Interrogative
Sentence Order: question word - finite verb - subject - other elements
| German | English |
|---|---|
| was? | what? |
| wann? | when? |
| warum? | why? |
| wie? | how? / what? |
| wie lange? | how long? |
| wie viel? | how much? |
| wie viele? | how many? |
| wie oft? | how often? |
| German | Literal meaning | Case | Example | Example Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| wo | where (static) | Dative | Wo bist du? | Where are you? |
| wohin | where to | Accusative | Wohin gehst du? | Where are you going (to)? |
| woher | where from | von/aus + Dative | Woher kommst du? | Where do you come from? |
| German | Literal meaning | Case | Example | Example Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| wer | who? (subject) | Nominative | Wer kommt heute? | Who is coming today? |
| wen | whom? (object) | Accusative | Wen siehst du? | Whom / Who do you see? |
| wem | to whom? / for whom? | Dative | Wem gibst du das Buch? | To whom are you giving the book? |
Examples:
- Wer ist das? → Who is that?
- Wem hilfst du → Whom are you helping?
- Wo wohnst du? → Where do you live?
- Woher kommen Sie? → Where do you come from?
- Wohin gehst du am nächsten Montag? → Where are you going next Monday?
- Wie viel kosten 100 Gramm Mozzarella? → How much is 100 grams of Mozzarella?
- Wie oft gehst du aus? → How often do you go out?
- Was sind Sie von Beruf? → What are you by profession?
Wie vs Was
For these, try to use “wie” instead of “was”:
- Identity & Personal Details
- Name, Familienname, Vorname
- Contact Information
- Adresse, Telefonnummer, E-Mail-Adresse
- Time and Dates
- Uhrzeit, Datum
- Relating to how it’s written / form / wording
- Passwort, Lösung
Examples:
- Wie heißt du? → What are you called?
- Wie ist deine E-Mail-Adresse? → What is your e-mail address?
- Wie ist die Lösung? → What is the solution?
- Wie ist die Uhrzeit? → What time is it?
Yes or No questions
Examples:
- Haben Sie Geschwister? → Have you got siblings?
- Ist das dein Handy? → Is this your phone?
- Läuft sie wirklich jeden Tag 10 km? → Does she really run 10km everyday?
As you can see, the finite verb moves into the first place.
Doch
This is rather a reply than a question so take it as a bonus segment.
Doch means “Yes, I do” and it’s used to contradict a negative sentence.
🧑🦰 Kannst du mir nicht helfen?
🧑🦱 Doch! Ich kann!
It can also be used to show something is obvious:
🧑🦱 Das ist doch klar! → That is (obviously) clear!
🧑🦱 Du weißt das doch! → You know that (obviously)!
It can also be used for softening a command like this:
🧑🦰 Komm doch mit! → Oh, come along!