kies / ties

Whose and That One's

Level 3

Kies is whose, and it stands before the thing owned.

How It Works

WordMeaningExample
kieswhoseKies libro estas tio?
tiesthat person'sAna parolas kun Ewa, kaj ties amiko ridas.

Kies works like de kiu, but it goes before the owned thing: Kies libro estas tio? means the same as La libro de kiu estas tio? It takes the place of la, so you write kies libro. The owned thing keeps its own ending: Kies amikon vi vizitas?

Ties is rare. Most writers use lia or ŝia. They choose ties when a possessive could point to the wrong person. In Ana parolas kun Ewa, kaj ties amiko ridas the friend is Ewa's. Ŝia amiko could mean either woman's friend, and it is usually read as Ana's, because Ana is the earlier subject.

Examples (4)

  1. Kies libro estas tio?

    Whose book is that?

    Kies stands before libro and replaces la.

  2. Kies amikon vi vizitas?

    Whose friend are you visiting?

    Kies has no ending; only amikon has -n.

  3. Kies filino estas tiu knabino?

    Whose daughter is that girl?

    Kies filino asks about the girl's parent.

  4. Ana parolas kun Ewa, kaj ties amiko ridas.

    Ana is talking with Ewa, and Ewa's friend is laughing.

    Ties points to Ewa; ŝia amiko could be either woman's friend, usually Ana's.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting la after kies.

    Kies la libro estas tio?
    Kies libro estas tio?

    Kies already shows who owns the book, so it takes the place of la.

How It Connects

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

kies / tiesLevel 3Whose and That One's

Learn This First

Kies and ties work like a possessive.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.