چه، کی، کجا
What Who and Where
کی can ask who, چه asks what, and کجا asks where. The question word can stay where the missing information belongs.
How It Works
Ask who. کی اینجا است؟ asks which person is here. Here کی is pronounced ki. In formal writing, چه کسی is another way to ask who.
Ask what. چه میخوانی؟ asks what you are reading. Everyday چی میخونی؟ uses the common conversational what word and a matching spoken verb form.
Ask where. کتاب کجا است؟ asks for the book’s location. The question word stands in the place that a location phrase would fill; no English-style inversion is needed.
Read کی with context. کی آمد؟ can be ambiguous on the page: ki asks who came, while key asks when someone came. Ordinary writing omits the short-vowel cue. In formal prose, چه کسی and چه وقت can make the intended question clearer.
Examples (5)
- کی اینجا است؟
Who is here?
کی is ki and asks for a person.
- چه میخوانی؟
What are you reading?
چه asks for the object of reading.
- کتاب کجا است؟
Where is the book?
کجا asks for a location.
- چی میخونی؟
What are you reading?
The question word and verb both use everyday Iranian forms.
- کی میآیی؟
When are you coming?
کی is key in this intended reading; spoken context or clearer wording resolves ambiguity.
How It Connects
Related Patterns
Practice چه، کی، کجا in Bubblegum
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