In Russian, how you say something really matters, especially when asking questions. This is super important for yes or no questions.

1. Yes/No Questions

In Russian, you can turn a regular statement into a yes/no question just by changing the way you say it. You do this by raising your voice at the end of the sentence.

Examples:

• Statement: Ты дома. (You are home.)
• Question: Ты дома? (Are you home?)

In this case, the words stay the same. But when you raise your voice at the end, it shows that you’re asking a question.

2. Open-ended Questions

For open-ended questions, you use special words that ask for more information. Here are the words you need to know:

• кто (who)
• что (what)
• где (where)
• когда (when)
• почему (why)
• как (how)

Even though you say these questions like regular sentences, you should still raise your voice a little to show you want an answer.

Examples:

• Who: Кто пришёл? (Who came?)
• What: Что ты делаешь? (What are you doing?)

The question words make it clear you’re asking something, and raising your voice helps too.

3. Intonation Patterns

Keep in mind these patterns when asking questions:

• Yes/No Questions: Raise your voice at the end.
• Open-ended Questions: Keep your voice a little higher, especially when saying the question word.

It’s really important to practice these voice changes to sound natural. Listening to and copying native speakers can be a great way to get the hang of it.

By learning these rules, you can improve your conversations and communicate better in Russian!