RussianGrammar Tips, Pronouns, Adjectives In Russian, we use the word который[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?
kaTOryi siCHAS chas
What is the time (right) now?
lit. Which hour is it now?
To introduce a relative clause:Русская грамматика, которая сводит всех с ума, трудная, но интересная!
ROOSkaya graMAtika, kaTOraya SVOdit fsyekh s ooMA, TROODnaya, no intiRYESnaya
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[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 casesNo definition set for casesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. (nominative, accusative, ...), depending on the role it plays in a sentence. Here is a chart illustrating all the different declined forms of который[kaToryi] in Russian:
Nominative | | | | |
|---|
Accusative inanimate | |
|---|
Accusative animate | | |
|---|
Genitive | |
|---|
Prepositional | |
|---|
Dative | | |
|---|
Instrumental | | |
|---|
How to use который in Russian questions?
In Russian, we use the word который[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:
What time is it?
lit. Which hour?
Который день он не приходит на работу?
kaTOryi dyen on ni priKHOdit na raBOtoo
Which day does he not come to work?
Которую из этих книг вы хотите прочитать?
kaTOrooyu iz Etikh kneek vy khaTEEtye prachiTAT
Which of these books do you want to read?
Посмотрите на фото. Которого из них вы видели на месте преступления?
pasmaTREEti na FOta. kaTOrava iz nikh vy VEEdili na MYEStye pristooPLYEniya
Look at the photo. Which (one) did you see at the crime scene?
С которой подругой ты пойдёшь в кино?
s kaTOray padROOgay ty payDYOSH f kiNO
With which girlfriend will you go to the cinema?
However, который[kaTOryi] is comparatively uncommon as a question word. You will more often use other words, like какой[kaKOY](what/what kind), кто[kto](who?), or что[shto](what), which are much broader in meaning.
How to use который in Russian relative clauses?
In Russian, we can also use the word который[kaTOryi] to begin a relative clauseNo definition set for relative clauseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. (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[kaTOryi].
relative clause
Альберт Эйнштейн, который сделал огромный вклад в развитие общей теории относительности, считается отцом современной физики.
alBYERT inshTEYN, kaTOryi ZDYElal agROMnyi fklat v razVEEtiye OPshchyei tiOrii atnaSEEtilnasti, SshchiTAitsa aTSOM savriMYEnay FEEziki
Albert Einstein, who made an enormous contribution to the development of the general theory of relativity, is considered to be the father of modern physics.
Notice that in the example above, the relative clause:
is introduced by the relative pronoun который[kaTOryi]
provides more information about the noun (Альберт Эйнштейн[alBYERT inshTEYN])
is surrounded by commas
In English, there are some cases where you can drop the relative pronoun from a relative clause, for example:
✅ I forgot the word that my teacher used.
✅ I forgot the word my teacher used.
But in Russian you can never delete the relative pronoun!
✅ Я забыл слово, которое использовал мой учитель.
ya zaBYL SLOva, kaTOraye isPOLzaval moy ooCHEEtil
I forgot the word that my teacher used.
❌ Я забыл слово, использовал мой учитель.
ya zaBYL SLOva, isPOLzaval moy ooCHEEtil
I forgot the word my teacher used.
In English, we use commas around some relative clauses but not others, to signal a slight difference in meaning:
No commas:The boys who played baseball got on the bus.
→ Only some boys got on the bus: the ones who played baseball.
Commas:The boys, who played baseball, got on the bus.
→ All the boys got on the bus and they all played baseball.
In Russian, you cannot show this difference because all relative clauses are surrounded by commas!
In this section we’ll talk about:
How to choose the right form of который[kaTOryi] in a relative clause
How to use который[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[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:
antecedent (feminine singular)relative pronoun
США - это страна, которая находится в Северной Америке.
Se-she-a - Eta straNA, kaTOraya naKHOditsa v SYEvirnay aMYErike
The USA is a country that is located in North America.
→ Которая is feminine singular, like страна, and it is nominative because it is the subject of находится.
США - это страна, которую хотят посетить туристы.
Se-she-a - Eta straNA, kaTOrooyu khaTYAT pasiTEET tooREESty
The USA is a country that tourists want to visit.
→ Которую is still feminine singular, like страна, but here it is it is accusative, because it is the object of посетить.
Though the gender and number of the relative pronoun will always match the gender and number of its antecedent, they will not always have the same case! The case of который[kaTOryi] depends on the role it plays in its own clauseNo definition set for clauseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum..
Let’s see if you can pick the right form for который[kaTOryi] in the following sentences:
Мой друг, _______ я послал письмо неделю назад, так и не ответил.
Moy drook, ____ ya pasLAL pisMO niDYElyu naZAT, tak i ni atVYEtil
My friend who(m) I sent a letter to a week ago still hasn’t responded.
Реформы, о ______ все говорят, необходимы стране.
riFORmy, a kaTOrykh fsye gavaRYAT, niapkhaDEEmy straNYE
The reforms that everyone is talking about are necessary for the country.
If you chose the answers:
которому[kaTOramoo] ← masculine, singular, dative
которых[kaTOrykh] ← plural, prepositional
…you nailed it!
How to use который with prepositions in Russian relative clauses?
In Russian, который[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:
preposition
✅ Мой друг, с которым я учился в университете,...
moy drook, s kaTOrym ya ooCHEELsya v oonivirsiTYEtye,…
My friend, with whom I studied at university,...
❌ Мой друг, которым я учился в университете с,...
moy drook, kaTOrym ya ooCHEELsya v oonivyersiTYEtye s, …
lit. My friend, who(m) I studied at university with,...
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:
preposition
Пулитцеровская премия, о которой много говорят, появилась в 1917 году.
POOlitsyrafskaya PRYEmiya, a kaTOray MNOga gavaRYAT, payaVEElas v 1917 gaDOO
The Pulitzer Prize, which is talked about a lot, appeared in 1917.
lit. The Pulitzer Prize, about which is talked a lot, appeared in 1917.
As always, remember to put который into the correct case, depending on the preposition it follows!
prepositional case
Реформы, о которых все говорят,...
riFORmy, a kaTOrykh fsye gavaRYAT, …
The reforms about which everyone is talking…
genitive case
Преговоры, без которых не будет мира,...
pirigaVOry, bis kaTOrykh ni BOOdit MEEra, …
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[kaTOryi] that can also introduce relative clauses in Russian, most notably:
какой[kaKOY](what/what kind)
However, these are used only in restricted contexts!
Relative clauses that begin with кто[kto](who) and что[shto](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, кому не всё равно, пришёл помочь сегодня. KAZHdyi, kaMOO ni fsyo ravNO, priSHOL paMOCH siVODnya Everyone who cares came to help today. |
| Все, у кого есть возможность, уезжают из этой страны. fsye, oo kaVO yest vazMOZHnast, ooyeZHAyut is straNY All who have the opportunity leave this country. |
Я дам тебе всё, что (ты) хочешь. ya dam tiBYE fsyo, shto ty KHOchish I’ll give you anything (that/what) you want. |
| Ты поверишь любому, кто тебе улыбнётся. ty paVYErish lyuBOmoo, kto tiBHYE oolybNYOtsa You’ll trust anyone who would smile at you. |
| Те, с кем я учился, сейчас живут в других городах. tye, s kyem ya ooCHEELsya, siCHAS zhyVOOT v drooGEEKH garaDAKH Those with whom I studied now live in different cities. |
Та девушка, что победила в конкурсе, работает со мной в одном офисе. ta DYEvooshka, shto pabiDEEla v KONkoorsye, raBOtait sa mnoy v adNOM Ofisye That girl who won the contest works with me in the same office. |
Relative clauses that begin with какой[kaKOY](what/what kind) and чей[chyey](whose) can only be used to describe phrases that begin with тот[tot](that). These types or relative clauses are rarer and are generally only used in literary contexts
| Я тебе сделаю такой подарок, какого тебе еще никто не делал! ya tiBYE ZDYElayu taKOY paDArak, kaKOva tiBYE iSHCHYO nikTO ni DYElal I'll give you such a gift that no one has ever given you before! |
Это та девушка, чьи стихи ты критиковал. Eta ta DYEvooshka, chyi stiKHEE ty kritikaVAL This is that girl whose poetry you criticized. |
In both of the cases above, который[kaTOryi] can still be used in the relative clause, and it is more common, particularly in everyday conversation. However, you cannot use кто[kto](who), что[shto](what), какой[kaKOY](what/what kind), or чей[chyey](whose), unless you’ve met the restrictions above.
❌ Ребята, с кем я учился, сейчас живут в других городах.
riBYAta, s kyem ya ooCHEELsya, siCHAS zhyVOOT v drooGEEKH garaDAKH
lit. The guys with whom I studied now live in different cities.
✅ Ребята, с которыми я учился, сейчас живут в других городах.
riBYAta, s kaTOrymi ya ooCHEELsya, siCHAS zhyVOOT v drooGEEKH garaDAKH
The guys with whom I studied now live in different cities.
→ It is always acceptable to use который[kaTOryi] instead!
How to decline other relative words
Like который[kaTOryi], кто[kto](who), что[shto](what), какой[kaKOY](what/what kind), and чей[chyey](whose) are all declined. Here’s how to do that:
The words кто[kto](who) and что[shto](what) are relative pronouns, like который[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:
| кто[kto](who) | что[shto](what) |
| | | |
| кого[kaVO] | чего[chiVO] |
| кому[kaMOO] | чему[chiMOO] |
| кем[kyem] | чем[chem] |
| ком[kom] | чём[chom] |
The words какой[kaKOY](what/what kind) and чей[chyey](whose) are relative adjectives, which means that they are used before another noun, as in чьи стихи[chyi stiKHEE](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.
Eta ta DYEvooshka, chyi stiKHEE ty kritikaVAL
This is that girl whose poetry you criticized.
та девушка → singular, feminine, nominative
стихи → plural, accusative
To learn their declensions, download the chart at the bottom of this page.
Summary
In this post, we saw that:
Который[kaTOryi](who/that) is used in Russian to ask questions and to form relative clauses.
The endings of the pronoun который[kaTOryi](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[kaKOY](what/what kind), кто[kto](who), что[shto](what), and чей[chey](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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