Everyday Wh-Questions
Learn basic German wh-questions about people, things, time, reason, quantity, place, and direction.
Explanation
German wh-questions
A **question word** asks for one specific piece of information. It occupies position 1 and the conjugated verb occupies position 2:
**question word + verb + subject + ...?**
- **Wann beginnt** der Kurs?
- **Warum lernst** du Deutsch?
- **Wie kommst** du zur Arbeit?
Choosing the right question word
| Question word | Meaning | Typical answer |
|---|---|---|
| **wann** | point in time | am Montag, um acht Uhr |
| **warum** | reason | ich bin krank |
| **wie** | manner or condition | mit dem Bus, sehr gut |
| **wie lange** | duration | zwei Stunden |
| **wie oft** | frequency | dreimal pro Woche |
| **wie viel** | amount, price, or uncountable quantity | zehn Euro, viel Zeit |
| **wie viele** | number of countable things | vier Tickets |
| **wo** | location without movement | im Büro |
| **woher** | origin or starting point | aus Polen, vom Bahnhof |
| **wohin** | destination or direction | nach Hamburg, ins Kino |
Wo, woher, or wohin?
- **Wo?** asks about a location: **Wo bist du? - Zu Hause.**
- **Woher?** asks about the starting point: **Woher kommst du? - Aus Köln.**
- **Wohin?** asks about the destination: **Wohin fährst du? - Nach Bonn.**
These question words do not change their form. Make sure the conjugated verb comes directly after the question word.
Wer, was, or wen?
- **Wer** asks about a person as the subject: **Wer kommt heute? – Mia kommt heute.**
- **Was** asks about a thing or activity: **Was kaufst du? – Ich kaufe Brot.**
- **Wen** asks about a person as the direct object: **Wen besuchst du? – Ich besuche meinen Bruder.**
Compare **Wer besucht Paul? – Anna besucht Paul.** with **Wen besucht Anna? – Anna besucht Paul.**
Exercises
- Choose the correct question word from the word bank for each everyday situation. (1)
- Arrange the words to form a complete wh-question. Put the question word first and the conjugated verb directly after it. (13)
- Write a complete question that matches the given answer. (13)
A1 · German · Grammar