kim (sual əvəzliyi)

Who Question Word

Level 2

Kim is the standard Azerbaijani word for 'who'. It is used exclusively for humans and must take case suffixes to function as different parts of a sentence (e.g., 'whose', 'to whom').

How It Works

The pronoun kim functions like a noun and declines through the Azerbaijani case system:

  • Nominative: Kim (Who?) - Used for the subject.
  • Genitive: Kimin (Whose?) - Used to show possession.
  • Dative: Kimə (To/for whom?) - Indicates direction or indirect object.
  • Accusative: Kimi (Whom?) - Used for a specific direct object.
  • Locative: Kimdə (In/with whom?) - Indicates current possession.
  • Ablative: Kimdən (From whom?) - Indicates the source.

To form basic "Who is...?" questions, you usually attach the assertive nominal ending to the pronoun, as in O kimdir? (Who is he/she?). In Azerbaijani, animals are referred to using nə (what), not kim. To ask about a group of people specifically, you can use the plural form kimlər, though the singular kim is often sufficient for general questions.

Examples (6)

  1. Kim gəlir?

    Who is coming?

    Word by Word: Who coming-is?

    Here 'kim' is in the nominative case acting as the subject.

  2. Bu kimin kitabıdır?

    Whose book is this?

    Word by Word: This who-of book-his-is?

    Using the genitive case (kimin) to ask about ownership.

  3. Sən kimi axtarırsan?

    Whom are you looking for?

    Word by Word: You whom looking-for-are?

    The definite accusative case (kimi) is used for the direct object of the search.

  4. Sən kimə zəng edirsən?

    Who are you calling?

    Word by Word: You who-to bell doing-are?

    The dative case (kimə) is used because the verb 'zəng etmək' requires the dative.

  5. Məktub kimdəndir?

    Who is the letter from?

    Word by Word: Letter who-from-is?

    The ablative case (kimdən) indicates the source of the letter.

  6. Açar kimdədir?

    Who has the key?

    Word by Word: Key who-in-is?

    The locative case (kimdə) is used to ask who currently possesses a physical object.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'kim' for pets or animals.

    Bu pişik kimdir?
    Bu pişik nədir?

    In Azerbaijani, 'kim' is strictly for humans. Animals, even beloved pets, are referred to with 'nə' (what).

  • Forgetting to add the accusative suffix when 'who' is the direct object.

    Sən dünən kim gördün?
    Sən dünən kimi gördün?

    If 'who' is the specific object of the verb, it must take the definite accusative suffix (-i).

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

kim (sual əvəzliyi)Level 2Who Question Word

Learn This First

To use 'kim' (who) effectively, a learner needs to understand the basic nominative case for subjects and how to apply case suffixes like the definite accusative to ask about objects. Basic vowel harmony is essential for correctly forming these inflected versions of the question word.

Words in This Pattern

kim