Interrogative Pronouns: wer, wen, wem, wessen, was
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Learn to ask about people, possession, and things with wer, wen, wem, wessen, and was. Also practise standalone forms of welch- and was für ein when the noun is omitted.
Explanation
Asking about people and things
Interrogative pronouns replace the person or thing you are asking about. Their form also shows the case.
| Case | Person | Thing |
|---|
| Nominative | wer? | was? |
| Accusative | wen? | was? |
| Dative | wem? | usually preposition + wo(r)- |
| Genitive / possession | wessen? | wessen? |
- Wer wartet draußen? - Eine Kundin. (subject)
- Wen besuchst du? - Meinen Onkel. (accusative object)
- Wem hilfst du? - Meiner Nachbarin. (dative object)
- Wessen Schlüssel liegt hier? - Leas Schlüssel. (possession)
- Was brauchst du? - Einen Stift. (thing)
Wer, wen, and wem can refer to women, men, or several people. The sentence function, not gender, determines the form.
How to choose the form
- Decide whether you are asking about a person or a thing.
- Identify the missing element's role: subject, accusative object, dative object, or possessor.
- Put the interrogative pronoun first. The finite verb normally comes second.
- Mara ruft den Techniker an. → Wen ruft Mara an?
- Der Rucksack gehört dem Schüler. → Wem gehört der Rucksack?
- Jonas hat die Tür geöffnet. → Wer hat die Tür geöffnet?
For people, keep the preposition before the pronoun: Mit wem sprichst du?, Für wen ist das Paket? For things, German normally uses wo(r) + preposition: womit, wofür, woran, worauf.
Standalone welch-
When choosing from known alternatives, welch- can replace the noun. Its ending agrees with the omitted noun's case, gender, and number.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|
| Nominative | welcher | welche | welches | welche |
| Accusative | welchen | welche | welches | welche |
| Dative | welchem | welcher | welchem | welchen |
| Genitive (rare) | welches | welcher | welches | welcher |
Genitive forms with welch- are rare in everyday questions; at A2, this row is mainly for recognition.
- Hier sind zwei Mäntel. Welchen nimmst du?
- Drei Lampen sind reduziert. Welche gefällt dir?
Standalone was für ein
Was für ein asks about type or qualities. Without a noun, ein- takes a pronoun ending:
- masculine: Was für einer? / Was für einen? / Was für einem?
- feminine: Was für eine? / Was für einer?
- neuter: Was für eins? / Was für einem?
- plural: Was für welche?
Compare:
- known selection: Welchen möchtest du - den roten oder den blauen?
- open question about type: Was für einen möchtest du - einen leichten oder einen besonders warmen?
Exercises
- Write a complete question about the marked part of the sentence. Use the correct interrogative pronoun and word order. (11)
- Complete each question with the correct interrogative pronoun. First decide: person or thing, and which case? (11)
- Choose the correct standalone form. Distinguish a known selection with welch- from an open question with was für ein. (11)
A2 · German · Grammar