Breakdown of Чья это синяя ручка?
это
this / it is
чей
whose (m, sister forms: чья, чьё)
синий
dark blue
ручка
pen
Questions & Answers about Чья это синяя ручка?
Why does the sentence start with чья instead of the dictionary form чей?
In Russian, the word for "whose" changes to match the gender of the noun it asks about. Because ручка (pen) is a feminine noun, we must use the feminine form чья instead of the masculine чей.
Why do we use это here instead of эта, since ручка is feminine?
When asking "Whose [noun] is this?", the word это acts as a fixed pointing word meaning "this is". It stays neutral and doesn't change gender to match the noun. You would only use the feminine эта if the words were grouped as a single descriptive phrase, like эта ручка (this pen).
Why does the color word синяя end in -яя rather than the standard -ая?
Can I use синяя for any shade of blue?
No, Russian divides blue into two completely separate colors. Синяя specifically means dark or deep blue. If the pen were light or sky blue, you would use the word голубая.