кого/когото/комуто
Object Forms Кого, Когото and Комуто
When a person is the object, кой becomes кого: Кого търсите? (Who are you looking for?) The relative който becomes когото: човекът, с когото говорих (the man I talked with).
How It Works
1. The question word: кого. Кой asks about the subject: Кой звъни? (Who is ringing?) When the person is the object, standard Bulgarian uses кого:
- Кого търсите? (Who are you looking for?)
- After a preposition: На кого да се обадя? (Who should I call?) С кого говориш? (Who are you talking to?) За кого е подаръкът? (Who is the present for?)
In casual speech many people say Кой търсиш? or С кой говориш?, but writing and careful speech use кого. In questions, кого works for any person, man or woman.
2. Кому. The old dative кому (to whom) survives in formal, literary and set expressions: Кому е нужно това? (Who needs this?) In everyday Bulgarian, say на кого.
3. The relative pronoun: когото. In a relative clause about a man, use когото when he is the object or comes after a preposition:
- Мъжът, когото видяхме, е нашият съсед. (The man we saw is our neighbour.)
- Човекът, с когото говорих, е лекар. (The man I talked with is a doctor.)
When he is the subject, use който: Мъжът, който ни поздрави, е нашият съсед. (The man who greeted us is our neighbour.)
4. Комуто. Комуто (to whom) sounds old-fashioned. The normal form is на когото: човекът, на когото дадох ключа (the man I gave the key to).
5. Only for a masculine singular person. Когото and комуто refer only to people, and in practice to a masculine singular person. For things, keep който in every role: филмът, за който говорим (the film we are talking about). For women and plurals, use която and които: жената, с която говорих, хората, които видяхме.
Similar object forms: някого (someone) and никого (no one): Чакаш ли някого? (Are you waiting for someone?)
Examples (6)
- Кого търсите?
Who are you looking for?
The person is the object, so кой becomes кого.
- На кого да се обадя?
Who should I call?
After a preposition, use кого.
- С кого ще ходиш на кино?
Who are you going to the cinema with?
- Това е човекът, с когото говорих вчера.
This is the man I talked to yesterday.
A relative clause about a man, after a preposition: когото.
- Мъжът, когото видяхме в парка, е нашият нов съсед.
The man we saw in the park is our new neighbour.
The man is the object of видяхме, so the form is когото.
- Кому е нужно това?
Who needs this?
Кому is formal or rhetorical; everyday speech says На кого е нужно това?
Common Mistakes
Using който for a man who is the object.
Човекът, който видяхме, е брат ми.Човекът, когото видяхме, е брат ми.The man is the object of видяхме, so standard Bulgarian requires когото.
Using когото for a thing.
Филмът, за когото говорим, е френски.Филмът, за който говорим, е френски.Когото is only for people. For things, който is used in every role.
Using кой after a preposition.
С кой говориш?С кого говориш?After a preposition, the standard form of the question word is кого. С кой is casual and not standard.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Object forms need кой and който.
Related Patterns
- кой/коя/кое/коиAsking Who and Which
The basic question word; кого is its object form.
Level 1 - на + RecipientIndirect Objects with На
На кого and на когото are the everyday replacements for кому and комуто.
Level 2 - мене/тебе/него/неяFull Object Pronouns
Personal pronouns also have separate object forms, such as него.
Level 2 - чийто/чиято/чието/чиитоRelative Whose
Another relative form for people: whose.
Level 4 - някой/нещо/някъдеSomeone, Something and Somewhere
Някой has the object form някого in the same way.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice кого/когото/комуто in Bubblegum
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