kieno
Whose with Kieno
Kieno? means Whose? It stays kieno for every noun: Kieno tai knyga?
How It Works
One form for everything. Kieno does not agree with the noun:
- Kieno tai knyga? Whose book is this?
- Kieno šitas telefonas? Whose phone is this?
- Kieno čia raktai? Whose keys are these?
Where it comes from. Kieno is the genitive of kas used for owners. That is why it never changes.
Answering with a pronoun. Use the possessive words mano (mine), tavo (yours), jo (his), jos (hers). They never change either. See possessive words.
Answering with a name. The owner goes in the genitive: Tomas → Tomo, Rūta → Rūtos. Tai Jono knyga means It is Jonas’s book. See the genitive of possession.
Word order. A short question often uses tai, šitas or čia: Kieno tai? (Whose is this?)
Examples (5)
- Kieno tai knyga?
Whose book is this?
Word by Word: Whose this book?
Kieno stays the same with a feminine noun.
- Kieno šitas telefonas? — Mano.
Whose phone is this? — Mine.
Word by Word: Whose this phone? — My.
Mano answers kieno.
- Kieno čia raktai?
Whose keys are these?
Word by Word: Whose here keys?
Kieno stays the same with a plural noun.
- Kieno tas šuo? — Tomo.
Whose dog is that? — Tomas’s.
Word by Word: Whose that dog? — Of-Tomas.
A name answers in the genitive: Tomo.
- Kieno tai idėja?
Whose idea is this?
Word by Word: Whose this idea?
Common Mistakes
Changing kieno to match the noun.
Kienos tai knyga?Kieno tai knyga?Kieno never changes, whatever the noun’s gender or number.
Naming the owner in the basic form.
Tai Jonas knyga.Tai Jono knyga.The owner goes in the genitive and comes before the noun: Jono knyga.
Answering with aš instead of mano.
Kieno tai telefonas? — Aš.Kieno tai telefonas? — Mano.Kieno asks about an owner, so the answer is the possessive word mano, not the pronoun aš.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Kieno asks for the owner named by a possessive word or genitive noun.
Related Patterns
- Genitive of Possession
Owners in the genitive: Jono, Rūtos.
Level 2 - kas / kąQuestion Word Kas
Kieno is a form of kas.
Level 1 - tai + nominativeIdentifying with Tai
Kieno tai knyga? uses tai.
Level 1 - šis, ši / tas, taThis and That
Kieno tas šuo? points with tas.
Level 2 - Case Forms of kas
All the case forms of kas.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice kieno in Bubblegum
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