каков / каква / какво

Asking What Kind

Level 2Sounds Like kakov; kakva; kakvo

Use каков to ask what something is like or what kind it is: Каков е градот? (What is the town like?)

How It Works

Каков asks about a quality. It can mean what kind of, or what something is like:

  • Каква музика сакаш? (What kind of music do you like?)
  • Какво е времето? (What is the weather like?)

Like an adjective, it agrees with the noun it asks about:

  • каков for masculine: Каков е градот?
  • каква for feminine: Каква е куќата?
  • какво for neuter: Какво е времето?
  • какви for plural: Какви книги читаш?

When каков is followed by е, look at the noun after е to choose the form. In Какво е времето?, времето is neuter, so the form is какво.

Compare it with Asking Which One. Која книга? asks which one of several. Каква книга? asks what sort of book it is. The answer to каков is usually an adjective, as in Adjectives After Be: Градот е мал и мирен.

Examples (5)

  1. Каков е градот?

    What is the town like?

    Градот is masculine, so the form is каков.

  2. Какво е времето денес?

    What is the weather like today?

    Времето is neuter, so the form is какво.

  3. Каква музика сакаш?

    What kind of music do you like?

    Музика is feminine, so the form is каква.

  4. Какви книги читаш?

    What kind of books do you read?

    Книги is plural, so the form is какви.

  5. Каков човек е тој?

    What kind of person is he?

    Човек is masculine: каков.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the masculine form for a neuter noun.

    Каков е времето?
    Какво е времето?

    Време is neuter, so use какво.

  • Not matching a feminine noun.

    Какво е куќата?
    Каква е куќата?

    Куќа is feminine, so use каква.

How It Connects

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

каков / каква / каквоLevel 2Asking What Kind

Learn This First

What kind follows which one.

Words in This Pattern

каков