Чей это телефон?

Whose phone is this?

Breakdown of Чей это телефон?

• это: this
• телефон: the phone
• чей: whose

Questions & Answers about Чей это телефон?

Why is Чей used instead of Кто?

Чей is the Russian interrogative adjective that asks about ownership, meaning whose. Кто means who and is used to identify a person, not to ask about possession.

What is the function of это in this sentence?

Это is a demonstrative pronoun meaning this. In Чей это телефон?, it points to the specific object (the phone) whose owner you want to identify.

Why is телефон in the nominative case here?

The question is structured like an implied statement “this phone is whose,” so телефон serves as the grammatical subject and stays in the nominative case. Consequently, чей also appears in the nominative masculine singular to agree with телефон.

Why don’t we use a verb like есть or является?

In the present tense, Russian usually omits the verb “to be” (for example, есть or является) in simple identification or possession sentences. So you simply ask Чей это телефон? without including an explicit verb.

Can we say Это чей телефон? instead?

Yes. Это чей телефон? is equally correct. Placing это first often makes the question sound more neutral or introduces the topic (“this”), while Чей это телефон? puts emphasis on чей (“whose”).

How does Чей change with gender and number?

As an interrogative adjective, Чей agrees with the noun’s gender and number: • Masculine: чей (e.g., Чей телефон?)
• Feminine: чья (e.g., Чья книга?)
• Neuter: чьё (e.g., Чьё окно?)
• Plural: чьи (e.g., Чьи ключи?)

How would you answer this question?

You can reply with a possessive pronoun plus the noun, or just the pronoun if context is clear. Examples: • Это мой телефон.
• Мой.

What’s the difference between Чей это телефон? and У кого телефон??

Both ask about possession but with a nuance: • Чей это телефон? (Whose phone is this?) directly identifies the owner.
• У кого телефон? (Who has the phone?) focuses on who currently holds or has the item, not necessarily the legal owner.

Is Чей это телефон? formal or informal?

It’s a neutral construction suitable for both formal and informal contexts and is widely used in everyday speech and writing.