Question Words
Fragewörter
German question words all begin with W: wer (who), was (what), wo (where), wann (when), warum (why), wie (how), woher (where from) and wohin (where to). They take position one in the sentence and the conjugated verb follows immediately in position two, as in Wo wohnst du?
Learn wer, was, wo, wann, wie, warum.
Rules & Explanations
Question Words Introduction
Einführung: Fragewörter
All German question words start with W! Wer, was, wo, wann, warum, wie, welcher... In English they start with wh (who, what, where, when, why). Same idea, different letter!
The structure is similar: W-word + verb + subject. Wo wohnst du? (Where live you?) The verb comes right after the W-word — always position 2!
English question words start with wh: who, what, where, when, why, which, how (the exception). German question words start with W: wer, was, wo, wann, warum, welcher, wie.
Wo wohnst du? Was machst du? Wer ist das?
Where do you live? What are you doing? Who is that?
W-word + verb + subject. The verb is always in position 2, just like in statements!
Questions are how you learn! If you can ask questions, you can learn anything.
The W-Words
Die W-Wörter
All start with W! Learn these 10 words and you can ask about anything.
| German | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| wer | who | Wer ist das? (Who is that?) |
| was | what | Was machst du? (What are you doing?) |
| wo | where | Wo wohnst du? (Where do you live?) |
| woher | where from | Woher kommst du? (Where are you from?) |
| wohin | where to | Wohin gehst du? (Where are you going?) |
| wann | when | Wann kommst du? (When are you coming?) |
| warum | why | Warum lernst du Deutsch? (Why do you learn German?) |
| wie | how | Wie heißt du? (What is your name? = How are you called?) |
| wie viel(e) | how much/many | Wie viel kostet das? (How much does that cost?) |
| welcher/e/es | which | Welche Sprache sprichst du? (Which language do you speak?) |
wo = where (location). woher = where from (origin). wohin = where to (direction). Three different words!
wo = where you are. woHER = where you come from (her = from). woHIN = where you go (hin = to).
Common Mistakes
-
✗ Wo kommst du?
✓ Woher kommst du?
wo = where (location). woher = where from. For origin, use woher!
-
✗ Was ist dein Name?
✓ Wie heißt du? / Wie ist dein Name?
German usually asks a name with wie: Wie heißt du? or Wie ist dein Name?. "Was ist dein Name?" is also used and understood — wie is just more idiomatic.
W-Question Structure
Struktur von W-Fragen
W-word = position 1. Verb = position 2. Same rule as always!
| Position 1 (W-word) | Position 2 (verb) | Position 3+ (rest) |
|---|---|---|
| Wo | wohnst | du? |
| Was | machst | du heute? |
| Wer | ist | das? |
| Wann | kommst | du? |
| Warum | lernst | du Deutsch? |
| Wie | heißt | du? |
Quick Reference
Kurzübersicht
- ▸All German question words start with W
- ▸wer=who, was=what, wo=where, wann=when, warum=why, wie=how
- ▸wo=where (location), woher=where from, wohin=where to
- ▸Structure: W-word + verb + subject (Wo wohnst du?)
- ▸Wie heißt du? = How are you called? (not What is your name?)
- ▸wie viel = how much, wie viele = how many
Examples
Wie heißt du?
What is your name?
WieGerman says: How are you called? wie = how, heißt = are called.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Wie | how (W-word, pos 1) |
| heißt | are called (verb, pos 2) |
| du | you |
Wo wohnst du?
Where do you live?
Wowo = where (location). Asking about where you live NOW.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Wo | where (pos 1) |
| wohnst | live (pos 2) |
| du | you |
Woher kommst du?
Where are you from?
Woherwoher = where from. Asking about ORIGIN.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Woher | where from (pos 1) |
| kommst | come (pos 2) |
| du | you |
Was machst du?
What are you doing?
Waswas = what.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Was | what (pos 1) |
| machst | do (pos 2) |
| du | you |
Wer ist das?
Who is that?
Werwer = who.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Wer | who (pos 1) |
| ist | is (pos 2) |
| das | that |
Wann kommst du?
When are you coming?
Wannwann = when.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Wann | when (pos 1) |
| kommst | come (pos 2) |
| du | you |
Warum lernst du Deutsch?
Why do you learn German?
Warumwarum = why.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Warum | why (pos 1) |
| lernst | learn (pos 2) |
| du | you |
| Deutsch | German |
Wie viel kostet das?
How much does that cost?
Wie vielwie viel = how much. For prices and amounts.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Wie viel | how much (pos 1) |
| kostet | costs (pos 2) |
| das | that |
Practice Exercises
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___ heißt du?
___ heißt du?
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Common questions about German question words
What are the German question words?
The core set is wer (who), was (what), wo (where), wann (when), warum (why) and wie (how). Alongside these you need woher (where from), wohin (where to), wie viel and wie viele (how much and how many), and welcher, welche, welches (which). All of them begin with W, the German counterpart to the English WH words.
What is the word order in a German question?
The W-word takes position one and the conjugated verb comes straight after it in position two, with the subject in third place: Wo wohnst du?, Was machst du heute?, Warum lernst du Deutsch? This is exactly the verb-second rule you use in statements, so no separate question structure has to be learned.
What is the difference between wo, woher and wohin?
All three ask about place, but from different angles. Wo asks about a static location: Wo wohnst du? — where do you live. Woher asks about origin or movement away from somewhere: Woher kommst du? — where are you from. Wohin asks about destination: Wohin gehst du? — where are you going. English uses where for all three.
Why do Germans say Wie heißt du for what is your name?
Because German asks it with the verb heißen, to be called, so the literal question is how are you called. The matching answer uses the same verb: Ich heiße Anna. You can also ask Wie ist dein Name?, but Wie heißt du? is far more common in speech, and Was ist dein Name? sounds unnatural to many Germans.
How do I ask a yes-or-no question in German?
Leave out the W-word and move the verb to the very front: Wohnst du in Berlin? or Hast du Zeit? Nothing else changes, and German needs no equivalent of the English helper do. The answer is ja, nein, or doch when you are contradicting a negative question such as Kommst du nicht?