German Question Words
German question words (Fragewörter) always occupy the first position in a question, followed immediately by the conjugated verb in second position. The most common are wer (who), was (what), wo/wohin/woher (where/where to/where from), wann (when), wie (how), and warum (why). The word wer declines through four cases: wer, wen, wem, wessen.
German question words follow a strict pattern: the question word comes first, the verb second, then the subject and other elements. This word order never changes, making questions predictable once you know the pattern.
Person questions use wer, which changes form depending on its grammatical case. In the nominative (subject), use wer. In the accusative (direct object), use wen. In the dative (indirect object), use wem. The genitive form wessen is rare in everyday speech. Thing questions use was, which stays the same in nominative and accusative but has no dative or genitive form.
Location questions distinguish three concepts that English often blurs. Use wo to ask about a static position, wohin to ask about movement toward a destination, and woher to ask about origin or source. Time questions also have specific words: wann for a point in time, wie lange for duration, wie oft for frequency, and wie spät specifically for clock time.
The word wie combines productively with adjectives and adverbs to form compound questions: wie alt (how old), wie viel (how much, for uncountable), wie viele (how many, for countable), wie weit (how far), and wie teuer (how expensive). On its own, wie asks about manner or condition. The reason words warum, wieso, and weshalb are interchangeable in modern German.
- wer declines through four cases
- wer fragt nach Personen und dekliniert wie ein Artikel: wer (Nominativ), wen (Akkusativ), wem (Dativ), wessen (Genitiv). Beispiel: Wer kommt? Wen siehst du? Wem hilfst du?
- was asks about things and objects
- was fragt nach Dingen und Sachen (Nominativ und Akkusativ): Was ist das? Was machst du? Für die Art oder Kategorie benutzt man was für ein: Was für ein Auto hast du?
- Location questions: wo, wohin, woher
- Ortsfragen unterscheiden drei Richtungen: wo (Position: Wo wohnst du?), wohin (Richtung hin: Wohin fährst du?), woher (Herkunft: Woher kommst du?).
- Time questions: wann, wie lange, wie oft, wie spät
- Zeitfragen: wann (Zeitpunkt: Wann beginnt der Kurs?), wie lange (Dauer), wie oft (Häufigkeit), wie spät (Uhrzeit: Wie spät ist es?).
- wie combines with adjectives and adverbs
- wie kombiniert sich mit Adjektiven und Adverbien: wie alt, wie viel (unzählbar), wie viele (zählbar), wie weit, wie teuer. Allein bedeutet wie die Art und Weise: Wie geht es dir?
- Reason words and question word order
- warum, wieso und weshalb fragen nach dem Grund und sind austauschbar. In jeder W-Frage steht das W-Wort auf Position 1 und das konjugierte Verb auf Position 2.
Examples
Common mistakes
- Using was instead of wen for people in accusative: say Wen siehst du?, not Was siehst du? when asking about a person
- Confusing wo and wohin: say Wohin gehst du? for where you are going, not Wo gehst du?
- Using wie viel with countable nouns: say Wie viele Bücher?, not Wie viel Bücher?
- Placing the verb in the wrong position: say Wann kommst du?, not Wann du kommst? in direct questions
FAQ
What is the difference between wo, wohin, and woher?
Wo asks where something or someone is located (static position). Wohin asks where something or someone is going (destination or direction). Woher asks where something or someone comes from (origin or source). German maintains these three distinctions that English often expresses with context alone.
When do I use wen instead of wer?
Use wer when the person is the subject of the sentence (nominative case). Use wen when the person is the direct object (accusative case). If the sentence uses a verb that takes accusative, like sehen or besuchen, the question word becomes wen. Compare Wer kommt? (who is coming, subject) with Wen siehst du? (whom do you see, object).
Can I use warum, wieso, and weshalb interchangeably?
Yes, all three words mean why and ask for a reason or cause. They are completely interchangeable in modern German. Warum is the most common in everyday speech, wieso is slightly more informal, and weshalb sounds slightly more formal, but native speakers use all three without meaningful distinction.