Interrogative articles welch- and was für ein- in German

Interrogativartikel is a type of article in German. Interrogativartikel cannot stand alone but must always be accompanied by a noun. They are commonly used in questions. In today's article, we will explore this type of article together.

1. Interrogativartikel welch-

• Welch- requires a definite article and is commonly used in choice questions. The person being asked is aware of the options, or the options have been mentioned previously.

Welches Auto gehört dir?

(Which car belongs to you?)

→ welches Auto acts as the subject → Nominativ

• Welch- also commonly appears after prepositions:

An welcher Uni studierst du? - Ich studiere an der Leipzig Uni.

(Which university do you study at? - I study at Leipzig University.)

→ an + Dativ → an welcher Uni

• The answer typically uses a Demonstrativartikel or the definite article der/die/das/…..

Welches Auto gehört dir? - Dieses Auto.

(Which car belongs to you? - This car.)

Welches Auto gehört dir? - Der Porsche.

(Which car belongs to you? - The Porsche.)

• Declension of welch-

2. Interrogativ was für ein-

• was für ein- requires the indefinite article. A question with was für ein- is an open-ended question, asking in a general sense, with many possible answers and no limitations.

Was für eine Jacke suchen Sie? - Einen leichte Windjacke.

(What kind of jacket are you looking for? - A light windbreaker.)

→ was für eine Jacke is the object → Akkusativ

• Declension of was für ein-