German Question Words: How to Ask Questions in German (Complete Guide)

Asking questions is essential in any language. Whether you're ordering food, asking for directions, or having a conversation - you need to know how to ask questions in German.

German question words are called W-Fragen (W-questions) because most of them start with "W." Once you learn these words and the question structure, you can ask almost anything.

This guide covers all essential German question words with clear examples and pronunciation tips.

The 9 Essential German Question Words

German	English	Pronunciation
Wer	Who	VEHR
Was	What	VAHS
Wo	Where	VOH
Wann	When	VAHN
Warum	Why	vah-ROOM
Wie	How	VEE
Welcher/Welche/Welches	Which	VEL-khuh
Wessen	Whose	VES-sen
Woher	Where from	voh-HEHR

1. Wer (Who)

Wer asks about people as the subject of the sentence.

Examples:

Wer ist das? (Who is that?)
Wer kommt zur Party? (Who is coming to the party?)
Wer hat das gesagt? (Who said that?)
Wer spricht Deutsch? (Who speaks German?)

Cases with "Wer":

Wer (Nominative) - Who (subject)
Wen (Accusative) - Who/Whom (direct object)
Wem (Dative) - To whom (indirect object)

Examples with cases:

Wen siehst du? (Who do you see?) - Accusative
Wem gibst du das Buch? (To whom are you giving the book?) - Dative

2. Was (What)

Was asks about things, actions, or ideas.

Examples:

Was ist das? (What is that?)
Was machst du? (What are you doing?)
Was kostet das? (What does that cost? / How much is that?)
Was isst du gern? (What do you like to eat?)
Was bedeutet dieses Wort? (What does this word mean?)

Common phrases with "Was":

Was fuer ein...? (What kind of...?)
Was fuer ein Auto hast du? (What kind of car do you have?)

3. Wo (Where)

Wo asks about location (where something IS).

Examples:

Wo bist du? (Where are you?)
Wo ist die Toilette? (Where is the toilet?)
Wo wohnst du? (Where do you live?)
Wo ist der Bahnhof? (Where is the train station?)
Wo kann ich das kaufen? (Where can I buy that?)

Wo vs. Wohin vs. Woher

German distinguishes between:

Wo = Where (location, no movement)
Wohin = Where to (movement towards)
Woher = Where from (origin/source)

Examples:

Wo bist du? - Where are you? (location)
Wohin gehst du? - Where are you going? (destination)
Woher kommst du? - Where are you from? (origin)

4. Wann (When)

Wann asks about time.

Examples:

Wann kommst du? (When are you coming?)
Wann faengt der Film an? (When does the movie start?)
Wann hast du Geburtstag? (When is your birthday?)
Wann ist das Geschaeft geoeffnet? (When is the store open?)
Wann faehrt der Zug? (When does the train leave?)

5. Warum (Why)

Warum asks for reasons or explanations.

Examples:

Warum lernst du Deutsch? (Why are you learning German?)
Warum bist du muede? (Why are you tired?)
Warum nicht? (Why not?)
Warum ist der Himmel blau? (Why is the sky blue?)
Warum hast du das gemacht? (Why did you do that?)

Alternative words for "why":

Wieso = Why (slightly more casual)
Weshalb = Why (more formal)

All three are interchangeable in most situations.

6. Wie (How)

Wie is one of the most useful question words. It asks about manner, condition, or degree.

Basic examples:

Wie geht es dir? (How are you?)
Wie heisst du? (What is your name? - literally: How are you called?)
Wie spaet ist es? (What time is it? - literally: How late is it?)
Wie schreibt man das? (How do you spell that?)
Wie bitte? (Pardon? / Excuse me?)

"Wie" Combinations:

German	English	Example
Wie viel	How much	Wie viel kostet das? (How much does it cost?)
Wie viele	How many	Wie viele Kinder hast du? (How many children do you have?)
Wie alt	How old	Wie alt bist du? (How old are you?)
Wie lange	How long	Wie lange dauert das? (How long does that take?)
Wie oft	How often	Wie oft gehst du ins Kino? (How often do you go to the cinema?)
Wie weit	How far	Wie weit ist es? (How far is it?)
Wie gross	How big/tall	Wie gross bist du? (How tall are you?)

7. Welcher/Welche/Welches (Which)

Welch- asks you to choose from options. It changes based on gender and case.

Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Nominative	welcher	welche	welches	welche
Accusative	welchen	welche	welches	welche
Dative	welchem	welcher	welchem	welchen

Examples:

Welcher Film gefaellt dir? (Which movie do you like?) - masculine
Welche Farbe magst du? (Which color do you like?) - feminine
Welches Buch liest du? (Which book are you reading?) - neuter
Welche Schuhe nimmst du? (Which shoes are you taking?) - plural

German Question Structure

In German W-questions, the word order is:

Question Word + Verb + Subject + Rest

Wo + wohnst + du? (Where do you live?)
Was + machst + du + heute? (What are you doing today?)
Wann + kommt + der Zug? (When does the train come?)

Key rule: The verb is ALWAYS in second position after the question word.

Yes/No Questions (Without Question Words)

For questions that can be answered with yes or no, simply put the verb first:

Sprichst du Deutsch? (Do you speak German?)
Kommst du mit? (Are you coming along?)
Hast du Zeit? (Do you have time?)
Ist das richtig? (Is that correct?)
Kannst du mir helfen? (Can you help me?)

20 Essential Questions for Daily Life

Memorize these practical questions:

Wie heisst du? (What's your name?)
Woher kommst du? (Where are you from?)
Wo wohnst du? (Where do you live?)
Was machst du beruflich? (What do you do for work?)
Wie alt bist du? (How old are you?)
Sprichst du Englisch? (Do you speak English?)
Wie viel kostet das? (How much does that cost?)
Wo ist die Toilette? (Where is the toilet?)
Wie spaet ist es? (What time is it?)
Wann oeffnet das Geschaeft? (When does the store open?)
Kannst du das wiederholen? (Can you repeat that?)
Was bedeutet das? (What does that mean?)
Wie komme ich zum Bahnhof? (How do I get to the train station?)
Hast du WLAN? (Do you have WiFi?)
Kann ich mit Karte bezahlen? (Can I pay by card?)
Gibt es hier ein Restaurant? (Is there a restaurant here?)
Was empfehlen Sie? (What do you recommend?)
Ist dieser Platz frei? (Is this seat free?)
Wie lange dauert das? (How long does that take?)
Koennen Sie mir helfen? (Can you help me? - formal)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using "wo" for movement

Wrong: Wo gehst du?

Right: Wohin gehst du? (Where are you going?)

Wrong word order

Wrong: Wo du wohnst?

Right: Wo wohnst du?

Mixing up "Wie" and "Was"

Wrong: Was heisst du? (for "What's your name?")

Right: Wie heisst du?

Practice Tip

The best way to learn question words is to use them constantly:

When you see something, ask "Was ist das?"
When you hear a new word, ask "Was bedeutet das?"
When someone tells you something, ask "Warum?" or "Wann?"

Questions are the key to learning. The more you ask, the faster you learn German.