In Russian, we use the word который transcribed kaTOryi to mean “who,” “whom,” “what,” “which,” or “that.” We can use this word to form questions, but it is mostly used to introduce relative clauses (clauses that are used to describe a noun, like an adjective). For example:
- As a question word:Который сейчас час?Transcription: kaTOryi siCHAS chasTranslation: What is the time (right) now?Literally: Which hour is it now?
- To introduce a relative clause:Русская грамматика, которая сводит всех с ума, трудная, но интересная!Transcription: ROOSkaya graMAtika, kaTOraya SVOdit fsyekh s ooMA, TROODnaya, no intiRYESnayaTranslation: Russian grammar, which drives everyone crazy, is difficult but interesting!
In this post, we’ll teach you how to use the word который in Russian. We’ll start with a quick review of how to use this word to ask questions, then we’ll focus on how to use it to create relative clauses, and then we will look at other pronouns that are used in Russian sentences to introduce relative clauses. Ready to get started? Let’s go!
What are the forms of который in Russian?
Like other Russian pronouns, который transcribed kaTOryi can be “declined” into different forms, depending on the gender (masculine, feminine, neuter) and number (singular, plural) of the noun it replaces and can have different cases (nominative, accusative, ...), depending on the role it plays in a sentence. Here is a chart illustrating all the different declined forms of который transcribed kaToryi in Russian:
| Masculine | Neuter | Feminine | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | который transcribed kaTOryi | которое transcribed kaTOraye | которая transcribed kaTOraya | которые transcribed kaTOryie |
| Accusative inanimate | которую transcribed kaTOrooyu | |||
| Accusative animate | которого transcribed kaTOrava | которых Transcription: kaTOrykh | ||
| Genitive | которой transcribed kaTOray | |||
| Prepositional | котором transcribed kaTOram | |||
| Dative | которому transcribed kaTOramoo | которым transcribed kaTOrym | ||
| Instrumental | которым transcribed kaTOrym | которыми transcribed kaTOrymi | ||
How to use который in Russian questions?
In Russian, we use the word который transcribed kaTOryi in questions to ask about people or things, in a similar way to how we use the word "which" in English. It can only be used when we are selecting something from a set of similar things (e.g. "which one?"), often similar things in a particular order. For example:
- Котроый час?Transcription: kaTOryi chasTranslation: What time is it?Literally: Which hour?
- Который день он не приходит на работу?Transcription: kaTOryi dyen on ni priKHOdit na raBOtooTranslation: Which day does he not come to work?
- Которую из этих книг вы хотите прочитать?Transcription: kaTOrooyu iz Etikh kneek vy khaTEEtye prachiTATTranslation: Which of these books do you want to read?
- Посмотрите на фото. Которого из них вы видели на месте преступления?Transcription: pasmaTREEti na FOta. kaTOrava iz nikh vy VEEdili na MYEStye pristooPLYEniyaTranslation: Look at the photo. Which (one) did you see at the crime scene?
- С которой подругой ты пойдёшь в кино?Transcription: s kaTOray padROOgay ty payDYOSH f kiNOTranslation: With which girlfriend will you go to the cinema?
However, который transcribed kaTOryi is comparatively uncommon as a question word. You will more often use other words, like какой transcribed kaKOYmeaning what/what kind, кто transcribed ktomeaning who?, or что transcribed shtomeaning what, which are much broader in meaning.
How to use который in Russian relative clauses?
In Russian, we can also use the word который transcribed kaTOryi to begin a relative clause (or “adjective clause”). This is the most common use of this word.
A relative clause is a clause that describes a noun. In Russian, a relative clause always comes after the noun (or noun phrase) it describes, it is always surrounded by commas, and it is always introduced by a relative pronoun который transcribed kaTOryi.
Notice that in the example above, the relative clause:
is introduced by the relative pronoun который transcribed kaTOryi
provides more information about the noun (Альберт Эйнштейн transcribed alBYERT inshTEYN)
is surrounded by commas
In this section we’ll talk about:
How to choose the right form of который transcribed kaTOryi in a relative clause
How to use который transcribed kaTOryi with prepositions
Other relative pronouns in Russian and when to use them
Let’s get going!
How to choose the right form for который in a Russian relative clause?
Like other Russian pronouns, the gender and number of который transcribed kaTOryi will match the gender and number of the noun it refers back to, but its case will depend on the role it plays in its own clause. Let’s look at two examples:
Let’s see if you can pick the right form for который transcribed kaTOryi in the following sentences:
- Мой друг, _______ я послал письмо неделю назад, так и не ответил.Transcription: Moy drook, ____ ya pasLAL pisMO niDYElyu naZAT, tak i ni atVYEtilTranslation: My friend who(m) I sent a letter to a week ago still hasn’t responded.
- Реформы, о ______ все говорят, необходимы стране.Transcription: riFORmy, a kaTOrykh fsye gavaRYAT, niapkhaDEEmy straNYETranslation: The reforms that everyone is talking about are necessary for the country.
If you chose the answers:
которому transcribed kaTOramoo ← masculine, singular, dative
которых transcribed kaTOrykh ← plural, prepositional
…you nailed it!
How to use который with prepositions in Russian relative clauses?
In Russian, который transcribed kaTOryi must always come immediately after any preposition that modifies it. For example, where in English we have two options:
- ✅ my friend, with whom I studied at university,...
- ✅ my friend, who I studied at university with,...
In Russian, you only have one option:
Usually, this is not too difficult to do, but there are some cases where remembering to keep the preposition and the relative pronoun together can be tricky, because the phrasing is very different from what you would usually use in English. For example:
As always, remember to put который into the correct case, depending on the preposition it follows!
- prepositional caseРеформы, о которых все говорят,...Transcription: riFORmy, a kaTOrykh fsye gavaRYAT, …Translation: The reforms about which everyone is talking…
- genitive caseПреговоры, без которых не будет мира,...Transcription: pirigaVOry, bis kaTOrykh ni BOOdit MEEra, …Translation: The negotiations without which there will be no peace…
Are there other words that can introduce a relative clause in Russian?
There are a few other words besides который transcribed kaTOryi that can also introduce relative clauses in Russian, most notably:
кто transcribed ktomeaning who
что transcribed shtomeaning what
какой transcribed kaKOYmeaning what/what kind
чей transcribed chyeymeaning whose
However, these are used only in restricted contexts!
Relative clauses that begin with кто transcribed ktomeaning who and что transcribed shtomeaning what can to describe a phrase that includes one of the words listed below, either used as a pronoun (e.g. I saw that) or an adjective (e.g. I saw that girl):
каждый transcribed KAZHdyimeaning every
весь transcribed vyesmeaning all/entire
любой transcribed lyuBOYmeaning every/any
тот transcribed totmeaning that
Describes a phrase with… Examples of relative clauses with кто transcribed ktomeaning who and что transcribed shtomeaning what каждыйTranscription: KAZHdyiTranslation: everyКаждый, кому не всё равно, пришёл помочь сегодня.Transcription: KAZHdyi, kaMOO ni fsyo ravNO, priSHOL paMOCH siVODnyaTranslation: Everyone who cares came to help today.весьTranscription: vyesTranslation: all/entireВсе, у кого есть возможность, уезжают из этой страны.Transcription: fsye, oo kaVO yest vazMOZHnast, ooyeZHAyut is straNYTranslation: All who have the opportunity leave this country.Я дам тебе всё, что (ты) хочешь.Transcription: ya dam tiBYE fsyo, shto ty KHOchishTranslation: I’ll give you anything (that/what) you want.любойTranscription: lyuBOYTranslation: every/anyТы поверишь любому, кто тебе улыбнётся.Transcription: ty paVYErish lyuBOmoo, kto tiBHYE oolybNYOtsaTranslation: You’ll trust anyone who would smile at you.тотTranscription: totTranslation: thatТе, с кем я учился, сейчас живут в других городах.Transcription: tye, s kyem ya ooCHEELsya, siCHAS zhyVOOT v drooGEEKH garaDAKHTranslation: Those with whom I studied now live in different cities.Та девушка, что победила в конкурсе, работает со мной в одном офисе.Transcription: ta DYEvooshka, shto pabiDEEla v KONkoorsye, raBOtait sa mnoy v adNOM OfisyeTranslation: That girl who won the contest works with me in the same office.Relative clauses that begin with какой transcribed kaKOYmeaning what/what kind and чей transcribed chyeymeaning whose can only be used to describe phrases that begin with тот transcribed totmeaning that. These types or relative clauses are rarer and are generally only used in literary contexts
Antecedent contains… Examples of relative clauses with какой transcribed kaKOYmeaning what/what kind and чей transcribed chyeymeaning whose тотTranscription: totTranslation: thatтокойTranscription: taKOYTranslation: suchЯ тебе сделаю такой подарок, какого тебе еще никто не делал!Transcription: ya tiBYE ZDYElayu taKOY paDArak, kaKOva tiBYE iSHCHYO nikTO ni DYElalTranslation: I'll give you such a gift that no one has ever given you before!Это та девушка, чьи стихи ты критиковал.Transcription: Eta ta DYEvooshka, chyi stiKHEE ty kritikaVALTranslation: This is that girl whose poetry you criticized.
In both of the cases above, который transcribed kaTOryi can still be used in the relative clause, and it is more common, particularly in everyday conversation. However, you cannot use кто transcribed ktomeaning who, что transcribed shtomeaning what, какой transcribed kaKOYmeaning what/what kind, or чей transcribed chyeymeaning whose, unless you’ve met the restrictions above.
- ❌ Ребята, с кем я учился, сейчас живут в других городах.Transcription: riBYAta, s kyem ya ooCHEELsya, siCHAS zhyVOOT v drooGEEKH garaDAKHTranslation:Literally: The guys with whom I studied now live in different cities.
- ✅ Ребята, с которыми я учился, сейчас живут в других городах.Transcription: riBYAta, s kaTOrymi ya ooCHEELsya, siCHAS zhyVOOT v drooGEEKH garaDAKHTranslation: The guys with whom I studied now live in different cities.It is always acceptable to use который transcribed kaTOryi instead!
How to decline other relative words
Like который transcribed kaTOryi, кто transcribed ktomeaning who, что transcribed shtomeaning what, какой transcribed kaKOYmeaning what/what kind, and чей transcribed chyeymeaning whose are all declined. Here’s how to do that:
The words кто transcribed ktomeaning who and что transcribed shtomeaning what are relative pronouns, like который transcribed kaTOryi. However, unlike который, they only decline for case. This means that they do not need to change their form to reflect the gender/number of the noun they refer back to. Here is how to decline кто and что:
nominative
кто transcribed ktomeaning whoчто transcribed shtomeaning whataccusative
inanimate
animate
–
кого transcribed kaVOчто transcribed shto–
genitive
кого transcribed kaVOчего transcribed chiVOdative
кому transcribed kaMOOчему transcribed chiMOOinstrumental
кем transcribed kyemчем transcribed chemprepositional
ком transcribed komчём transcribed chomThe words какой transcribed kaKOYmeaning what/what kind and чей transcribed chyeymeaning whose are relative adjectives, which means that they are used before another noun, as in чьи стихи transcribed chyi stiKHEEmeaning whose poetry.
Like other adjectives, relative adjectives take their case, number, and gender from the noun that they describe, which is the noun that follows them:
Это та девушка, чьи стихи ты критиковал.Transcription: Eta ta DYEvooshka, chyi stiKHEE ty kritikaVALTranslation: This is that girl whose poetry you criticized.та девушка → singular, feminine, nominative
стихи → plural, accusative
чьи → plural, accusative
To learn their declensions, download the chart at the bottom of this page.
Summary
In this post, we saw that:
Который transcribed kaTOryimeaning who/that is used in Russian to ask questions and to form relative clauses.
The endings of the pronoun который transcribed kaTOryimeaning who/that change depending on the gender and number of the noun it replaces, and on the role it plays in its own clause.
We always separate out relative clauses with commas in Russian, never drop the relative pronoun, and never “leave behind” the preposition at the end of a relative clause.
Какой transcribed kaKOYmeaning what/what kind, кто transcribed ktomeaning who, что transcribed shtomeaning what, and чей transcribed cheymeaning whose can also introduce relative clauses, but they only are used to refer back to certain kinds of nouns.
Ready for practice? Check out our Russian relative clause activities!
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