Breakdown of Какая ширина у этой комнаты?
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
комната
room
какой
which/what kind of (m, sister forms: какая, какое)
у
at, by
ширина
width
Questions & Answers about Какая ширина у этой комнаты?
Why do we use какая here instead of что for 'what'?
In Russian, что is used when asking for a definition or identifying an object. When asking for a specific characteristic, measurement, or quality (like width, color, or size), you use какой (which/what kind of). Since ширина (width) is feminine, it becomes какая.
Could I just say Какая ширина этой комнаты without the preposition у?
Yes, you can! Какая ширина этой комнаты? uses the genitive case directly to mean 'of this room' and is perfectly correct, often sounding a bit more formal. Using у этой комнаты (literally 'what width is at this room') is just a very common, natural alternative in everyday speech.
How would I answer this question using the fraction полтора (1.5 meters)?
To say '1.5 meters', you would say полтора метра. Since метр is masculine, you use полтора (not the feminine полторы) followed by the genitive singular. The full answer would be: Ширина этой комнаты — полтора метра.
How does the word ширина (width) relate to the adjective for 'wide'?
Ширина is the noun form of the adjective широкий (wide). You will see this pattern with other dimensions too: длинный (long) becomes длина (length), высокий (high/tall) becomes высота (height), and глубокий (deep) becomes глубина (depth).
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