German Grammar A–Z
Look up German grammar topics A–Z, organized by category and level — with clear explanations and examples.
Distinguishing Common Question Words
There are two ways to ask a question in German: questions with a question word (W_Fragen) and questions whose answer is "Ja" or "Nein" (Ja/Nein Fragen). To form W_Fragen, we need to be able to tell the German question words apart. In today's article Vogel will explore these question words with you!!
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Warum = weswegen = weshalb Why? |
Used to ask about a reason. The answer usually begins with “weil” or “da” |
Warum bist du sauer auf mich? - Weil du nie Zeit für mich hast! |
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Wann When? |
Used to ask about a specific point in time |
Wann besuchst du mich? – Ich komme um 16 Uhr vorbei. |
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Wo Where? |
Used to ask about a specific location. The answer needs prepositions of place such as “in”, “bei”, “an” |
Wo wohnst du? – Ich wohne in Berlin. |
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Woher From where? |
Used to ask about origin, provenance, or the place of departure |
Woher kommst du? – Ich komme aus Berlin. |
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Wohin Where to? |
Used to ask about a destination; the answer needs a preposition of place such as “nach”, “in”, “zu” |
Wohin gehst du? – Ich gehe ins Büro. |
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Wie How? |
Used to ask about a state or condition |
Wie geht es dir? - Mir geht es gut. |
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Wie + Adjektiv/Adverb How much / how …? |
Used to ask about duration, frequency, weight or age |
Wie alt bist du? - Ich bin 16 Jahre alt. |
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Wer Who? |
Asks about a person |
Wer bist du? - Ich bin Student. |
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Welcher, welche, welches Which? |
Used to ask about a specific person/thing within a group |
Welchen Wein trinkst du? - Ich trinke Rotwein. |
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Was What? |
Used to ask about a thing or something abstract |
Was machst du? - Ich lese mein Lieblingsbuch. |
