High Valyrian Question Formation: The 9 Best Rules
Asking a question in High Valyrian is simpler than most learners expect, and High Valyrian question formation has no helper verbs like English “do” or “does,” and the words never shuffle into a special question order. You keep the same subject–object–verb pattern you use for statements, and a question word, your tone of voice, or a simple question mark does the rest.
Quick Answer
High Valyrian question formation keeps the default SOV word order. Yes/no questions look exactly like statements and are marked by rising intonation or a question mark, while content questions begin with an interrogative word such as skorī (when?), skoriot (where?), or skorkydoso (how?). Answer “yes” with kessa and “no” with daor.
Yes/No Questions Keep the Same Word Order
English turns “You speak Valyrian” into “Do you speak Valyrian?” by adding a helper verb and moving things around. High Valyrian question formation does nothing of the sort. A yes/no question uses exactly the same words in exactly the same order as the matching statement. In speech, a rising intonation marks it as a question; in writing, a question mark does the job.
One of the clearest documented examples comes from the grammar’s section on the instrumental case: Quptenkos Ēngoso ȳdrassia? — “Do you speak the Common Tongue?” The word order is untouched, and the instrumental case (Ēngoso, “by means of the Common Tongue”) carries the meaning English spreads across extra words. A simpler constructed example shows the same pattern: Zaldrīzī urnes? (“Does he see the dragon?”) is just the statement Zaldrīzī urnes (“He sees the dragon”) with a question mark. The object stays in the accusative (zaldrīzī), the verb stays last (urnes, “he/she/it sees”), and the subject is dropped entirely, which is normal in this pro-drop language.
If you are still getting comfortable with the default sentence pattern, our guide to how to structure High Valyrian sentences walks through SOV order step by step before you start turning statements into questions — the foundation of High Valyrian question formation.
Question Words in High Valyrian Question Formation
Content questions — the ones that ask who, what, where, when, why, or how — use dedicated interrogative words. High Valyrian is picky about which “what” you use, because the language splits question words by the kind of thing being asked about, much as it splits nouns into four classes — a quirk that makes High Valyrian question formation precise but tricky.
| Question word | Meaning | Notes and attested examples |
|---|---|---|
| skorī | when? | Also used as “when” in relative clauses. |
| skoros | what? | For concrete, countable things. Skoro syt? = “Why?” (attested; literally “for what?”). |
| skorion | what? | For places, mass nouns, and abstract things. |
| skoriot | where? | The locative form of skorion. |
| skorkydoso | how? | Skorkydoso glaesā? = “How are you?” (attested). |
| skore | which? / what | For inanimate things; behaves like an adjective and agrees with its noun. |
| spare | which? | For animate beings; behaves like an adjective and agrees with its noun. |
| syt | why? | Skoro syt? = “Why?” (attested). |
| skorȳso | why? | The instrumental of skoros; properly used only when replying to a question. |
The two words for “what” deserve a second look, because mixing them up is one of the most common beginner errors. Use skoros when you are asking about a concrete, countable thing — a sword, a person, a dragon — and skorion when you are asking about a place, a substance, or an abstraction. The High Valyrian dictionary lists each interrogative with its exact sense, so check there before guessing.
Where the Question Word Goes
The question word normally comes first in the sentence, and everything else stays where it would be in a statement — most importantly, the verb stays at the end. Skorkydoso glaesā? (“How are you?”) is the textbook example: question word first, verb last, nothing else moved — the signature of High Valyrian question formation.
A more elaborate attested example shows the same skeleton inside a longer sentence: Hae skorot vala bōsāpa issa? — “How tall is the man?” (literally, “The man is as tall as what?”). The interrogative skorot sits up front with the preposition hae, and the sentence still closes with the verb issa (“is”). Because skore and spare (“which”) are adjectives rather than standalone pronouns, they travel with the noun they modify instead of floating at the front alone, and they take the agreement endings described in our guide to High Valyrian adjectives.
Answering Questions: Kessa and Daor
Yes/no questions are answered with two short, well-attested words: kessa for “yes” (attested in House of the Dragon) and daor for “no” or “not.” When you want to be extra clear, repeat the verb from the question instead of relying on the bare answer word — the simplest part of High Valyrian question formation.
- Zaldrīzī urnes? — “Does he see the dragon?” (constructed example)
- Kessa. — “Yes.”
- Daor. — “No.”
Note that daor does double duty as the general negator “not,” so full negative answers often pair it with the verb in the subjunctive mood — a pattern the reference grammar documents for negative statements. For everyday conversation rather than grammar drills, you will find more ready-made exchanges in our collection of High Valyrian phrases.
Putting It Together: Short Dialogues
Here are a few minimal exchanges built from documented vocabulary. They are constructed examples, but every word in them is attested on the wiki. These dialogues show High Valyrian question formation in action:
- Skoriot zaldrīzes issa? — “Where is the dragon?”
Skoriot? — “Where?” (asking for clarification) - Skorkydoso glaesā? — “How are you?” (attested)
Kessa, kirine iksan. — “Yes — I am happy.” (kirine “happy,” iksan “I am”) - Skoro syt? — “Why?” (attested)
Daor. — “No.” / “Not telling.”
If you want to test your own attempts, paste them into the Valyrian to English translator to see how each piece is being read, or draft an English question in the English to Valyrian translator and check whether the question word survived the trip.
Mistakes to Avoid When Asking Questions
Three habits from English cause almost all High Valyrian question formation errors. First, learners add a helper verb that does not exist: there is no Valyrian equivalent of “do,” so *Do ao glaesā? is wrong — Glaesā? with rising intonation already asks “Are you?”. Second, learners flip the word order as English does; keep the verb at the end. Third, learners reach for the wrong “what”: skoros for places and abstractions, or skorion for countable objects, will sound off to anyone who knows the language. We cover these and more in our roundup of common High Valyrian mistakes.
Related Valyrian Tools
- Valyrian to English translator — check what your Valyrian questions actually say.
- English to Valyrian translator — draft English questions and see the Valyrian rendering.
- High Valyrian dictionary — look up every interrogative word’s exact sense.
- High Valyrian phrases — ready-made questions and answers for conversation.
Frequently Asked Questions About High Valyrian Question Formation
How do you ask a yes/no question in High Valyrian?
Use the statement’s exact word order with rising intonation or a question mark. There is no helper verb and no inversion: Zaldrīzī urnes? (“Does he see the dragon?”) is the statement Zaldrīzī urnes (“He sees the dragon”) asked as a question.
What is the High Valyrian word for “what”?
There are two main ones: skoros for concrete, countable things and skorion for places, mass nouns, and abstract things. Choosing between them depends on what you are asking about, not on the noun’s class.
How do you say “how are you” in High Valyrian?
Skorkydoso glaesā? — literally “How are you?” This is an attested phrase documented in the High Valyrian dictionary, and it is the safest greeting-question to use with other learners.
Does High Valyrian change word order for questions?
No. High Valyrian question formation keeps the default subject–object–verb order in questions. The question word moves to the front of the sentence, but the verb stays at the end, exactly where a statement would put it.
How do you answer yes or no in High Valyrian?
Say kessa for “yes” (attested in House of the Dragon) or daor for “no.” For emphasis, repeat the question’s verb: answering Kessa, urnen (“Yes, I see”) leaves no doubt.
What is the difference between skore and spare?
Both mean “which,” but skore is used for inanimate things and spare for animate beings. Both behave like adjectives, so they modify a noun directly and take agreement endings rather than standing alone.
High Valyrian question formation is one of the friendliest corners of High Valyrian grammar: no new conjugations to learn, no word-order acrobatics, just a small set of interrogative words placed in front of sentences you already know how to build. Master skorī, skoriot, skorkydoso, and the skoros/skorion distinction, answer with kessa or daor, and you can hold up your end of any Valyrian conversation.