Start with the answer you need
Imagine arranging a class visit. A name needs wer or another person form; a date needs wann; a reason needs warum. A yes-or-no answer will not normally fill those gaps. Compare Kommt Nora? – Ja. with Wann kommt Nora? – Um zehn.. The second question asks for new information, not confirmation.
| Question expression | Look for | Example | Possible answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| wer | person doing something | Wer öffnet den Laden? | Nora. |
| was | thing or content | Was brauchst du? | Einen Stift. |
| wen | person: accusative role | Wen besuchst du? | Meinen Bruder. |
| wem | person: dative role | Wem hilfst du? | Meiner Nachbarin. |
| wessen | whose; owner or relationship | Wessen Jacke ist das? | Das ist Noras Jacke. |
| welcher / welche / welches | which item from a set | Welchen Bus nehmen wir? | Den Bus 14. |
| wie | manner, condition or means | Wie kommst du zur Arbeit? | Mit dem Fahrrad. |
| wie alt | age | Wie alt ist dein Sohn? | Er ist neun. |
| wie viel / wie viele | quantity or number | Wie viele Stühle brauchen wir? | Sechs Stühle. |
| wann | point in time | Wann beginnt der Kurs? | Am Mittwoch um neun. |
| wie lange | duration | Wie lange dauert die Fahrt? | Eine halbe Stunde. |
| wie oft | frequency | Wie oft trainierst du? | Zweimal pro Woche. |
| warum / weshalb / wieso | reason | Warum wartest du hier? | Mein Bus kommt gleich. |
| wo | location | Wo liegt der Schlüssel? | Auf dem Tisch. |
| wohin | destination | Wohin fahrt ihr? | Nach Leipzig. |
| woher | origin | Woher kommt das Paket? | Aus Hamburg. |
Keep the question phrase together
In an ordinary direct information question, the question expression comes first and the conjugated verb follows: Wann beginnt der Kurs?. A phrase can contain several words: Wie viele Stühle brauchen wir?. The entire phrase occupies the first position; the verb is not necessarily the second written word.
If the question expression is not the subject, the subject commonly follows the verb: Warum wartet Nora?. If it asks for the subject, do not add another subject: Wer wartet?. For a simple unknown subject, use third-person singular Wer kommt?. German does not add English do or does to this pattern. With a modal verb, keep the infinitive at the end: Was möchtest du trinken?. The word-order exercises give further practice.
Distinguish the person’s role from the choice
Wer, wen and wem ask about people but fit different grammatical roles. Compare Wer hilft dir? – Meine Schwester., Wen rufst du an? – Meinen Bruder. and Wem hilfst du? – Meiner Schwester.. The verb or a preposition determines the required case. A person’s real-world importance does not decide it.
Keep a required preposition: Mit wem sprichst du? – Mit Nora.. Wessen asks about belonging: Wessen Tasche ist das?. For selection, welch- changes its ending with the noun: Welcher Bus fährt? but Welchen Bus nehmen wir?. These examples introduce the difference; they are not a complete case-ending chart.
Ask for the right kind of detail
Use wie viele with countable plural nouns: Wie viele Karten?. Use wie viel for an amount: Wie viel Wasser? or a price: Wie viel kostet das?. An answer such as Drei Euro tells you that the price question is intended.
Wann asks for a time point, wie lange for duration and wie oft for frequency. For the distinction between asking a time and connecting clauses, read wann, wenn and als. The separate wo, wohin and woher comparison explains location, destination and origin in detail. Use the chart here to choose the information category.
Build eight questions from the situation
Replace the blank or ask for the highlighted information. Decide which answer would make the question complete before opening the explanation.
- ___ kommt morgen? – Meine Kollegin.
Show answer and reason
Wer kommt morgen? The missing information is the person who comes: the subject.
- ___ besuchst du? – Meinen Vater.
Show answer and reason
Wen besuchst du? Besuchen takes an accusative object; the person form is wen.
- Mit ___ fährst du? – Mit Ali.
Show answer and reason
Mit wem fährst du? Mit requires dative. Keep the preposition with wem.
- ___ Jacke suchst du? – Die blaue.
Show answer and reason
Welche Jacke suchst du? The reply selects one jacket. Jacke is feminine; welche fits here.
- ___ Wasser brauchen wir? – Zwei Liter.
Show answer and reason
Wie viel Wasser brauchen wir? Wasser is an amount here, not a count of individual items.
- ___ dauert der Termin? – Zwanzig Minuten.
Show answer and reason
Wie lange dauert der Termin? Twenty minutes gives duration, not a starting time.
- ___ kommst du zum Kurs? – Dreimal pro Woche.
Show answer and reason
Wie oft kommst du zum Kurs? Three times per week is frequency. Wie would usually ask about manner or transport in this context.
- Ask why Nora is waiting. Use warum / Nora / warten.
Show answer and reason
Warum wartet Nora? Put the question word first, the conjugated verb next and the subject after it.
Questions about this topic
Are all German questions W-questions?
No. Yes-or-no questions such as Kommst du? usually begin with the conjugated verb. A W-question asks for particular missing information.
Can a short phrase answer a question?
Yes. Um neun or Mit dem Bus can be a natural conversational answer when the context is clear. A full sentence is also possible.
Does warum always require a weil sentence?
No. A reason can be given in a separate main clause, such as Mein Bus kommt gleich. A weil clause is another option and has its own word-order pattern.
Sources and further learning
- IDS grammis: sentence types and W-phrases
- Lingolia: German questions
- Goethe-Institut: Deutsch Online A1, grammar and useful language
Source links checked: .
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