Lesson 061

Where? in Russian

In one of the early lessons we learned how to say where in Russian. Today, we will study this word with more detail and practice it with examples.

WHERE as a location in Russian

When you want to ask about a location, use the word где:

Где?
[gdye]
Where?

Examples:

Где́ ты?
Where are you?

Где здесь туале́т?
Where is the toilet here?

Где нахо́дится ближа́йшая апте́ка?
Where is the nearest pharmacy?

When you use где as a conjunction for compound sentences, you can use it by itself or in the combination там, где:

Встре́тимся там, где ви́делись после́дний раз.
We meet where we last saw each other.

Там, где сейча́с стои́т стол, мы поста́вим дива́н.
Where the table is now, we will put a sofa.

Сади́сь, где хо́чешь.
Sit where you want.

Russian Pod 101

WHERE as a direction in Russian

When you want to ask a direction, use the word куда́:

Куда́?
[ku-dá]
Where to?

Examples:

Куда́ ты идёшь?
Where are you going?

Куда́ идёт э́тот авто́бус?
Where is this bus going?

Куда́ вы торо́питесь?
Where are you running in hurry?

You can use куда́ as a conjunction by itself or in the combination туда, куда:

Иди́ куда́ хо́чешь!
Go where you want!

Иди́те туда́, куда́ я пока́зываю.
Go where I point.

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FROM WHERE? in Russian

When you want to ask “from what direction?” (from where?), use the word отку́да:

Отку́да?
[at-kú-da]
From where?

Отку́да ты идёшь?
Where are you coming from?

Отку́да вы?
Where are you from?

Отку́да у тебя́ э́та информа́ция?
Where have you got this information from?

You can use отку́да as a conjunction by itself or in combinations ту́да, отку́да or отту́да, отку́да.

Иди́ туда́, отку́да пришёл!
Go where you came from!

По́мощь пришла́ отту́да, отку́да не жда́ли.
Help came from where it was not expected.

Мы не ви́дели, отку́да он пришёл.
We did not see where he came from.

Practice the examples of this lesson with the audio file.

We hope you find our Russian lessons helpful. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post them in the comments, we are happy to help!

The offline version of this lesson is available here

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10 comments on “061 – Where? in Russian”

  1. Jimmy says:

    The phrase:
    Отку́да ты идёшь?
    Where are you going from? <This is incorrect. It makes no sense. The "from" part

    Probably: Where do you come from? / Where are you coming from?

    1. Learn Russian Step by Step says:

      Hi Jimmy,

      Good point, thanks!

  2. Edmund Yong says:

    what about ‘why,how when’ ???

    1. Learn Russian Step by Step says:

      This is the topic of some of the future lessons.

  3. Krishna Prasanna says:

    zdrastvuytee.
    Your way of teaching is very nice and please tell me the sites where we can practice exercises.

    1. Learn Russian Step by Step says:

      Здравствуйте, спасибо.

      You can find some tests here – Everyday Russian.

      Also I think you can find a lot of good sites by looking up ‘Russian test’ in Google.

  4. Tidatip says:

    I would like to practice or exercise too, but in this web a little for it . Could you give exercise after learn of every step?

    1. Learn Russian Step by Step says:

      Hello Tidatip.

      You’re right, that would be very good for learners to do some exercises after each step.

      But unfortunately so far we are limited in our resources for making new content. We most likely will add some exercises later.

      Thank you for your feedback.

  5. yassir says:

    i would like to learn Russian language,i adore this language,and i adore Russian country too much.my target is to speak and learn everything about Russia.

    1. Learn Russian Step by Step says:

      Hi Yassir,
      That is good target, good luck! ))

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