だれ

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: だれ is an interrogative standing for a person's name or identity, followed by any required particle.
• Basic usage: It asks who someone is or who fills a particular role.
  • だれと昼ご飯を食べましたか。 asks who accompanied someone at lunch.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Questions shaped by particles
  • だれが来ますか asks who is coming, だれに渡しますか who will receive something, and だれの傘ですか who owns the umbrella.
• Indefinite and negative expressions
  • だれかいますか asks whether someone is there, while だれもいません states that nobody is there. Interpret the following element and predicate together.
• Asking identity politely
  • どなたですか is a more polite way to ask someone's identity. When identifying a person directly on first meeting, forms of address and the overall tone also matter.