speakers use the same “who” everywhere and always.
Russian «who» and «what» are treated equally with nouns. Who, whom, whom, whom? The appropriate form is dictated by the verb that stands next to it, and «see» requires the accusative case. Correctly, «whom did you see?».
Anyone who types in question words in Russian in a search engine gets a short list with translations, where «who» is followed by "who," and that's where the explanation ends. The list is correct; in English-language reference works it is also called "Russian interrogatives." There is just as much benefit from it as from a list of details instead of a build instructions because the main difficulty begins where the word changes form.
The complete table with all the conjugations is presented separately. There’s no need to memorize it; it’s convenient to have it handy for the first time.
Forms of interrogative words
A table is needed for verification, not for memorization. The form is indicated by the verb or preposition that stands next to it.
Who and what is responsible for the crashes
| Case | About the animated | About the inanimate | How it sounds when spoken |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | who | that | Who called? What fell |
| Genitive | who | What | Who should I ask? What are you waiting for? |
| Dative | to whom | to what | To whom to call. What you were surprised by |
| Accusative | who | that | Who did you see? What did you buy |
| Instrumental | by whom | by what | With whom you went. What you are drawing |
| Prepositional | about whom | about what | About whom we are talking. About what the film is about |
Whose by birth and number
| Gender and number | Form | How it sounds when spoken |
|---|---|---|
| Men's | Whose | Whose backpack is this? |
| Female | Whose | Whose jacket is on the chair? |
| Intermediate | whose | Whose seat is by the window? |
| Multiple | whose | Whose keys are on the shelf |
Words that do not change
| Word | What is he asking about? | How it sounds when spoken |
|---|---|---|
| where | Place | Where do you live? |
| where | Direction | Where are you going? |
| from where | Starting point | Where did you come from? |
| when | Time | When the lesson will begin |
| as | Mode, condition, degree | How did you get here? |
| Why? | The reason | Why are you late? |
| Why? | Purpose | Why do you need a ladder? |
| How much | Quantity requires the possessive case | How many books did you take? |
The word «which» stands on its own; it changes as an adjective and in the question chooses from the already named list.
The line where everything was right
«When you were born, Mom first tried to fix things and then stopped.
The sentence was correct. The Russian question word prefers the beginning of a sentence, but does not require it. «When you were born» sounds neutral, «When you were born» sounds more insistent, as if the conversation is already underway and the speaker returns to the topic. Both versions are grammatically correct, and choosing one changes only the nuance.
English doesn't really allow for that kind of freedom; the question mark comes first there and you can't move it. Nika got her correct line by accident, copying the Russian colloquial order she heard at home.
It was more difficult with intonation. Mom asked me to read the questions out loud, and it turned out that my daughter raised her voice towards the end of the sentence, like in English. In Russian, the voice behaves differently. It makes a sharp jump to highlight one word in the sentence, and it depends on which one exactly: what the sentence is actually about. This is easiest to see in the question about the dress from the old photo.
«Did you sew this dress yourself?»
The jump to the word «herself» turns the question into surprise: isn't it without someone else's help? The jump to «sewn» leads to the method: sewn or bought anyway. The jump to «dress» separates one thing from the rest; a dress or a coat as well. The words are the same everywhere; the order is the same; only the ear can pick up the difference.
This part of the language is hardly described in textbooks, and the last ones are the ones who learn it.
Why I left and why I left
Two days before the call, Nika showed her mom the revised list and one new question.
«Why did you leave the village?»
Mom thought for a moment and suggested replacing it with «why.» The daughter didn't understand the difference, because in English both questions look the same and start with "why.".
The difference between them is where the questioner looks. «Why?» asks the questioner to be explained backwards, and the answer begins with «because». «Why?» asks the questioner to be named the goal, and the answer begins with «so that». The great-grandmother would tell about hunger and the closed school on the «why» question, and about the education in the city that she aspired to on the «why» question.
Both questions were good, and in the end, Nika asked them in succession, resulting in two completely different stories.
There are several variants of this type of exercise in Russian, and they all seem to be similar. There is one English word, two or three Russian ones, and the choice changes the meaning. They are presented separately, along with the exercises.
Branches where the English word is one, but the Russian one is several
The most common places where a direct translation from English gives an incorrect question.
The English "why" covers both roles.
Why asks to be explained what happened; the answer begins with «because». Why asks to be told the purpose; the answer begins with «in order to».
Why did you take an umbrella? It’s dry outside. Why did you take an umbrella when it was promised that it would rain?.
The English words which and what divide the roles differently.
What kind They go where a name is not given and ask about a characteristic. Which It is taking place within the already outlined set.
What the weather will be tomorrow. Which one of these two is yours.
Английское where одно на три случая.
Where про место, where про направление, from where про точку отправления. За каждым тянется свое падежное окончание.
Где ты был. Куда ты идешь. Откуда ты приехал.
Английское how many и how much обходятся без падежа.
Русское How much требует после себя родительного падежа, чаще всего множественного числа.
Сколько книг, сколько дней, сколько денег. С людьми работают обе формы, разведенные по смыслу. При точном счете идет «сколько человек», а «сколько людей» остается там, где речь о неопределенном множестве, вроде «сколько людей пострадало».
Слово скромное и очень нагруженное.
Спрашивает о способе, о состоянии и о степени сразу. Дети осваивают его первым и потом ставят туда, где взрослый выбрал бы точнее.
Как ты доехал. Как дела. Как далеко до вокзала.
Английское who почти не меняется, whom доживает свой век.
Русская форма зависит от глагола рядом. Подлежащее требует «кто», дополнение при переходном глаголе требует «кого».
Кто тебя видел. Кого ты видела.
Четыре упражнения на каждый день
Поменяйтесь ролями
Раз в день просите ребенка расспросить вас. Про работу, про школьные годы, про то, как вы выбрали ему имя. Пять вопросов подряд, заданных им самим, весят больше часа объяснений про порядок слов.
Вопрос к каждому слову
Возьмите одну фразу, скажем «Дедушка вчера привез из деревни мед», и постройте к ней все возможные вопросы. Кто привез, что привез, когда, откуда. Упражнение заставляет заново выбирать падеж на каждом шаге.
Настоящее интервью
Договоритесь о разговоре с родственником, который не понимает по-английски, и дайте ребенку задание расспросить его о детстве. Необходимость спрашивать по-настоящему работает лучше любого упражнения.
Одна фраза, три смысла
Произнесите вопрос «Ты сама шила это платье» три раза, выделяя голосом разные слова, и попросите ребенка объяснить, чем отличаются вопросы. Это тренирует ту самую интонацию, которую в учебниках почти не описывают.
Похожая история со словом «чей», которое меняется не только по падежам, но и по родам с числами. Чей платок, чья изба, чье поле, чьи фотографии. Английское whose стоит во всех четырех случаях неподвижно, и билингвы привычно ставят одну форму на все.
Разговор, который длился час десять
Звонок состоялся в воскресенье утром, по ростовскому времени ближе к вечеру.
Первые минуты шли тяжело. Ника читала вопросы с листа, прабабушка отвечала подробно, и половину ответа девочка не успевала переварить, потому что уже искала глазами следующую строчку. Мама сидела рядом и молчала.
Перелом случился на четвертом вопросе. Прабабушка упомянула какого-то Витю, и Ника, забыв про бумагу, перебила ее. «А кто такой Витя?» Вопрос вышел безупречный, короткий и правильный по всем статьям, потому что родился он из чистого любопытства и переводить его было неоткуда.
Дальше час десять шли без листа. Ошибок было много, никто их не считал и не поправлял. Прабабушка все понимала.
Мама потом призналась, что весь этот час боролась с желанием вмешаться и поправить. Не вмешалась и оказалась права. Ошибка, произнесенная вслух и понятая собеседником, стоит дороже правильной фразы, которую ребенок постеснялся сказать.
Что из этого следует для родителей
История Ники описывает перекос, который есть почти у каждого ребенка, растущего вне русской среды.
Вопросы такому ребенку задают постоянно. Как дела в школе, что задали, куда положил ботинки, почему опять не убрано. Ребенок отвечает по-русски свободно и охотно. А спрашивать ему по-русски почти не приходится, все, что нужно узнать, он узнает в школе, у друзей и в интернете, то есть по-английски.
Понимание вопросов при этом отличное, производство хромает. Ровно поэтому Никины восемь строчек и получились такими, хотя ни одного незнакомого слова в них не было.
Лекарство простое и почти не отнимает времени. Раз в день меняйте роли и просите ребенка расспросить вас. Про работу, про детство, про то, как вы познакомились с его отцом. Пять вопросов подряд, заданных им самим, дают больше, чем час объяснений про порядок слов. Хорошо работает и настоящее дело вроде Никиного интервью, когда спрашивать нужно по-настоящему, а собеседник не понимает по-английски.
Где тренируют сам навык спрашивать
Разрыв между «понимаю» и «умею спросить» закрывается только живой практикой, причем двусторонней, где собеседник отвечает и переспрашивает в ответ.
В Palme School занятия идут онлайн небольшими компаниями, дети с четырех до семнадцати, и вопросы там задают сами ученики, друг другу и преподавателю. Проверить, подходит ли такой формат, можно на two free lessons. На первом методист определяет уровень и подбирает группу. Второй идет уже внутри группы, вместе с преподавателем.
У тех, кто взялся за русский уже взрослым, в школе свои направления, Russian for adults and conversation school, и устной части там отдано основное время.
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Русский вопрос не собирают из деталей, его произносят. Вспомогательного глагола нет, порядок слов свободный, а работу делят между собой интонация и падеж вопросительного слова.
Выучить список вопросительных слов можно за вечер. Начать спрашивать по-русски получается только тогда, когда появляется человек, которому есть о чем спросить и который не поймет вопроса на другом языке.
Запись Никиного интервью лежит у мамы в телефоне. Проект она сдала, получила высший балл и попросила позвонить прабабушке еще раз, уже без задания.
Частые вопросы про вопросительные слова в русском языке
How many question words are there in the Russian language?
There are about ten main elements; among them are who, what, where, where from, when, why, how, which, whose, and how many. Some of them are declined according to cases, and «which» and «whose» change in gender and number as well, so there are significantly more real forms than the lines in any list.
Why isn’t an auxiliary verb needed in the Russian case?
The question in Russian is spoken, and there is no need to rearrange the sentence to do so. The statement and the question can consist of the same words in the same order and only differ in intonation, with the question mark in the English version. The English words do, does and did do not translate into Russian in this role.
What is the difference between «why» and «why not»?
It’s easiest to test yourself by answering the question that comes naturally. The answer to the «why» is «because,» the answer to the «why» is «in order to.» The first question asks you to explain what happened, the second asks you to name the goal. The English “why” serves both roles at once, and that’s exactly what confuses Russian learners.
Which is correct, «who did you see» or «whom did you see»?
It is correct to say «whom you saw», the verb «see» takes the accusative case. The form «who» is only suitable for the subject, as in the question «who saw you». This mistake is typical for those who translate into Russian as "who did you see", where there is no need to choose the form.
How is «which» different from «what»?
The presence of the named set matters. If the options have already been listed out loud, the «which» works, as in the question about choosing between the two. If there is no set and we are talking about a characteristic, the «which» works, as in the question about tomorrow’s weather. The turn of «which hour» stands out; it has stuck in the language entirely and does not obey the general rule; breaking it down into parts is useless.
