Two kinds of questions
German builds questions by moving the conjugated verb. There is no helper verb like "do".
| Type | Position 1 | Position 2 | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| W-question | Wo | wohnst | du? |
| W-question | Was | machen | Sie beruflich? |
| Yes/no question | Wohnst | du | in Köln? |
| Yes/no question | Haben | Sie | einen Termin? |
- W-question: question word first, verb second, then the subject.
- Yes/no question: verb first, then the subject. The voice rises at the end.
The question words
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| wer | who | Wer ist das? — Who is that? |
| was | what | Was kostet das? — What does that cost? |
| wo | where (location) | Wo ist der Bahnhof? — Where is the station? |
| woher | where from | Woher kommen Sie? — Where are you from? |
| wohin | where to | Wohin fährt der Zug? — Where is the train going? |
| wann | when | Wann beginnt der Kurs? — When does the course start? |
| wie | how | Wie heißt du? — What's your name? |
| warum | why | Warum lernst du Deutsch? — Why are you learning German? |
| welcher / welche / welches | which | Welche Linie fährt zum Zentrum? — Which line goes to the centre? |
wie combines with other words: wie alt (how old), wie lange (how long), wie viel (how much), wie viele (how many), wie spät (what time).
welch- takes the ending of der, die, das
- Welcher Bus? (der Bus) — Which bus?
- Welche Straße? (die Straße) — Which street?
- Welches Gleis? (das Gleis) — Which platform?
- Welche Schuhe? (plural) — Which shoes?
Short answers
- Kommst du mit? Ja. / Nein. — Are you coming? Yes. / No.
- Wo wohnst du? In Bremen. — Where do you live? In Bremen.
A full sentence answer puts the verb back in position 2: Ich wohne in Bremen.
Watch out as an English speaker
- No "do" in German questions. The main verb moves itself: ✗ Tust du Deutsch sprechen? / ✓ Sprichst du Deutsch?
- False friends: wer = who, wo = where, wie = how. ✗ Wer wohnst du? (meaning "where") / ✓ Wo wohnst du?
- English "where" covers location and direction, German does not. With movement use wohin: ✗ Wo gehst du? / ✓ Wohin gehst du? (spoken also Wo gehst du hin?)
- "What is your name?" is not translated word for word in everyday speech: ✓ Wie heißen Sie? (Was ist Ihr Name? is possible but less common.)
Example dialogue
Entschuldigung, wann fährt der nächste Zug nach Hannover? — Excuse me, when does the next train to Hanover leave?
Um 14:10 Uhr. — At 2:10 pm.
Von welchem Gleis? — From which platform?
Von Gleis 7. — From platform 7.
Muss ich umsteigen? — Do I have to change?
Nein, der Zug fährt direkt. — No, the train goes direct.