Ways to say it
| Bulgarian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| какво́ | kakvó | |
| що | što | [ʃtɔ] (narrow) |
The word is primarily used as an interrogative pronoun to ask for information about objects, actions or abstract concepts. It can also be used to begin exclamations or as an interjection to express surprise, such as in the form какво!
Which one should you use?
While какво́ is the standard way to say 'what', the forms какъ́в (masculine), каква́ (feminine) and какво́ (neuter) are used to mean 'what kind of' when they modify a noun. Additionally, the neuter form какво́ is used for abstract concepts or things, whereas какъв focuses on the quality or type of a noun.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The most common and neutral form is какво́. The form що is dated and archaic, appearing mostly in literature or specific fixed expressions. In very informal spoken language or text messages, you might encounter the variation кво.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The neuter form какво́ is used when referring to objects, actions or abstract concepts. You can also create the word каквото, which means 'whatever' or 'whatsoever', by adding the relative particle '-то' to the neuter form.
How do you pronounce it?
kakvó
Did you know?
- The word защо, meaning 'why', is constructed by joining the preposition за with the archaic form of 'what', що.
- The word що is so old-fashioned that it feels more at home in 19th-century poetry than in a modern cafe.
Examples in context
- Що за въпрос ти зададе?What kind of question did he ask you?This sentence uses що to ask about the type of question.Tatoeba #3803138 by korobo4ka, translation #8856792 by moxy
- Що за човек би направил нещо такова?What kind of person would do that kind of thing?This sentence uses що to ask about the kind of person.Tatoeba #3803157 by korobo4ka, translation #954560 by CK
- Няма да повярваш какво ми каза Том току-що.You won't believe what Tom just said to me.This sentence uses що within the word 'току–що' to mean 'just'.Tatoeba #2787840 by korobo4ka, translation #2538136 by CK
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “what” translations and entries що, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries що, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
