W-Questions (Question Words)

Asking who, what, when, where, why, how in German

German question words start with 'W' — just like English 'W' questions (who, what, when, where, why). These are called W-Fragen (W-questions) in German. When you ask a W-question, the verb still comes in second position, and the question word goes first. Learning these 8 essential question words allows you to ask almost anything.

Word order: Question word + verb + subject + rest

W-questions follow the same verb-second rule. The question word (W-word) occupies position 1, the verb comes second: Wo wohnst du? (Where do you live?) | Wann kommst du? (When are you coming?) | Was machst du? (What are you doing?)

Question words don't change (with some exceptions)

Most W-words stay the same: wo, wann, warum, wie, woher, wohin. 'Wer' (who) changes for case: wer (nominative), wen (accusative), wem (dative), wessen (genitive). At A1, focus on 'wer' and 'wen'.

'Wo', 'woher', 'wohin' — location vs. direction

Wo = where (location/place): Wo bist du? (Where are you?) | Woher = where from (origin): Woher kommst du? (Where are you from?) | Wohin = where to (destination): Wohin gehst du? (Where are you going?)

'Wie' can combine with adjectives to form new question words

Wie viel = how much (uncountable): Wie viel kostet das? | Wie viele = how many (countable): Wie viele Kinder hast du? | Wie lange = how long | Wie oft = how often | Wie weit = how far.

German	English	Example Question	Example Answer
wer	who	Wer bist du?	Ich bin Anna.
was	what	Was machst du?	Ich lerne Deutsch.
wo	where (place)	Wo wohnst du?	Ich wohne in Berlin.
woher	where from	Woher kommst du?	Ich komme aus der Ukraine.
wohin	where to	Wohin gehst du?	Ich gehe nach Hause.
wann	when	Wann kommst du?	Ich komme um 5 Uhr.
warum	why	Warum lernst du Deutsch?	Weil ich in Deutschland arbeite.
wie	how	Wie heißt du?	Ich heiße Max.

Phrase	English	Example
wie viel	how much	Wie viel kostet das Buch?
wie viele	how many	Wie viele Sprachen sprichst du?
wie alt	how old	Wie alt bist du?
wie lange	how long	Wie lange lernst du schon Deutsch?
wie oft	how often	Wie oft gehst du ins Gym?
wie weit	how far	Wie weit ist der Bahnhof?

Woher kommen Sie?

Where are you from? (formal)

'Sie' (formal you) — verb still in second position

Was ist das?

What is that?

Most basic question — used constantly

Wie viel Uhr ist es?

What time is it?

Literally: How many o'clock is it?

Warum lernst du Deutsch?

Why are you learning German?

The answer often starts with 'weil' (because)

Wer ist das?

Who is that?

Used when pointing to a person

A memory trick: Wo = Where (both start with W), Wann = When (both start with W), Was = What (both start with W) — the German and English question words look very similar!
The most common question for beginners: 'Wie heißt du?' (What's your name?) and 'Woher kommst du?' (Where are you from?) — practice these first.
Don't confuse 'wo' (where/place), 'woher' (where from), and 'wohin' (where to). German distinguishes location and direction — choose the right word.
'Warum' is for why. The answer uses 'weil' (because): Warum lernst du? Weil es Spaß macht! (Because it's fun!)

Putting the verb in the wrong position: ✗ Wo du wohnst? → ✓ Wo wohnst du?
Using 'wo' for direction: ✗ Wo gehst du? → ✓ Wohin gehst du?
Confusing 'wer' and 'was': 'wer' = who (person), 'was' = what (thing/action). ✗ Was bist du? → ✓ Wer bist du? (for asking about identity)

Wie lange lernst du schon Deutsch?

Tap to reveal

Wie lange lernst du schon Deutsch?

How long have you been learning German?

Practice This Topic

Reinforce what you learned with interactive exercises.

Topic 16 / 80