Lesson 22: W-Questions
In this lesson, you’ll learn some common W-questions in German. These are questions that begin with words like who, what, where, and when.
What you’ll learn
- common German question words
- what these question words mean
- how to ask simple questions with them
- how W-questions are different from yes/no questions
What is a W-question?
A W-question asks for information.
It does not have a simple yes or no answer.
Examples in English:
- What is your name?
- Where do you live?
- Who is that?
- When do you work?
In German, many question words begin with W.
Common German question words
Here are some important beginner question words:
wie = how
wer = who
was = what
wo = where
wann = when
woher = where from
These are some of the most useful question words for early German conversations.
Simple question patterns
Here are some beginner examples:
Wie heißt du? = What is your name?
Wer ist das? = Who is that?
Was ist das? = What is that?
Wo wohnst du? = Where do you live?
Wann arbeitest du? = When do you work?
Woher kommst du? = Where are you from?
These are useful because they help you ask real questions right away.
A small grammar point
In many German W-questions, the question word comes first.
Then the verb usually comes next.
Pattern:
question word + verb + subject
Examples:
Wo wohnst du?
Wann arbeitest du?
Woher kommst du?
This is a little different from a normal statement.
Statement:
Du wohnst in Berlin.
Question:
Wo wohnst du?
So the question word goes first, and the verb stays early in the sentence.
A note about the du form
In many of these questions, the subject is du.
When the subject is du, the verb often ends in -st.
Examples:
- du wohnst
- du lernst
- du arbeitest
- du kommst
So:
- wohnen becomes du wohnst
- lernen becomes du lernst
- arbeiten becomes du arbeitest
- kommen becomes du kommst
You can see this in questions like:
Wo wohnst du?
Wann lernst du?
Woher kommst du?
For now, you do not need to memorize every verb form. Just start noticing that many du verbs end in -st.
A few very useful questions
These are great beginner questions to remember:
Wie heißt du? = What is your name?
Wo wohnst du? = Where do you live?
Woher kommst du? = Where are you from?
Was ist das? = What is that?
Wer ist das? = Who is that?
Wann lernst du? = When do you study?
Simple answers
Here are a few matching answers:
Wie heißt du?
Ich heiße Anna.
Wo wohnst du?
Ich wohne in Chicago.
Woher kommst du?
Ich komme aus den USA.
Was ist das?
Das ist ein Buch.
Wer ist das?
Das ist mein Bruder.
Wann lernst du?
Am Abend.
