WH Questions
Open questions using wer, was, wo, woher, wohin, wann, warum, wie, welche and more.
W-Fragen (WH questions) are open questions that cannot be answered with just 'yes' or 'no'. They begin with a question word, followed by the conjugated verb, then the subject. They are called W-Fragen because almost all question words in German start with W.
Question Word → Conjugated Verb → Subject → Rest
Example:
Woher kommen Sie? (Where do you come from?)
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Q-word Verb Subject
Compare to a statement:
Ich komme aus Deutschland.
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Subj Verb (2nd position)
The Question Words
Wer?
Who?
Was?
What?
Wo?
Where?
Woher?
Where from?
Wohin?
Where to?
Wann?
When?
Warum?
Why?
Wie?
How?
Welche/r/s?
Which?
Wie viel?
How much?
Wie viele?
How many?
Wie lange?
How long?
Wie oft?
How often?
Mit wem?
With whom?
Wen?
Whom? (accusative)
Wem?
To whom? (dative)
Wieso?
Why? (how so?)
wer - Who
Wer ist das?
Who is that?
Wer bist du?
Who are you? (informal)
Wer sind Sie?
Who are you? (formal)
wie - How
Wie heißen Sie?
What is your name? (formal)
Wie geht es dir?
How are you? (informal)
Wie alt bist du?
How old are you? (informal)
Wie ist deine Adresse?
How is your address? / What is your address?
Wie viel kostet das?
How much does that cost?
was - What
Was bist du von Beruf?
What is your job? (informal)
Was essen Sie gern?
What do you like to eat?
Was trinken Sie gern?
What do you like to drink?
wo / woher / wohin - Where
Wo wohnen Sie?
Where do you live? (formal)
Wo arbeiten Sie?
Where do you work?
Woher kommen Sie?
Where do you come from? (formal)
Wohin gehen Sie?
Where are you going?
Wohin fahren Sie?
Where are you driving to?
wann / warum - When / Why
Wann kommt der Zug?
When is the train coming?
Wann hast du Geburtstag?
When is your birthday?
Warum lernst du Deutsch?
Why do you learn German?
Warum bist du so spät?
Why are you so late?
welche - Which
Welche Sprachen sprechen Sie?
Which languages do you speak?
Welche Romane lesen Sie?
Which novels do you read?
Check your understanding
Which question word asks 'where from?'