W-Questions in German

Overview

W-questions (also called information questions) are questions that begin with an interrogative word — and in German, most of these words start with the letter W, giving them their name. You use them to ask for specific information rather than a simple yes or no. Mastering these question words is essential at the A1 level because they appear in virtually every conversation.

The sentence structure for W-questions follows the same V2 rule as statements: the question word takes Position 1, the conjugated verb comes in Position 2, and the subject follows. This makes them easy to form once you know the question words.

German has a rich set of question words, including some compound forms like woher (from where) and wohin (to where) that English handles with separate prepositions.

How It Works

Common W-question words:

German	English	Used to ask about
wer	who	person (subject)
was	what	thing or action
wo	where	location
woher	from where	origin
wohin	to where	destination
wann	when	time
warum	why	reason
wie	how	manner, condition
wie viel(e)	how much/many	quantity

Sentence structure:

Position 1 (W-word)	Position 2 (Verb)	Subject/Rest
Wo	wohnst	du?
Was	machst	du?
Wann	kommst	du?
Warum	lernst	du Deutsch?
Wer	ist	das?

Key points:

• The question word always comes first
• The verb is always in second position (just like statements)
• Wer (who) is itself the subject, so no other subject is needed: Wer kommt? (Who is coming?)
• Wie combines with other words: wie alt (how old), wie viel (how much), wie lange (how long)

Examples in Context

German	English	Note
Wo wohnst du?	Where do you live?	Location
Was machst du?	What are you doing?	Action
Wann kommst du?	When are you coming?	Time
Warum lernst du Deutsch?	Why are you learning German?	Reason
Wer ist das?	Who is that?	Person
Woher kommst du?	Where are you from?	Origin
Wohin gehst du?	Where are you going?	Destination
Wie heißt du?	What is your name?	Manner (lit. "how are you called")
Wie alt bist du?	How old are you?	Age
Wie viel kostet das?	How much does that cost?	Price
Wie lange dauert es?	How long does it take?	Duration

Common Mistakes

Confusing "wo," "woher," and "wohin"

• Wrong: Wo kommst du? (when asking about origin)
• Right: Woher kommst du?
• Why: Wo asks about static location (Where are you?). Woher asks about origin (Where from?). Wohin asks about destination (Where to?).

Putting the verb in the wrong position

• Wrong: Wann du kommst?
• Right: Wann kommst du?
• Why: The verb must be in Position 2, directly after the question word. The subject follows the verb.

Using "was" for people

• Wrong: Was ist dein Lehrer?
• Right: Wer ist dein Lehrer?
• Why: Wer is for people, was is for things. Use Was ist er von Beruf? only when asking about someone's profession as a category.

Practice Tips

1. W-word flashcards: Write the German question word on one side and the English equivalent on the other. Quiz yourself until all eight core words are automatic.
2. 20 questions game: Practice asking W-questions about a topic: "Was ist das? Wo ist es? Wer benutzt es? Wie groß ist es?" This builds fluency with different question words.
3. Daily questions: Each morning, write three W-questions about your day: "Was mache ich heute? Wann treffe ich meinen Freund? Wo esse ich zu Mittag?"

Related Concepts

• Parent: Word Order (Main Clause) — W-questions follow the V2 rule