Questions & Answers about Что здесь? Телефон и сумка.
Why do we use Что here instead of Кто?
Что means "what" and is used to ask about inanimate objects or concepts, like a phone (телефон) or a bag (сумка). If we were asking about people or animals ("Who is here?"), we would use Кто instead.
Why does Что start with the letter Ч (ch) but sound like an "sh"?
This is one of the most famous pronunciation exceptions in Russian! Even though it is spelled что ("chto"), it is always pronounced што ("shto").
Where is the verb "is" in Что здесь?
In the present tense, Russian completely drops the verb "to be" (am, is, are). So instead of saying "What is here?", you simply say Что здесь? (literally: "What here?").
There are no words for "a" or "the" before телефон and сумка. How do we know which one to use in English?
Russian doesn't have articles like "a", "an", or "the". The word телефон can mean "a phone" or "the phone" depending entirely on the context. Here, we translate it as "A phone and a bag" because we are just identifying objects for the first time.
Learn Что здесь? Телефон и сумка and more in Russian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free