што за

Што за is a way to ask what kind of. It is close to які, but it sounds more conversational and often shows curiosity, surprise or impatience.

Questions. The usual pattern is што + another word + за + noun: Што гэта за кніга? (What kind of book is this?) Што ў цябе за праблема? (What kind of problem do you have?) Што гэта за шум? (What is that noise?)

Exclamations. Што за can also express strong feeling: Што за дзень! (What a day!) Што за надвор'е! (What weather!)

The noun's case. In these questions and exclamations, the noun is the subject, so it stays in the nominative: кніга, праблема, людзі. Do not treat за as the preposition that takes the accusative or instrumental. When the noun is the object of another verb, it takes that verb's case: Што за кнігу ты чытаеш? (What kind of book are you reading?)

Што за versus які. Што гэта за кніга? and Якая гэта кніга? are close. Што за sounds more like what sort of thing is this?, while які often asks which one. Што за never combines with які in the same question.

Compare the basic question што and the identifying phrase гэта + noun.