Case Forms of kas

Level 3

Kas means both who and what, and it changes for case: kas, ko, kam, ką, kuo, kame. Use the case the verb or preposition would need in the answer.

How It Works

1. The forms.

  • nominative: kas – Kas ten? (Who is there?)
  • genitive: ko – Ko ieškai? (What are you looking for?)
  • dative: kam – Kam skambini? (Who are you calling?)
  • accusative: ką – Ką matai? (What do you see? / Whom do you see?)
  • instrumental: kuo – Kuo domiesi? (What are you interested in?)
  • locative: kame – Kame laikai cukrų? (What do you keep sugar in?)

For place, kur (where) is far more common than kame. Use kame when asking what something is inside. For “What is the matter?”, say Koks reikalas?.

2. Who and what are the same word. Lithuanian does not split people and things: Ką matai? can mean what or whom you see.

3. Follow the verb. Each verb keeps its usual case in the question: laukti and ieškoti take the genitive (Ko lauki?), skambinti and padėti take the dative (Kam padedi?), and domėtis takes the instrumental (Kuo domiesi?).

4. Follow the preposition. su kuo (with whom), apie ką (about what), iš ko (from whom, out of what), be ko (without what), už ką (for what).

5. Useful phrases. Kuo dirbi? (What do you do for a living?), Kuo tu vardu? (What is your name?), Kas atsitiko? (What happened?). For whose, use kieno.

Examples (6)

  1. Ko ieškai?

    What are you looking for?

    Ieškoti takes the genitive, so the question is ko.

  2. Kam skambini?

    Who are you calling?

    Word by Word: To-whom you-call?

    Skambinti takes the dative, so the question is kam.

  3. Ką veiki savaitgalį?

    What are you doing at the weekend?

    Veikti takes an accusative object: ką.

  4. Kuo domiesi?

    What are you interested in?

    Domėtis takes the instrumental: kuo.

  5. Su kuo eisi į kiną?

    Who are you going to the cinema with?

    Su needs the instrumental: su kuo.

  6. Apie ką jūs kalbate?

    What are you talking about?

    Apie needs the accusative: apie ką.

Common Mistakes

  • Using ką with a verb that takes the genitive.

    Ką lauki?
    Ko lauki?

    Laukti takes the genitive in standard Lithuanian: Laukiu autobuso, so the question is Ko lauki?

  • Leaving kas in the nominative after a preposition.

    Su kas eini?
    Su kuo eini?

    A preposition decides the case. Su needs the instrumental, which is kuo.

  • Using the nominative for the person you call.

    Kas skambini?
    Kam skambini?

    Kas skambini? has no subject that fits. The person you call is dative, so ask Kam skambini?

How It Connects

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

Case Forms of kasLevel 3

Learn This First

Kas takes the case required by the answer's verb or preposition.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

kam