Lesson 21: Yes/No Questions
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to ask simple yes/no questions in German. These are questions you can answer with yes or no.
What you’ll learn
- what a yes/no question is
- how yes/no questions are formed in German
- how to answer with ja and nein
- a few useful everyday yes/no questions
What is a yes/no question?
A yes/no question is a question that can be answered with:
- ja = yes
- nein = no
Examples in English:
- Do you speak English?
- Do you like coffee?
- Are you tired?
The answer can be yes or no.
Yes/no questions in German
In simple German yes/no questions, the verb comes first.
This is different from the basic sentence pattern you learned before.
Statement:
Du sprichst Englisch.
You speak English.
Question:
Sprichst du Englisch?
Do you speak English?
So the pattern is:
verb + subject + more information
A simple comparison
Here are some examples:
Du bist müde. = You are tired.
Bist du müde? = Are you tired?
Du hast Zeit. = You have time.
Hast du Zeit? = Do you have time?
Du lernst Deutsch. = You learn German.
Lernst du Deutsch? = Do you learn German?
This is the main idea of the lesson:
for a yes/no question, move the verb to the front.
Answering yes/no questions
You can answer with:
Ja. = Yes.
Nein. = No.
You can also give a short full answer.
Examples:
Sprichst du Englisch?
Ja.
Hast du Zeit?
Nein.
Bist du müde?
Ja, ich bin müde.
Lernst du Deutsch?
Ja, ich lerne Deutsch.
Useful everyday yes/no questions
Here are some beginner questions you can use right away:
Sprichst du Englisch? = Do you speak English?
Lernst du Deutsch? = Do you learn German?
Hast du Zeit? = Do you have time?
Bist du müde? = Are you tired?
Magst du Kaffee? = Do you like coffee?
These are short, useful, and easy to practice.
A small grammar point
In a normal sentence, the subject often comes first:
Du lernst Deutsch.
In a yes/no question, the verb comes first:
Lernst du Deutsch?
That is the big change.
Simple example sentences
Hast du ein Buch? = Do you have a book?
Magst du Tee? = Do you like tea?
Wohnst du in Berlin? = Do you live in Berlin?
Kommst du aus den USA? = Are you from the USA?
Arbeitest du am Montag? = Do you work on Monday?
