A1 · Grammar · Fragesätze
German Questions: Yes/No, W-Words and Where the Verb Goes
The ruleA yes/no question puts the conjugated verb first; a W-question puts the question word first and the verb second.
Yes/no questions: move the verb
No extra word is needed. German has nothing corresponding to do: the verb simply steps in front of the subject.
- Du sprichst Deutsch. → Sprichst du Deutsch? You speak German. → Do you speak German?
- Er hat Zeit. → Hat er Zeit? He has time. → Does he have time?
- Sie ist gekommen. → Ist sie gekommen? She came. → Did she come? Only the auxiliary moves; the participle stays put.
The question words
| Word | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| wer | who (subject) | Wer kommt? |
| wen | who(m) (accusative) | Wen siehst du? |
| wem | who(m) (dative) | Wem hilfst du? |
| wessen | whose | Wessen Auto ist das? |
| was | what | Was machst du? |
| wo | where (position) | Wo wohnst du? |
| wohin | where to | Wohin gehst du? |
| woher | where from | Woher kommst du? |
| wann | when | Wann kommst du? |
| wie | how | Wie geht es dir? |
| warum / wieso / weshalb | why | Warum lachst du? |
| welcher / welche / welches | which | Welches Buch liest du? |
| wie viel / wie viele | how much / how many | Wie viele Kinder hast du? |
wer declines like a pronoun (wer, wen, wem, wessen) so choosing between them means knowing what case the verb wants. welcher declines like der.
wo, wohin, woher
English overloads where; German does not. The three words correspond to position, destination and origin, and picking the wrong one is one of the most audible beginner errors.
| Question | Asks about | Typical answer |
|---|---|---|
| Wo? | where something is | in Berlin, zu Hause, hier |
| Wohin? | where something is going | nach Berlin, nach Hause, dorthin |
| Woher? | where something came from | aus Berlin, von zu Hause |
Where it goes wrong
Wo gehst du?
Wohin gehst du?
gehen is movement towards a destination, so the question word has to be wohin. Wo would be asking where you are while doing it.
Two more shapes worth having early
- Du kommst doch mit, oder? You're coming, right? oder? tacked on is the everyday tag question.
- Was für ein Auto hast du? What kind of car do you have? was für asks about type; the ein declines with the noun's case.
Test yourself
4 questions on this
-
1 Fragewort Sprachbausteine
Man weiß nicht, die Germanen gesprochen haben.
Show answer
Correct answer: wie
Das Originalwort ist 'wie'.
-
2 Interrogativpronomen Sprachbausteine
Ein Mensch will nicht sagen, er ist.
Show answer
-
3 Fragepronomen als Relativpronomen Sprachbausteine
Man muss dann diese Artikel nachschlagen, damit man überhaupt versteht, ein Parlament ist.
Show answer
Correct answer: was
Das Originalwort ist 'was'. 'was' leitet einen indirekten Fragesatz ein.
Read the full text: Lexikon
-
4 Interrogativpronomen als Subjekt: 'wer' (Nominativ). Sprachbausteine
Es gibt viel Streit darüber, Asyl bekommen soll und wie viele Leute bleiben dürfen.
Show answer
Correct answer: wer
Das Fragepronomen steht im Nominativ, da es Subjekt des Nebensatzes ist.
Read the full text: Asyl
Common questions
How do you form a yes/no question in German?
Put the conjugated verb first and the subject straight after it. 'Du hast Zeit' becomes 'Hast du Zeit?'. There is no auxiliary equivalent to English 'do', which is why 'Machst du das?' is both 'Do you do that?' and 'Are you doing that?'.
What is the difference between wo, wohin and woher?
wo asks about a location (Wo bist du?), wohin about a destination (Wohin fährst du?), and woher about an origin (Woher kommst du?). English uses 'where' for all three and adds 'to' or 'from' when it needs to; German picks a different word.
When do I use wer, wen and wem?
wer is the subject of the sentence, wen is a direct object, wem an indirect object. 'Wer sieht dich?' is who sees you; 'Wen siehst du?' is who do you see; 'Wem gibst du das Buch?' is who you are giving it to. Dative verbs like helfen always take wem.
Next