зарем

Surprised Questions

Level 4Sounds Like zarem

Зарем starts a question full of surprise: Зарем не знаеш? (You mean you don't know?)

How It Works

Where it goes. Зарем opens the question, and the rest of the sentence keeps its normal order: Зарем е веќе пет часот? It can also stand with a single word: Зарем ти? (You?) Зарем утре? (Tomorrow, really?)

With не. A negative question with зарем shows surprise that something is not so: Зарем не ме познаваш? (Don't you recognize me?) The speaker expected the opposite.

A hidden opinion. Often the speaker already thinks the answer should be "no": Зарем ќе одиме пешки до таму? means "We aren't really going to walk all that way, are we?"

Зарем and зар. Both forms are used, and зар is simply shorter: Зар веќе заминуваш? (Are you leaving already?) Neither one asks a neutral question. To simply ask, use дали. To expect the answer "yes", use нели.

Examples (6)

Зарем не знаеш?
You mean you don't know?
Word by Word: Really not you-know?
Зарем е веќе пет часот?
Is it really five o'clock already?
Word by Word: Really is already five the-hour?
Зарем не ме познаваш?
Don't you recognize me?
Word by Word: Really not me you-know?
Зарем ќе одиме пешки до таму?
Are we really going to walk all the way there?
Word by Word: Really will we-go on-foot to there?
The speaker thinks they should not walk.
Зарем ти?
You? Really?
Word by Word: Really you?
Зар веќе заминуваш?
Are you leaving already?
Word by Word: Really already you-leave?
Зар is the shorter form of зарем.

Common Mistakes

Using зарем for a neutral question.
Зарем имате слободна соба?
Дали имате слободна соба?
At a hotel desk you only want information. Зарем would sound as if you are shocked or doubt that they have a room.

How It Connects

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

заремLevel 4Surprised Questions

Learn This First

Surprised questions follow tag questions.

нелиTag Questions
Зарем is a surprised version of a yes-or-no check like нели.
Level 2

Words in This Pattern