Breakdown of Какая длина у этого моста?
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
какой
which/what kind of (m, sister forms: какая, какое)
у
at, by
мост
bridge
длина
length
Questions & Answers about Какая длина у этого моста?
Why does the sentence use какая instead of что to mean 'What'?
When asking for a specific characteristic, measurement, or property of a noun (like length, height, or color), Russian uses the adjective-like question word какой rather than что. Since длина (length) is a feminine noun, it takes the feminine form какая.
Why does it say у этого моста instead of just using the Genitive этого моста for 'of this bridge'?
Both are actually correct! You can perfectly well say Какая длина этого моста? using just the Genitive case to mean 'of'. However, using у + Genitive is a very natural, slightly more conversational alternative in Russian. It literally frames the question as 'What length is at this bridge?'
Моста is in the Genitive case here. Does the stress change from the nominative мост?
Yes, the stress shifts to the ending. The nominative is мост (bridge), but the Genitive singular is pronounced моста́. This type of stress shift to the ending is common in short, one-syllable masculine nouns, similar to стол becoming стола́.
How would I answer this question with '1.5 kilometers' using the fraction grammar from this lesson?
You would answer Полтора километра. Because километр is a masculine noun, you use the masculine/neuter fraction полтора. The noun that follows it must be in the Genitive singular, which is why it becomes километра. If you were measuring with a feminine noun like миля (mile), you would use полторы мили instead.
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