We are usually familiar with the question words wer, was, wen,… With these question words we obtain information about the subject of an action or the object affected by the action. Besides the common question words, wem and wessen are two less frequent question words, but they have very special uses. In today's article we will learn about these two question words! 

1. Questions with WEM

- Used to ask for information about the Dativ object (Dativobjekt). Questions with wem usually contain verbs that take case 3, the Dativ: 

• Wem schickst du diese Blumen? (Who are you sending these flowers to?)

Ich schicke sie meiner Mutter. (I am sending them to my mother.)

- Wem can also be combined with prepositions that can take the Dativ: 

• Zu wem gehst du heute Abend? (Whose place are you going to tonight?)

Ich gehe zu meinen Eltern. (I am going to my parents' place.)

- Many adjectives that take case 3, the Dativ, can also be used in questions with wem: 

• Wem bist du dankbar? (Who are you grateful to?)

Ich bin meiner Mutter dankbar. (I am grateful to my mother.)

- Wem is used as a question word in indirect questions: 

• Anna will wissen, von wem ich dieses Buch bekommen habe. (Anna wants to know who I got this book from.)

2. Questions with WESSEN

- The question word wessen is used with verbs that take case 2, the Genitiv: 

• Wessen gedenkt der Landtag heute? (Whom/what does the state parliament commemorate today?)

Der Landtag gedenkt der Toten der Hochwasserkatastrophe. (The state parliament commemorates the people killed in the flood disaster.)

- Some adjectives that take the Genitiv are also used in questions with wessen: 

• Wessen bist du dir bewusst? (What are you aware of?)

Ich bin mir des Problems bewusst. (I am aware of the problem.)

- Some prepositions that take the Genitiv are also used with the question word wessen: 

• Zugunsten wessen hat das Gericht entschieden? (In whose favor did the court rule?)

Das Gericht hat zugunsten des Angeklagten entschieden. (The court ruled in favor of the defendant.)

3. WESSEN or WEM for questions about the owner

- When the speaker wants to know who the owner of something is, the speaker can use both question words, wessen and wem: 

• Wessen Bleistift ist das? (Whose pencil is this?)

Das ist mein Bleistift. (This is my pencil.)

• Wem gehört dieser Bleistift? (Who does this pencil belong to?)

Dieser Bleistift gehört mir. (This pencil is mine.)