kas par

What Kind of: Kas Par

Level 3

Ask Kas tas par ...? with the noun in the accusative: Kas tas par cilvēku? (What kind of person is that?). Say it with feeling and it becomes an exclamation: Kas par skaistu dienu! (What a beautiful day!).

How It Works

1. Asking what kind. Put kas first, then tas, tā, tie or tās, then par and the noun:

  • Kas tas par cilvēku? (What kind of person is that?) — cilvēks → cilvēku
  • Kas tā par grāmatu? (What kind of book is that?) — grāmata → grāmatu
  • Kas tas par troksni? (What is that noise?) — troksnis → troksni

You can add ir without changing the meaning: Kas tas ir par cilvēku? A person can also stand in the middle: Kas tev ir par suni? (What kind of dog do you have?).

2. The case after par. Par works as it does elsewhere (see par with the accusative). A singular noun takes the accusative. A plural noun takes the dative, as after almost every preposition (see plural nouns after prepositions): Kas tās par grāmatām? (What kind of books are those?).

3. Exclamations. Without a pointing word, kas par marks something striking: Kas par skaistu dienu! (What a beautiful day!), Kas par pārsteigumu! (What a surprise!). Said with a frown, it can also show that you disapprove: Kas tas par darbu! (What kind of work is that!).

4. The same idea with kāds. Kāds asks the same question, but its noun stays in the nominative: Kāds cilvēks tas ir? (What kind of person is he?). For exclamations, Kāda skaista diena! is just as common (see exclamations).

Examples (6)

  1. Kas tas par cilvēku?

    What kind of person is that?

    Word by Word: What that about person?

    Cilvēks is masculine, so the pointing word is tas, and par takes the accusative cilvēku.

  2. Kas tā par grāmatu?

    What kind of book is that?

    Grāmata is feminine, so the pointing word is tā. Grāmata → grāmatu after par.

  3. Kas tas par troksni?

    What is that noise?

    Troksnis → troksni. A natural question when you hear something strange.

  4. Kas tev ir par suni?

    What kind of dog do you have?

    The frame can hold other words: kas + tev ir + par + accusative.

  5. Kas tie par cilvēkiem?

    What kind of people are those?

    In the plural, par takes the dative: cilvēki → cilvēkiem.

  6. Kas par skaistu dienu!

    What a beautiful day!

    Without tas, the phrase becomes an exclamation. The adjective and noun are both accusative.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving the noun in the nominative after par.

    Kas tas par cilvēks?
    Kas tas par cilvēku?

    Par needs the accusative in the singular: cilvēks → cilvēku. Only kāds keeps the nominative: Kāds cilvēks tas ir?

  • Using the accusative plural after par.

    Kas tie par cilvēkus?
    Kas tie par cilvēkiem?

    With a plural noun, par takes the dative: cilvēki → cilvēkiem.

How It Connects

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kas parLevel 3What Kind of: Kas Par

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Kas par asks what kind of.

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