kto / čo

Who and What

Level 1

Kto asks "who?" and čo asks "what?": Kto je to? (Who is that?) Čo je to? (What is that?)

How It Works

Who: Kto je to? (Who is that?) Kto tu býva? (Who lives here?)
What: Čo je to? (What is that?) Čo robíš? (What are you doing?)

Forms by case:
• subject: kto / čo
• object: koho / čo: Koho hľadáš? (Who are you looking for?) Čo hľadáš? (What are you looking for?)
• to whom: komu / čomu
• about: o kom / o čom: O čom hovoríte? (What are you talking about?)
• with: s kým / s čím

The verb after kto: Kto takes the third-person singular, and in the past the masculine form, whoever the answer turns out to be: Kto prišiel? (Who came?) When a plural noun follows, the verb agrees with that noun: Kto sú tí ľudia? (Who are those people?)

Did not hear? A bare Čo? sounds blunt. To ask someone to repeat, say Prosím? (Pardon?)

Examples (6)

  1. Kto je to?

    Who is that?

    Word by Word: Who is it?

  2. Čo je to?

    What is that?

    Word by Word: What is it?

  3. Čo robíš?

    What are you doing?

    Word by Word: What do-you?

  4. Kto tu býva?

    Who lives here?

    Word by Word: Who here lives?

  5. Koho hľadáte?

    Who are you looking for?

    Word by Word: Whom look-for-you?

    Koho is the object form of kto.

  6. O čom hovoríte?

    What are you talking about?

    Word by Word: About what speak-you?

Common Mistakes

  • Using kto for a person who is the object.

    Kto hľadáš?
    Koho hľadáš?

    The person you look for is the object, so kto changes to koho.

  • Making the verb after kto feminine.

    Kto prišla?
    Kto prišiel?

    When kto is the subject, the verb is masculine singular, even if you expect the answer to be a woman.

  • Leaving kto in its basic form after a preposition.

    S kto ideš do kina?
    S kým ideš do kina?

    After s (with), kto changes to kým, its instrumental form: S kým ideš do kina? (Who are you going to the cinema with?)

How It Connects

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

kto / čoLevel 1Who and What

Learn This First

Before Who and What, learn This Is and These Are. Kto je to? and Čo je to? build on to je.

Words in This Pattern