Questions with kas

Yes-No Questions with Kas

Level 1

Sa räägid eesti keelt. → Kas sa räägid eesti keelt?

How It Works

Forming the question. Put kas in front and change nothing else: See on sinu auto. → Kas see on sinu auto? No helper verb like English do is needed.

Negative questions. Kas sa ei tule? (Aren't you coming?) To contradict one, answer with küll: Tulen küll! See Yes to a Negative (küll). A negative question can also start with ega; see Hesitant Questions (ega).

In speech.

kas and other question words. kas never joins a question word: ask Kus sa elad?, not kas kus. In a reported question, kas means whether or if: Ma ei tea, kas ta tuleb. See Reported Questions. To offer a choice, use kas with või: Kas kohvi või teed? See Either ... Or and Whether.

Examples (6)

  1. Kas sa räägid eesti keelt?

    Do you speak Estonian?

  2. Kas see on sinu auto?

    Is this your car?

  3. Kas teil on vaba tuba?

    Do you have a free room?

    A polite question to a hotel receptionist.

  4. Kas sa ei tule?

    Aren't you coming?

  5. Tuled sa homme?

    Are you coming tomorrow?

    Spoken style: no kas, and the verb comes first.

  6. Kas kohvi või teed?

    Coffee or tea?

Common Mistakes

  • Adding kas to a question with a question word.

    Kas kus sa elad?
    Kus sa elad?

    kas is only for yes-no questions. A question word such as kus already makes the question.

  • Using kui for English if in a reported question.

    Ma ei tea, kui ta tuleb.
    Ma ei tea, kas ta tuleb.

    When if means whether, Estonian uses kas. kui means when, or if in a condition.

How It Connects

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

Questions with kasLevel 1Yes-No Questions with Kas

Learn This First

Yes-no questions use ordinary present-tense verbs.

Words in This Pattern

kasvõivä