Asking "What?"
To ask about inanimate objects—like things or concepts—use the question word что (what).
| What is this? This is a car. | Что это? Это машина. |
| And what is there? There is a tree and a car. | А что там? Там дерево и машина. |
Asking "Who?"
To ask about living beings, use кто (who). In Russian, this applies not just to people, but also to animals!
| Who is this? This is a person. | Кто это? Это человек. |
| Who is there? Is it a bird? | Кто там? Это птица? |
You can also use кто to ask about someone's identity or profession.
| Who is he? Is he a student? | Кто он? Он студент? |
| Who is she? She is a doctor. | Кто она? Она врач. |
Putting It Together
You can combine кто and что with words like это (this), здесь (here), and там (there) to ask about your surroundings. Notice how the same question word applies even if the answer includes multiple people or objects.
| What is here? A phone and a bag. | Что здесь? Телефон и сумка. |
| Who is this? This is a man and a woman. | Кто это? Это мужчина и женщина. |
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