куды

Question Word Куды

Level 1Sounds Like kudy

Куды means where to: Куды ты ідзеш? (Where are you going?)

How It Works

Куды asks about the goal of a movement. It goes with verbs such as ісці (to go on foot), ехаць (to go by vehicle) and класці (to put).

Answering. Direction answers use:

  • у or на + accusative: у школу, на мора, на працу. See the accusative of direction.
  • да + genitive, often for people: да сябра. See да with the genitive.
  • direction words: дадому (home), сюды (here, to this place), туды (there, to that place)

Compare with дзе. The same place changes form depending on the question:

  • Дзе ты? — У школе. / Дома. (location)
  • Куды ты ідзеш? — У школу. / Дадому. (direction)

See дзе and where, where to and where from for the full comparison.

In speech the verb is often dropped: Куды ты? (Where are you off to?)

Examples (5)

  1. Куды ты ідзеш? — У школу.

    Where are you going? — To school.

    Word by Word: Where-to you go? — Into school.

    The answer uses у with the accusative школу.

  2. Куды яны едуць? — На мора.

    Where are they going? — To the sea.

    Word by Word: Where-to they ride? — Onto sea.

  3. Куды ты? — Дадому.

    Where are you off to? — Home.

    Дадому means toward home; дома would mean at home.

  4. Куды пакласці кнігу? — На стол.

    Where should I put the book? — On the table.

    Word by Word: Where-to to-put book? — Onto table.

  5. Куды вы едзеце летам?

    Where are you going in the summer?

    Word by Word: Where-to you ride in-summer?

Common Mistakes

  • Using куды for a location with no movement.

    Куды ты жывеш?
    Дзе ты жывеш?

    Жыць (to live) does not move toward anything, so the question is дзе.

  • Answering a куды question with the locative.

    Куды ты ідзеш? — У школе.
    Куды ты ідзеш? — У школу.

    У школе means at school. For direction, у takes the accusative: у школу.

  • Using дома when you mean going home.

    Я іду дома.
    Я іду дадому.

    Дома means at home. Going home is дадому.

How It Connects

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

кудыLevel 1Question Word Куды

Learn This First

Куды is learned against дзе.

Words in This Pattern

кудыдадому