Language/Macedonian/Grammar/Asking-Questions

Macedonian → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Negation and Questions → Asking Questions

Asking questions is a fundamental part of communication in any language. In Macedonian, asking questions involves using question words, or interrogative pronouns, which are specific words used to form a question. In this lesson, we will learn how to form questions in Macedonian and practice with examples.

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are specific words used to introduce a question. In Macedonian, there are five main interrogative pronouns:

Interrogative Pronoun	Pronunciation	English Translation
Кој	koj	who
Што	shto	what
Каде	kade	where
Кога	koga	when
Зошто	zoshto	why

For example:

• Кој е твојот најдобар пријател? (Koj e tvojot najdobar prijatel?) - Who is your best friend?
• Што правиш денес? (Shto pravish denes?) - What are you doing today?
• Каде одиш? (Kade odish?) - Where are you going?
• Кога ќе дојдеш? (Koga kje dojdesh?) - When will you come?
• Зошто не те видовме вчера? (Zoshto ne te vidovme vchera?) - Why didn't we see you yesterday?

Interrogative pronouns always come at the beginning of a question, followed by the verb and the subject. For example:

• Што правиш? (Shto pravish?) - What are you doing?
• Зошто не дојде? (Zoshto ne dojde?) - Why didn't he come?
• Кога почнуваш работа? (Koga pochnuvash rabota?) - When do you start work?

Yes/No Questions

In Macedonian, yes/no questions are formed by simply changing the intonation of a statement into a question. For example:

• Ти си од Скопје. (Ti si od Skopje.) - You are from Skopje.
• Ти си од Скопје? (Ti si od Skopje?) - Are you from Skopje?

Notice how the only difference is the tone at the end of the sentence, raising the voice to indicate a question.

Similarly, a negative question can be formed by using the negation word "не" (ne) at the beginning of the statement, along with the raised tone at the end to indicate a question. For example:

• Ти не си од Скопје. (Ti ne si od Skopje.) - You are not from Skopje.
• Не си ти од Скопје? (Ne si ti od Skopje?) - Aren't you from Skopje?

Note that in Macedonian, negatives are typically formed with the negation "не" (ne) in front of the verb instead of using "not" like in English.

Word Order

In Macedonian, the word order of a sentence changes in a question. Instead of Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) word order, questions have the Verb-Subject-Object (VSO) word order. This means that the verb comes before the subject. For example:

• Ти појадуваш кафе? (Ti pojaduvash kafe?) - Do you have breakfast with coffee?
• Појадуваш ли кафе? (Pojaduvash li kafe?) - Do you have breakfast with coffee?

In the second example, notice how the verb "појадуваш" (pojaduvash) comes before the subject "ти" (ti) in the question, while it comes after the subject in the statement.

Practice Examples

Let's practice forming questions in Macedonian using the interrogative pronouns we learned earlier:

• Кој е твојот најдобар пријател? (Koj e tvojot najdobar prijatel?) - Who is your best friend?
• Колку години имаш? (Kolku godini imash?) - How old are you?
• Каде живееш? (Kade zhiveesh?) - Where do you live?
• Кога имаш роденден? (Koga imash roden-den?) - When is your birthday?
• Што јадеш на ручек? (Shto jadesh na ruchek?) - What are you having for lunch?
• Како поминуваш слободно време? (Kako pominuvash slobodno vreme?) - What do you do in your free time?
• Колку читаш на ден? (Kolku chitash na den?) - How much do you read per day?
• Зошто го сакаш Македонскиот јазик? (Zoshto go sakash Makedonskiot jazik?) - Why do you like the Macedonian language?

Conclusion

In this lesson, we learned how to form questions in Macedonian using interrogative pronouns, and how the word order changes in a question. We also saw examples of yes/no questions and word order in negative questions. With practice, you will become more comfortable forming and understanding questions in Macedonian. Keep practicing and using the language!

Finished this lesson? Check out these related lessons: Nouns & Common Conjunctions.

Table of Contents - Macedonian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Introductions and Greetings

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Pronouns and Articles

• Personal Pronouns
• Definite and Indefinite Articles

  ---

Numbers and Colors

• Numbers 1-20
• Colors

  ---

Nouns and Adjectives

• Nouns: Gender and Plurals
• Adjectives: Agreement and Comparatives

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Describing Relationships

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense

  ---

Food and Drink

• Common Food Items
• Ordering at a Restaurant

  ---

Negation and Questions

• Forming Negatives
• Asking Questions

  ---

Locations and Directions

• Common Locations
• Asking for and Giving Directions

  ---

Prepositions and Conjunctions

• Common Prepositions
• Common Conjunctions

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Daily Activities and Hobbies

• Daily Routines
• Hobbies and Interests

  ---

Macedonian Culture and Traditions

• Holidays and Festivals
• Traditional Food and Drink

Other Lessons

• Gender
• Common Prepositions
• Articles
• 0 to A1 Course
• Pronouns
• Definite and Indefinite Articles
• Common Conjunctions
• Negation
• Give your Opinion
• Adjectives: Agreement and Comparatives

Sources

• Macedonian Questions
• Macedonian grammar - Wikipedia
• Macedonian Question | Description, History, & Facts | Britannica