Kilo Lingo
Russian grammar Part of Chapter 6

CEFR A2

3 min read

Test yourself (18 questions)

Кто and что in Russian: кого, кому, с кем, о чём

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 12 October 2026

and look like vocabulary, but they are pronouns, and like every Russian pronoun they change case. Ask whom did you see and becomes ; ask about what and becomes . Work out the case the answer would take, and put the question word in it.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Which form of who fills the gap?

  1. это? (Who is that?)

  2. ты видишь? (Who do you see?)

  3. ты звонишь? (Who are you ringing?)

The whole system on one screen

Colour marks the case:

nominativeaccusativegenitivedativeinstrumentalprepositionalWhat do the colours mean?
CaseWhoWhat
nominative
accusative
genitive
dative
instrumental
prepositional
  • ? - Who is that?
  • ? - Who do you see?
  • ? - What are you thinking about?

The г in and is said as v: ka-VO, chi-VO.

Кто or кого: the subject or the object

Colour marks the case:

nominativeaccusativeWhat do the colours mean?

asks about whoever does the action; asks about whoever has it done to them:

Subject: ктоObject: кого
? ?
Who saw you?Who did you see?
? ?
Who loves you?Who do you love?

counts as alive and as a thing, so they split in the accusative the way nouns do: copies the genitive, as does, and stays as it is, as does. The animate rule is on the accusative page.

Кому, с кем, о ком: the other cases

Colour marks the case:

dativeinstrumentalprepositionalWhat do the colours mean?

The verb or preposition chooses the case, and the question word follows it:

AsksExampleEnglish
to whom ?Who are you ringing?
with whom ?Who do you live with?
about whom ?Who are you talking about?

takes the dative, so the question is . takes the instrumental, so .

English can strand the preposition at the end: who are you talking to? Russian never does. The preposition stays in front of the question word:

Preposition
Question word
Rest
?
?

Чего, чем, о чём: what in every case

Colour marks the case:

genitiveinstrumentalprepositionalWhat do the colours mean?

follows the same logic, case by case:

AsksExampleEnglish
afraid of what ?What are you afraid of?
busy with what ?What do you do?
about what ?What are you thinking about?

(to be afraid) takes the genitive, so the question is , and the answer is genitive too: , I'm afraid of dogs. ?, literally with what are you busy, is the everyday way to ask what someone does.

The verb after кто and что

Colour marks the verb ending:

masculineneuterWhat do the colours mean?

takes a masculine singular verb by default, whoever the answer turns out to be. takes a neuter singular one:

  • ? - Who said that? (even if a woman said it)
  • ? - Who lives here? (singular, even for a whole family)
  • ? - What happened?

is neuter because is: the -ло before -сь is the neuter past ending.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
? ?the object:
? ?the preposition goes first
? ?о takes the prepositional
? ? takes a neuter verb
? ? takes the dative

What to do next

  1. Learn the two columns of the chart, and , down all six cases.
  2. Ask a question with each: , , , .
  3. Do the drill below, and go back to Russian question words for the rest.

Practise: test yourself

Pick the right one

0/4

Which form of who fills the gap?

  1. это? (Who is that?)

  2. ты видишь? (Who do you see?)

  3. ты звонишь? (Who are you ringing?)

  4. С ты говоришь? (Who are you talking to?)

Sort into groups

0/4

Which case is the question word in?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Tap the mistake.

Complete the story

0/3

Choose the right form for each gap.

Who was there?

ты видел вчера? С ты говорил? И о вы говорили?

Gap 1 of 3

Matching

0/4

Match each question to its English.

Chapters 1 and 2 free

This article is one lesson in a whole course

Every grammar point has its own article and drill, and the course wraps them in graded stories, games and printable worksheets, in the order you need them.

Chapters 1 and 2 free, forever. Plus: 7 days free, then $5 a month for all eleven languages.

Start learning free

Russian · Free printables

Practice worksheets and infographics

Practice worksheets with answer keys built in, plus infographic and listicle formats. Open any one to view, print or save.

Free for members

The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.

Start your free week

More grammar on this course

Frequently asked questions

What are the cases of in Russian?
(nominative), (accusative and genitive), (dative), (instrumental) and (prepositional, always after a preposition: ). The г in is said as v: ka-VO.
What are the cases of in Russian?
(nominative and accusative), (genitive), (dative), (instrumental) and (prepositional: ). copies the nominative in the accusative because it is a thing, just as does.
Is it or ?
when the person you are asking about does the action: ?, who saw you? when the person is the object: ?, who did you see? Work out the case the answer would be in, and put the question word in the same case.
Where does the preposition go in a Russian question?
In front of the question word, always: ? (who are you talking to?), ? (what are you thinking about?). English can leave the preposition at the end; Russian cannot.
Why is it and not ?
takes a masculine singular verb by default, whoever the answer turns out to be: ?, who said that? takes a neuter singular verb: ?, what happened?