ko / kam / kā

Case Forms of Kas

Level 2

Use the form of kas that the answer would need: Ko tu dari? (What are you doing?) Kam tu zvani? (Who are you calling?) Kā soma tā ir? (Whose bag is that?)

How It Works

The forms.

  • kas (nominative): who or what does it? Kas tur ir? (Who is there?)
  • kā (genitive): whose, or of what? Kā soma tā ir? (Whose bag is that?)
  • kam (dative): to whom or for whom? Kam tu raksti? (Who are you writing to?)
  • ko (accusative): whom or what? Ko tu redzi? (What do you see?) After ar it is also ko: Ar ko tu runā? (Who are you talking to?)

There is no locative. To ask where, use kur: Kur ir atslēgas? (Where are the keys?)

One set for everything. These forms are the same for people and things, for one or many, and for men and women. Ko tu redzi? can mean What do you see? or Who do you see?

Ask the way you would answer. Use the case that the answer takes:

  • Es redzu Annu (accusative) → Ko tu redzi?
  • Es zvanu Annai (dative) → Kam tu zvani?
  • Tā ir Annas soma (genitive) → Kā soma tā ir?

Verbs like palīdzēt and zvanīt take the dative, so their question word is kam. With patīk, kam asks who likes something: Kam patīk kafija? (Who likes coffee?)

After prepositions. Kas takes the case the preposition needs in the singular, even when the answer is plural: par ko (about what), uz ko (at what, to what), no kā (from what, of what), bez kā (without what), pie kā (at whose place). The polite reply Nav par ko (You're welcome) uses the same par ko.

Two words spelled kā. The genitive kā (whose, of what) looks the same as kā (how). The sentence tells them apart: Kā soma tā ir? (Whose bag is that?) but Kā tev iet? (How are you?) To ask whose, people also say Kam pieder šī soma? (Who does this bag belong to?)

Examples (6)

  1. Ko tu dari?

    What are you doing?

    Word by Word: What you do?

    Ko is the object form of kas.

  2. Kam tu raksti?

    Who are you writing to?

    Word by Word: To-whom you write?

  3. Kā soma tā ir? — Tā ir Annas soma.

    Whose bag is that? — It is Anna's bag.

    Word by Word: Whose bag that is? — That is Anna's bag.

    Kā is the genitive of kas here, so it asks whose. The answer uses the genitive too: Annas.

  4. Ar ko tu brauc uz Rīgu? — Ar draugu.

    Who are you going to Riga with? — With a friend.

    Word by Word: With whom you go to Riga? — With friend.

    After ar, kas becomes ko. The same question can also ask how you travel: Ar vilcienu. (By train.)

  5. Par ko jūs runājat?

    What are you talking about?

    Word by Word: About what you talk?

  6. Kam patīk kafija?

    Who likes coffee?

    Word by Word: To-whom pleases coffee?

    Patīk takes the dative, so who is kam.

Common Mistakes

  • Using kas for the object.

    Kas tu redzi?
    Ko tu redzi?

    Kas is for the subject. The thing or person you see is the object, so ask with ko.

  • Using ko with a verb that takes the dative.

    Ko tu zvani?
    Kam tu zvani?

    Zvanīt takes the dative: Es zvanu mammai. So the question is kam.

  • Keeping kas after a preposition.

    Ar kas tu runā?
    Ar ko tu runā?

    After a preposition, kas changes to the case the preposition needs. After ar, it is ko.

How It Connects

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ko / kam / kāLevel 2Case Forms of Kas

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Kas has case forms.

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kamkā