Breakdown of Кто это? Это мужчина и женщина.
это
this / it is
и
and
кто
who / whoever
мужчина
man
женщина
woman
Questions & Answers about Кто это? Это мужчина и женщина.
Why do we use кто here instead of что?
Кто means 'who' and is used to ask about people and animals. Since we are asking about a man and a woman, we use кто. If we were asking about an inanimate object, we would use что (what).
Where is the word for 'is' or 'are' in this sentence?
In Russian, the present tense of the verb 'to be' (am, is, are) is almost always skipped. You just put the words next to each other. So, Кто это? literally translates to 'Who this?'.
If we are introducing two people (a man and a woman), why do we still use это? Shouldn't it be plural?
When это is used to introduce or point to something, it never changes form. It stays exactly the same whether you are pointing to one object, one person, or multiple people. It works for both 'this is' and 'these are'.
The word мужчина (man) ends in -а. Doesn't that usually make a word feminine?
Yes, most Russian nouns ending in -а are feminine. However, мужчина is a classic exception because of its natural meaning. Since it refers to a male person, it always behaves as a masculine noun.
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