Introduction to WH Questions
WH questions in German help us ask for specific information. These questions often start with question words such as "Was" (What), "Wer" (Who), "Wo" (Where), etc. Here are the key question words in German:
- Was - What
- Wer - Who
- Wo - Where
- Wann - When
- Warum - Why
- Wie - How
- Welcher/Welches/Welche - Which
- Wohin - Where to
- Woher - Where from
Basic Sentence Structure
In German, the simplest sentence structure for WH questions follows this basic pattern:
Sentence Structure
Question Word
→
Verb
→
Subject
→
Object
Example: Was (What) lernst (are you learning) du (you)?
Examples of WH Questions in German
1. Questions with "Was" (What)
| German |
English |
| Was machst du? |
What are you doing? |
| Was ist das? |
What is that? |
| Was möchtest du essen? |
What would you like to eat? |
| Was studierst du? |
What do you study? |
| Was trinkst du gerne? |
What do you like to drink? |
2. Questions with "Wer" (Who)
| German |
English |
| Wer bist du? |
Who are you? |
| Wer kommt mit? |
Who is coming along? |
| Wer hat das gemacht? |
Who did that? |
| Wer ist dein Lehrer? |
Who is your teacher? |
| Wer spricht Deutsch? |
Who speaks German? |
3. Questions with "Wo" (Where)
| German |
English |
| Wo wohnst du? |
Where do you live? |
| Wo arbeitest du? |
Where do you work? |
| Wo ist die Schule? |
Where is the school? |
| Woher kommst du? |
Where are you from? |
| Wo ist das Restaurant? |
Where is the restaurant? |
4. Questions with "Wann" (When)
| German |
English |
| Wann gehst du zur Arbeit? |
When do you go to work? |
| Wann beginnt der Unterricht? |
When does the class begin? |
| Wann ist dein Geburtstag? |
When is your birthday? |
| Wann bist du frei? |
When are you free? |
| Wann fahren wir ab? |
When are we leaving? |
5. Questions with "Warum" (Why)
| German |
English |
| Warum lernst du Deutsch? |
Why are you learning German? |
| Warum bist du müde? |
Why are you tired? |
| Warum hast du das gemacht? |
Why did you do that? |
| Warum gehst du nicht zur Party? |
Why are you not going to the party? |
| Warum ist er nicht hier? |
Why is he not here? |
6. Questions with "Wie" (How)
| German |
English |
| Wie geht es dir? |
How are you? |
| Wie alt bist du? |
How old are you? |
| Wie viel kostet das? |
How much does that cost? |
| Wie lange dauert die Fahrt? |
How long does the journey take? |
| Wie groß bist du? |
How tall are you? |
7. Questions with "Welcher/Welches/Welche" (Which)
| German |
English |
| Welcher Tag ist heute? |
Which day is today? |
| Welche Farbe magst du? |
Which color do you like? |
| Welches Buch liest du? |
Which book are you reading? |
| Welches Auto fährst du? |
Which car do you drive? |
| Welche Musik hörst du? |
Which music do you listen to? |
| Welcher Film gefällt dir am besten? |
Which movie do you like the most? |
| Welche Sprache sprichst du? |
Which language do you speak? |
Why "Which" Has Three Forms: Welcher, Welches, Welche
In German, the word for "which" changes depending on the gender, number, and case of the noun it refers to.
The forms are:
- Welcher: Masculine singular nouns (e.g., Welcher Mann – Which man)
- Welches: Neuter singular nouns (e.g., Welches Buch – Which book)
- Welche: Feminine singular nouns or plural nouns (e.g., Welche Frau – Which woman; Welche Autos – Which cars)
Forms of "Which" Based on Gender and Case
| Case |
Masculine |
Neuter |
Feminine |
Plural |
| Nominative (subject) |
Welcher |
Welches |
Welche |
Welche |
| Accusative (direct object) |
Welchen |
Welches |
Welche |
Welche |
| Dative (indirect object) |
Welchem |
Welchem |
Welcher |
Welchen |
Example Sentences
Nominative Case
When the noun is the subject of the sentence:
- Welcher Hund bellt? (Which dog is barking?)
- Welches Auto ist rot? (Which car is red?)
- Welche Blume gefällt dir? (Which flower do you like?)
- Welche Bücher liest du? (Which books are you reading?)
Accusative Case
When the noun is the direct object:
- Welchen Film schaust du? (Which movie are you watching?)
- Welches Essen möchtest du? (Which food do you want?)
- Welche Tasche nimmst du? (Which bag are you taking?)
- Welche Getränke bestellst du? (Which drinks are you ordering?)
Dative Case
When the noun is the indirect object:
- Welchem Freund hilfst du? (Which friend are you helping?)
- Welcher Frau gibst du das Geschenk? (Which woman are you giving the gift to?)
- Welchen Kindern bringst du das Buch? (Which children are you bringing the book to?)
8. Questions with "Wohin" (Where to)
| German |
English |
| Wohin gehst du? |
Where are you going? |
| Wohin fährst du morgen? |
Where are you going tomorrow? |
| Wohin fliegst du im Urlaub? |
Where are you flying for the vacation? |
| Wohin sollen wir gehen? |
Where should we go? |
| Wohin hast du das Buch gelegt? |
Where did you put the book? |
9. Questions with "Woher" (Where from)
| German |
English |
| Woher kommst du? |
Where are you from? |
| Woher hast du das bekommen? |
Where did you get that from? |
| Woher weißt du das? |
How do you know that? |
| Woher kommt dieses Geräusch? |
Where is this noise coming from? |
| Woher bist du nach Deutschland gekommen? |
Where did you come from to Germany? |
Practice WH Questions in German
Practice forming WH questions in German by using the examples above. Remember to use the appropriate question word depending on what kind of information you are asking for. For example:
- Was - Use for "What" when asking about things or actions.
- Wer - Use for "Who" when asking about people.
- Wo - Use for "Where" when asking about locations.
- Wann - Use for "When" when asking about time.
- Warum - Use for "Why" when asking for reasons.
- Wie - Use for "How" when asking about manner or condition.
- Welcher/Welches/Welche - Use for "Which" when asking for choices.
Try to apply these questions to your daily conversations in German!