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W-Fragen

A1Wh-questions

Woher kommt dein Bruder?

Where does your brother come from?

ERKLÄRUNG

Use wer, was, wo, woher, wohin, wann, wie, warum, wie viel / wie viele, and welcher / welche / welches to ask for people, things, places, time, reason, quantity, and choice. In German questions, the question word comes first and the verb stays in position 2.

W-Fragen start with a question word in position 1, then comes the conjugated verb in position 2. After that usually comes the subject and the rest of the sentence. The answer is often a full statement, but it can also be a short phrase if the question is very clear.

STRUKTUR

W-word + conjugated verb + subject + rest

In a W-question, the question word takes position 1. The verb does not move to the end.

Wer kommt heute mit?Who is coming along today?
Was macht ihr im Kurs?What do you do in the course?
Wann beginnt der Zug?When does the train start?

wo / woher / wohin + verb + subject + rest

These three words ask about place, origin, and destination.

Wo arbeitet deine Mutter?Where does your mother work?
Woher kommt ihr Freund?Where does her boyfriend come from?
Wohin fährst du morgen?Where are you going tomorrow?

wie viel / wie viele / welcher... + verb + subject + rest

Choose the question word by noun type or by the choice you want to ask about.

Wie viel Milch brauchst du?How much milk do you need?
Wie viele Gäste kommen?How many guests are coming?
Welches Hemd nimmst du?Which shirt are you taking?

ÜBERSICHT

Basic W-questions

Question word	Meaning	Use
Wer	who	for a person (subject)
Was	what	for a thing or an action
Wo	where	for a place (location)
Woher	from where	for origin or starting point
Wohin	to where	for destination or direction
Wann	when	for time
Wie	how	for manner or condition
Warum	why	for a reason

TYPISCHE FEHLER

Woher wohnst du?
Wo wohnst du?
Use wo for location. Woher asks about origin, and wohin asks about direction.
Wie viele Wasser trinkst du?
Wie viel Wasser trinkst du?
Use wie viel with uncountable nouns like Wasser. Wie viele is for countable plural nouns.
Wie viele ist deine Schwester?
Wie alt ist deine Schwester?
Wie alt is used to ask for age. Do not use wie viele with a person; it asks for a number, not age.
Welches Bücher liest du?
Welche Bücher liest du?
Welche must match the plural noun Bücher. Welches is singular neuter.

HINWEISE

Wer is used for people in the subject position: Wer kommt? For objects, German often uses wen or was in later lessons, but this point focuses on the basic question words.
Wo, woher, and wohin are a common confusion. Remember: place where, starting point, and destination.
Wie viel is for uncountable nouns: wie viel Zeit, wie viel Wasser. Wie viele is for plural countable nouns: wie viele Bücher, wie viele Leute.
Welcher / welche / welches changes with gender and number, like an article. It is useful when the choice is between known things.

VERWANDT

Ja/Nein-Fragen und SatzstellungYes/No questionsA1 Bestimmter Artikel und GenusDefinite article and genderA1 Uhrzeit und ZeitangabenTime and time expressionsA1 sein und habensein and habenA1

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