kurš / kura

Which: Kurš and Kura

Level 2

Ask which one with kurš before a masculine noun and kura before a feminine noun: Kurš autobuss? (Which bus?) Kura māja? (Which house?)

How It Works

The forms. Only the masculine nominative singular ends in -š. Every other form uses the stem kur- with ordinary adjective endings. Here they are in the order nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, locative:

  • masculine singular: kurš, kura, kuram, kuru, kurā
  • feminine singular: kura, kuras, kurai, kuru, kurā
  • masculine plural: kuri, kuru, kuriem, kurus, kuros
  • feminine plural: kuras, kuru, kurām, kuras, kurās

Agreement. Pick the form that the noun needs in the sentence:

  • subject: Kurš autobuss iet uz centru? (Which bus goes to the centre?)
  • object: Kuru grāmatu tu lasi? (Which book are you reading?)
  • place: Kurā stāvā tu dzīvo? (Which floor do you live on?)
  • after ar: Ar kuru autobusu tu brauc? (Which bus are you taking?)

This works just like adjectives in every case.

Standing alone. Without a noun, kurš and kura still agree with the thing you mean: Te ir divas somas. Kura ir tava? (Here are two bags. Which one is yours?) With people, kurš no jums means which of you: Kurš no jums runā latviski? (Which of you speaks Latvian?)

Kurš, kas or kāds? Kas asks who or what in general, and it does not go directly before a noun: say kurš vilciens (which train), not kas vilciens. Kurš chooses from a known set. Kāds asks what something is like: Kura ir tava māja? (Which one is your house?) but Kāda ir tava māja? (What is your house like?)

Later. The same word also joins clauses, like English which or who: māja, kurā es dzīvoju (the house which I live in). See relative kurš and kura.

Examples (6)

  1. Kurš autobuss iet uz centru?

    Which bus goes to the centre?

    Word by Word: Which bus goes to centre?

  2. Kura ir tava māja?

    Which one is your house?

    Word by Word: Which is your house?

    Māja is feminine, so the question word is kura.

  3. Kurā stāvā tu dzīvo?

    Which floor do you live on?

    Word by Word: In-which floor you live?

    Stāvā is in the locative, so kurš becomes kurā to match it.

  4. Ar kuru autobusu tu brauc?

    Which bus are you taking?

    Word by Word: With which bus you go?

    In the singular, ar takes the accusative form: kuru autobusu.

  5. Te ir divas somas. Kura ir tava?

    Here are two bags. Which one is yours?

    Word by Word: Here are two bags. Which is yours?

    Kura stands alone and agrees with soma, the feminine noun it stands for.

  6. Kurš no jums runā latviski?

    Which of you speaks Latvian?

    Word by Word: Which from you speaks Latvian?

Common Mistakes

  • Using kas before a noun.

    Kas autobuss iet uz centru?
    Kurš autobuss iet uz centru?

    Kas does not go directly before a noun. To ask which one, use kurš or kura and match the noun.

  • Using the masculine kurš with a feminine noun.

    Kurš māja ir tava?
    Kura māja ir tava?

    Māja is feminine, so the question word must be feminine too: kura.

  • Leaving kurš in the nominative.

    Kurš stāvā tu dzīvo?
    Kurā stāvā tu dzīvo?

    Stāvā is in the locative, so the question word takes the locative too: kurā.

How It Connects

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

kurš / kuraLevel 2Which: Kurš and Kura

Learn This First

Kurš asks which.

Words in This Pattern

kurškurakurikuraskurākuru