Interrogative pronouns in English, as in any other, perform the function of subject or supplement in interrogative sentences. In any language, including English, without them it would be impossible to ask about anything, to ask for some information, to inquire. This article will examine all existing and actively used interrogative pronouns in English with transcription.
Who - [hu:] - who?
In English, pronouns can exist in three cases: nominative, object and possessive. The nominative case is no different from the Russian one, is subject in the sentence and has a set of all relevant functions. The object case corresponds to all indirect cases of the Russian language. Possessive answers the question "Whose?" and can be expressed by the preposition of.
Who is an interrogative pronoun in the English language, standing in the nominative case and denoting any animate person. It is conventionally assumed that who is who? - corresponds to the form of a third party singular or plural (depending on context) number. The verb following it conjugates accordingly. Here are some examples of interrogative pronouns in English:
| Example | Transfer |
| Who is this man? | Who is this man? |
| Who are those people? | Who are these people? |
| Who invented this machine? | Who invented this car? |
The examples clearly show that the English who? fully consistent with the Russian "who?".
Whom - [hu: m] - whom? To whom? By whom? About whom?
Whom is the same pronoun who, but used in the form of an object case. The best way to understand how this interrogative pronoun in English works is to look at examples of its use.
| Example | Transfer |
| Whom have you seen there? | Who did you see there? |
| Whom has she sent her mail? | To whom did she send her letter? |
| Whom is this song writen by? | Who wrote this song? |
| Whom was this story about? | Who was this story about? |
Russian speakers usually have no problems with memorizing, translating, or pronouncing interrogative pronouns in English, but they can well arise with use. If using the pronoun whom is difficult and seems incomprehensible, it can well be replaced by the variant who. The fact is that the English language strives for conciseness, and bulky words give way to more popular analogues.
Whose - [hu: z] - whose? Whose? Whose? Whose?
As mentioned above, the English pronouns have a possessive case. Whose is his most frequently used example. It can be used in a sentence, for example, as follows:
| Example | Transfer |
| Whose is this tie? | Whose tie is this? |
| Whose is this cute little dog? | Whose cute little dog is this? |
| Whose is this apple? | Whose apple is this? |
| Whose are those children? | Whose children are these? |
An important fact about the pronoun whose, which, without any doubt, will please the Russian speakers, is as follows: this word does not refer to any particular gender or number and does not change in cases.
What - [wa: t] or [wo: t] - what?
What is the interrogative pronoun of the English language, corresponding to the form of the nominative and all indirect cases for inanimate objects or phenomena. As well as the previous pronoun, this does not change by gender and number. Verbs used after it are customary to use in the form of a third person singular. Here are some examples of using this interrogative pronoun in English in a sentence:
| Example | Transfer |
| What are you diong right now? | What are you doing right now? |
| What is this song about? | What is this song about? |
| What have you given to him when he was here? | What did you give him when he was here? |
| What is the matter? | What's the matter? |
As the examples show, the interrogative pronoun what in this meaning completely replaces the Russian "What?" and any of its case forms.
What - what? Which the?
With the help of this interrogative pronoun one can also express a question about the form, grade of something, and take an interest in it specifically. Here are a few examples to help you quickly figure out how it works in English:
| Example | Transfer |
| What color would you like to see on the walls of your own room: yellow or green? | What color would you like to see on the walls of your room: yellow or green? |
| What animal does she prefer: a dog or a cat? | Which animal does she like more (she prefers): a dog or a cat? |
| What present have you prepared for your best friend? | What gift did you make for your best friend? |
| What option would you choose: to live forever or to find a true love? | Which of these options would you choose: live forever or find true love? |
| You should ask her, what kind of movies does she like, and then invite her to a movie theater. | You should ask her which films she likes, and then invite her to the cinema. |
As the examples show, the use of what in the meaning of “which” requires a certain choice for the responder. A question of this type is most often posed by contrasting two or more options. Nevertheless, it can be general, as in the third or fifth example, when it was, respectively, about a gift and a favorite genre of cinema.