Yes/No Questions in German

In Brief

To form a standard German yes/no question, put the conjugated verb first, then the subject: Du kommst morgen. becomes Kommst du morgen? German does not add an equivalent of English do/does/did: Hast du Zeit? means “Do you have time?”

Overview

A yes/no question asks whether a whole statement is true. The expected answer is usually ja (“yes”), nein (“no”), or a short phrase that confirms or rejects it. In German, these are called Ja/Nein-Fragen or Entscheidungsfragen (“decision questions”).

This is one of the core word-order patterns introduced at A1. In an ordinary main-clause statement, the conjugated verb—the verb form changed to match the subject and tense—normally occupies the second position: Du wohnst in Berlin. In a yes/no question, that verb moves to the beginning: Wohnst du in Berlin? The subject (the person or thing the sentence is about) normally follows it.

For English speakers, the most important difference is that German does not use do-support. English asks “Does Anna work today?” but German simply places the existing verb first: Arbeitet Anna heute? The same basic pattern works with sein, haben, modal verbs, separable verbs, and multi-part tenses.

How It Works

The beginner rule: conjugated verb + subject

Start with a German statement and identify the conjugated verb. Move that verb to position 1, place the subject after it, and keep the remaining information after the subject.

Statement pattern	Question pattern
Subject + conjugated verb + rest	Conjugated verb + subject + rest + ?
Du kommst morgen.	Kommst du morgen?
Maria arbeitet heute.	Arbeitet Maria heute?
Das ist richtig.	Ist das richtig?

Only the conjugated verb moves. You do not change its ending merely because the sentence is a question:

• Du lernst Deutsch. → Lernst du Deutsch?
• Ihr lernt Deutsch. → Lernt ihr Deutsch?
• Herr Weber lernt Deutsch. → Lernt Herr Weber Deutsch?

German can place other information before the verb in a statement: Morgen kommt Lea. The verb is still in the second position. In the corresponding neutral yes/no question, the conjugated verb goes first: Kommt Lea morgen?

No equivalent of “do” or “does”

English often needs do, does, or did to form a question. German does not insert an extra auxiliary verb (a helping verb). Use the main verb itself:

English question	German structure
Do you work here?	Arbeitest du hier?
Does he speak German?	Spricht er Deutsch?
Did you live in Bonn?	Hast du in Bonn gewohnt?

The final example uses haben because the German perfect tense already contains an auxiliary. It does not translate English did word for word.

Questions with sein and haben

The common verbs sein (“to be”) and haben (“to have”) follow the same verb-first rule:

• Du bist müde. → Bist du müde?
• Das ist richtig. → Ist das richtig?
• Sie haben Zeit. → Haben Sie Zeit?

Notice that Sie with a capital letter is formal “you.” It takes the same verb form as sie (“they”), but capitalization and context distinguish them.

Modal verbs and two-part verb phrases

A modal verb such as können (“can”), müssen (“must”), or wollen (“want”) is conjugated. It goes first, while the infinitive—the basic verb form—stays at the end.

Statement	Yes/no question	Meaning
Du kannst heute kommen.	Kannst du heute kommen?	Can you come today?
Wir müssen jetzt gehen.	Müssen wir jetzt gehen?	Do we have to go now?
Er will Kaffee trinken.	Will er Kaffee trinken?	Does he want to drink coffee?

This creates a sentence bracket: the conjugated verb opens the question and the infinitive closes it.

Separable verbs

A separable verb splits into a conjugated verb and a prefix in a main clause. In a yes/no question, the verb goes first but the separated prefix remains at the end:

• Du rufst mich an. → Rufst du mich an?
• Der Zug kommt pünktlich an. → Kommt der Zug pünktlich an?
• Ihr steht früh auf. → Steht ihr früh auf?

Do not move the complete infinitive anrufen or aufstehen to the front.

Perfect tense and passive constructions

In a multi-part tense, only the conjugated auxiliary moves to the front. The past participle—a verb form such as gemacht or gekommen—stays toward the end.

• Du hast die E-Mail gelesen. → Hast du die E-Mail gelesen?
• Sie ist schon angekommen. → Ist sie schon angekommen?
• Die Tür wird geschlossen. → Wird die Tür geschlossen?

For a beginner, the useful general rule is: move the finite, conjugated verb; leave the other verb parts where their construction requires them.

The order after the subject

A neutral beginner question usually keeps familiar German main-clause ordering after verb and subject:

• Fährst du morgen mit dem Zug nach Hamburg?
• Arbeitet deine Schwester heute im Büro?

German word order in the middle of a sentence is flexible, and speakers can move an item to highlight it. You do not need to master all of that flexibility to ask correct A1 questions. Begin with verb + subject + time + other details when that order fits the message.

Examples in Context

The following questions show the pattern in everyday situations, from simple present-tense questions to common two-part constructions.

German	English	Note
Kommst du morgen?	Are you coming tomorrow?	Present tense; the verb comes first.
Hast du Zeit?	Do you have time?	No German equivalent of English do is added.
Ist das richtig?	Is that correct?	sein follows the same pattern.
Wohnt Frau Klein hier?	Does Ms Klein live here?	A noun subject follows the verb.
Sprecht ihr Englisch?	Do you all speak English?	ihr is informal plural “you.”
Sind Sie zum ersten Mal in Berlin?	Is this your first time in Berlin?	Formal Sie is capitalized.
Kann ich mit Karte bezahlen?	Can I pay by card?	Modal first; infinitive at the end.
Musst du heute arbeiten?	Do you have to work today?	The modal carries the subject ending.
Rufst du mich später an?	Will you call me later?	The prefix an stays at the end.
Fängt der Film um acht an?	Does the film start at eight?	Separable anfangen; vowel-changing fängt.
Habt ihr schon gegessen?	Have you already eaten?	Perfect tense: auxiliary first, participle later.
Ist Lena gut angekommen?	Did Lena arrive safely?	Perfect tense with sein.
Gibt es hier WLAN?	Is there Wi-Fi here?	Common fixed pattern gibt es.
Möchtest du noch einen Kaffee?	Would you like another coffee?	A polite offer with möchten.
Darf man hier fotografieren?	Is photography allowed here?	Literally, “May one take photographs here?”

Giving short answers

A bare ja or nein is grammatically possible, but a short clause often sounds clearer and gives useful speaking practice.

Question and answer	English	Note
Kommst du morgen? – Ja, ich komme morgen.	Are you coming tomorrow? – Yes, I am.	The answer returns to statement word order.
Hast du Zeit? – Nein, leider nicht.	Do you have time? – No, unfortunately not.	A natural polite refusal.
Ist das richtig? – Ja, genau.	Is that correct? – Yes, exactly.	Common confirmation.
Trinkst du keinen Kaffee? – Doch, jeden Morgen.	Don’t you drink coffee? – Yes, every morning.	doch contradicts the negative assumption.

English can reply with “Yes, I do” or “No, she isn’t,” repeating an auxiliary. German generally does not copy this pattern mechanically. Natural options include Ja, Nein, doch, a short adverb such as genau, or a clause with the relevant German verb.

Common Mistakes

Adding a form of tun to imitate English “do”

• Wrong: Tust du hier arbeiten?
• Right: Arbeitest du hier?
• Why: Standard German forms this question by moving arbeitest to the front. It does not normally use tun as a question auxiliary.

Leaving statement word order unchanged

• Wrong as a neutral question: Du kommst morgen?
• Right: Kommst du morgen?
• Why: The standard pattern begins with the conjugated verb. Statement-shaped questions do occur in conversation, but they usually express surprise or ask for confirmation rather than serving as the neutral default.

Moving the wrong verb in a modal construction

• Wrong: Kommen du kannst heute?
• Right: Kannst du heute kommen?
• Why: The conjugated modal kannst goes first. The infinitive kommen stays at the end.

Keeping a separable verb together

• Wrong: Anrufst du mich später?
• Right: Rufst du mich später an?
• Why: In a direct main-clause question, the prefix of anrufen separates and goes to the end.

Forgetting subject–verb agreement

• Wrong: Kommst ihr morgen?
• Right: Kommt ihr morgen?
• Why: Verb-first order does not change conjugation. The verb must still agree with the subject ihr.

Answering a negative question ambiguously

• Potentially confusing: Trinkst du keinen Tee? – Ja.
• Clear: Trinkst du keinen Tee? – Doch, ich trinke Tee. / Nein, ich trinke keinen Tee.
• Why: Use doch to contradict a negative question. Use nein to confirm that the negative statement is true, and add a short clause when clarity matters.

Usage Notes

Intonation and punctuation

In speech, yes/no questions commonly have rising intonation, especially when the speaker genuinely requests information. Intonation varies with region, emotion, and context, so word order is the more reliable grammatical signal. In writing, use a question mark.

Informal and formal “you”

The syntax stays the same, but the pronoun and verb form depend on the relationship:

• Informal singular: Kommst du mit?
• Informal plural: Kommt ihr mit?
• Formal singular or plural: Kommen Sie mit?

The formal form Sie is capitalized. Choosing between du and Sie is a matter of social register, not question formation.

Questions as polite requests

A grammatical yes/no question can perform another social function. Kannst du das Fenster öffnen? literally asks about ability, but normally functions as a request. Könnten Sie mir helfen? (“Could you help me?”) is more tentative and polite. The verb-first structure remains the same.

Neutral questions and confirmation questions

The neutral form is verb-first: Du wohnst in Köln. → Wohnst du in Köln? In informal speech, a speaker may retain statement order and rely on intonation: Du wohnst in Köln? This often means “You live in Cologne?” and suggests that the speaker has just heard this or wants confirmation. Learners should use verb-first order as the safe general pattern.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following points at A1, but you will encounter them as your German develops.

Doch and the logic of negative questions

German doch is especially useful because English has no single exact equivalent in this use. It rejects a negative assumption:

• Kommst du nicht mit? – Doch! (“Aren’t you coming? – Yes, I am!”)
• Hast du kein Auto? – Doch, aber es ist sehr alt. (“Don’t you have a car? – Yes, I do, but it is very old.”)

By contrast, Nein, ich komme nicht mit confirms the negative. Because bare ja can be interpreted differently depending on context, a fuller answer is often best.

Embedded yes/no questions with ob

A direct question uses verb-first order: Kommt er heute? When that question becomes part of a larger sentence, German normally introduces it with ob (“whether/if”) and sends the conjugated verb to the end:

• Ich weiß nicht, ob er heute kommt. — “I don’t know whether he is coming today.”
• Kannst du mir sagen, ob der Laden geöffnet ist? — “Can you tell me whether the shop is open?”

This is an indirect question: instead of asking the yes/no question directly, the speaker reports or embeds it. Do not use direct-question order after ob: not ob kommt er heute, but ob er heute kommt.

Focus and marked ordering

German speakers can move material within the question to emphasize what is uncertain:

• Kommt Anna morgen mit dem Zug? — neutral in many contexts
• Kommt Anna mit dem Zug morgen? — possible in a suitable contrast, but marked

Prosody—the rhythm and emphasis of speech—also identifies the focus. At beginner level, imitate common neutral patterns rather than trying to derive every possible order from English.

Question tags and conversational particles

German also seeks confirmation with expressions such as oder?, nicht wahr?, and colloquial ne?: Du kommst morgen, oder? These are not formed by verb–subject inversion; they attach a short confirmation prompt to a statement. Modal particles can add attitude to verb-first questions as well: Kommst du denn mit? Depending on context, denn can make the question sound more connected to the conversation, curious, or surprised. Such particles rarely have a neat word-for-word English translation.

Practice Tips

1. Transform statements in three steps. Underline the conjugated verb, move it to the front, and add a question mark: Ihr habt heute frei. → Habt ihr heute frei? Include modal, separable, and perfect-tense sentences once the basic pattern feels easy.
2. Answer aloud with more than one word. Practice each question with ja, nein, and—when the question is negative—doch. Then add a short clause: Ja, ich komme mit or Nein, ich habe keine Zeit.
3. Listen for the sentence bracket. In German conversations, notice the first conjugated verb and wait for an infinitive, participle, or separable prefix near the end: Kannst du … kommen?, Hast du … gesehen?, Rufst du … an?

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Word Order (Main Clause) — the statement pattern that yes/no questions rearrange.
• Closely related: W-Questions — questions with words such as wer, was, wo, and warum place the question word before the conjugated verb.
• Later extension: Indirect questions with ob — embedded yes/no questions use subordinate-clause word order, with the conjugated verb at the end.