"Who is that," in Russian? If I want to ask “who is that?” is it better to say; "О ком это?" or "Кто это?" And then would "О ком вы говорите?" be "who are you talking about”? or could you say "кто вы

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"Who is that," in Russian? If I want to ask “who is that?” is it better to say; "О ком это?" or "Кто это?" And then would "О ком вы говорите?" be "who are you talking about”? or could you say "кто вы говорите"? - Note for English learners: My sentences are complex examples of Indirect and Direct questions. As far as I know, I wrote them correctly, but maybe someone more grammatically proficient in English could elaborate? - I am asking this question because I am trying not to use Google Translate. :)

Apr 7, 2012 12:26 AM

Answers · 6

Hi! To answer your questions: Кто это? means Who is this. Funny enough, кто is also used to ask about what people are in terms of their occupation or profession: Кто твой брат? means What is your brother('s occupation)? in other words Who is your brother by profession. You could answer: Мой брат учитель. My brother's a teacher. O ком means "about whom" - So you can use it to formulate questions like: O ком ... вы говорите? ... вы думаете? ... вы читаете? "Who are you talking, thinking, reading about?

April 7, 2012