Have you ever found yourself lost in a German conversation with a native from Berlin, wishing you knew the right German question words to ask? To wen (whom, accusative case) are you supposed to turn for help? Welches (which) question word should be used? Wo (where) can you find a simple, comprehensive guide to answer all these questions? You can find out about German Fragewörter (question words) right here! See how these inquisitive chunks of German grammar can help you fill the gaps in your knowledge without having to resort back to English.
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Why question words matter when speaking German
In Germany, the saying goes Wer rastet, der rostet meaning “who rests, rusts.” This is a cautionary piece of German wisdom that reminds you to always strive towards improvement in all aspects of life. German interrogative words are not only vital to your own learning and communication, they’re also tools you can use in any situation to understand those around you.
From asking warum (why) a third meeting about a project is needed to asking wie (how) your best friend has been feeling lately, conversations often tie back to a question that needs answering.
Pronunciation guide for German question words
Below is a handy pronunciation and meaning guide for all the German question words we’ll cover in this guide. Take a look at them and refer back to how they’re said as you practice using these Fragewörter (question words) in sentences. You might also find it helpful to review how to say German umlauts as you get settled into your German accent.
| German Question Word | Pronunciation | English Translation |
| wann | VAHN | when |
| warum | vah-ROOM | why |
| was | VAHS | what |
| welche | VELH-shuh | which |
| wem | VAYM | whom (dative case) |
| wen | VAYN | whom (accusative case) |
| wer | VAIR | who |
| wessen | VES-sen | whose |
| wie | VEE | how |
| wo | VOH | where |
The essential seven German question words and their uses
The seven most common German question words are known as W-Fragen (w-questions) because they all start with the letter “w.” They’re a straightforward way to ask about something you don’t know or understand in the German language. Given the closeness of English and German’s history, all seven of these W-Fragen have direct equivalents in English but are sometimes used slightly differently.
1. Wann (when)
Wann is the word you’ll use to ask about time-related information just like its translation “when” is used in English. Scheduling, making plans with your friends for a night out, or deciding the best time to implement a new marketing strategy are all everyday situations where you’ll need to know the “when.”
- Wann beginnt der Film? = When does the movie start?
- Wann hast du Geburtstag? = When is your birthday?
2. Warum (why)
Warum (why) is one of the most commonly used question words in German since it’s the go-to word for asking about reasons or motivations. Use this W-Frage (w-question) to find out the cause of an event or someone’s behavior and you’re well on your way to developing the skills you need to find out what you’re missing without having to default back to your English language skills.
- Warum hast du das gemacht? = Why did you do that?
- Warum studieren Sie Deutsch? = Why are you learning German?
3. Was (what)
The German equivalent of “what” is was, and you can use this term to ask for specific information about things, actions, and concepts such as which one, what kind, or for clarification. In this way, the usage of was in German is the same as in English and can be used in formal or informal situations. However, you might want to rephrase your question as an indirect question using was in order to soften the way your inquiry is received.
- Was machst du? = What are you doing?
- Was bedeutet dieses Wort? = What does this word mean?
4. Welche (which)
Welche (which) is one of the more challenging W-Fragen (w-questions) because it’s the only one that changes its ending based on the word being referred to. The Stamm (stem), also known as the base of the term, is welch-, and you’ll need to add an ending of -er, -e, -es, -en, or -em to make this word agree by German case, grammatical gender, and number of whatever welche is modifying. This might take some practice, so spend some time getting this skill, known as declension, down pat.
| Case/Gender | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
| Nominative | welcher | welche | welches | welche |
| Accusative | welchen | welche | welches | welche |
| Dative | welchem | welcher | welchem | welchen |
| Genitive | welches | welcher | welches | welcher |
- Welche Farbe magst du? = Which color do you like?
- Welcher Weg führt nach Hause? = Which way leads home?
- Mit welchem Mann haben Sie gesprochen? = With which man did you talk?
5. Wer (who)
Wer (who) is used in the German language when you want to know which person or people did something or acted in a specific manner, for instance. Wer is another example of a W-Frage (w-question) that can change form depending on the context of your German sentence. But in contrast to welche (which), wer will only change by case and not by grammatical gender or number.
In the nominative case, you will always use wer to mean “who.” In English, we use the term “whom” instead for the accusative case and the dative case. German wer in the same way, but has a special term for accusative case, which is wen (whom, accusative), and wem (whom, dative) is used for dative case German. For possession, this word becomes wessen (whose) when you want to know ownership of something.
- Wer kommt mit dir? = Who is coming with you?
- Wen rufst du an? = Whom are you calling?
- Wem gehört das Buch? = To whom does the book belong?
- Wessen Zug ist es? = Whose move is it?
6. Wie (how)
The direct translation of wie into English is “how.” You use wie when you want to know about the condition, method, or manner of something. While it’s largely utilized in German the same way as in English, there are a few German phrases that use wie that might catch you off guard. For example, the phrase Wie heißen Sie? directly translates to “How are you called?” not “What is your name?” in German. Look out for similar questions where wie can have a closer meaning to “what” than “how.”
- Wie funktioniert das? = How does that work?
- Wie geht’s dir? = How are you?
7. Wo (where)
Don’t be fooled: while wo looks a lot like the English word “who,” it actually means “where” instead! This is what’s known as a false German cognate, meaning it looks like an English word but does not translate to that word. Otherwise, wo matches the same meaning and use of “where” in English. You can say this word if you’d like to know information related to location or space.
- Wo liegt Berlin? = Where is Berlin located?
- Wo bist du? = Where are you?
Where do German question words go in a sentence?
The German word for “question” is Frage. If you’d like to ask a Frage in order to find out where the nearest train station is, then you will start your question with one of the question words in the German language. They’re called Fragewörter (question words) or W-Fragen (w-questions) because they all start with the letter “w.”
Once you’ve identified the right question word in German, you’ll choose your German verb that best fits your interrogative needs. Finally, you’ll wrap up your German Frage with a subject such as a German pronoun or German noun. Any additional details will be tacked on at the end of the sentence—or question, as the case may be.
Follow this word order to set up your first questions in the German language:
- Question word
- Verb (conjugated)
- Noun or pronoun (subject)
- Extra details, if needed
Here are a few examples of this formula in action:
- Was machst du? = What are you doing?
- Wer sagt das? = Who says so?
- Warum lernen wir Deutsch? = Why are we learning German?
Now that you have the template, try practicing by making your own Fragen (questions) in German!
Forming questions with a ja (yes) or nein (no) answer
If you simply need a ja (yes) or nein (no) answer, then forming the right question for the occasion is even simpler. You’ll only need to drop off the question word and move your verb to the front of your sentence! Then all the other juicy info you need will follow in the same order as when you’re asking more open-ended questions.
The word order for ja (yes) or nein (no) questions is simply:
- Verb (conjugated)
- Noun or pronoun (subject)
- Extra details, as needed
Refer to the examples below to view practical examples:
- Hast du Hunger? = Are you hungry?
- Kommt er später? = Is he coming later?
- Funktioniert dein Handy? = Does your cell phone work?
Forming indirect questions in German
When you want to ask something politely, indirectly, or within a larger sentence, then you can show off your German language skills and mix up your sentence structure with indirect questions. This form of interrogative statements adds in an introductory phrase followed by a comma and kicks the verb all the way to the end of the sentence.
The word order for forming indirect questions in German is as follows:
- Intro statement
- Question word
- Noun or pronoun (subject)
- Extra details, if needed
- Verb at the end of the sentence
Remember a few of these example intro statements to ask common indirect questions:
- Ich weiß nicht… = I don’t know…
- Kannst du mir sagen… = Can you tell me… (informal)
- Ich frage mich… = I wonder…
- Wissen Sie… = Do you know… (formal)
Throw it all together and see how indirect questions are formed in German with the examples below:
- Ich weiß nicht, wo er wohnt. = I don’t know where he lives.
- Ich frage mich, wer das gemacht hat. = I wonder who did that.
- Kannst du mir sagen, wie alt sie ist? = Can you tell me how old she is?
Notice that some of these examples end up as statements that indirectly ask for information, rather than ending in a question mark. A good rule of thumb is that indirect questions that start with a verb will end with a question mark, but those that start with a subject like a noun or pronoun will typically end in a period.
What questions will you ask now that you’re comfortable with the most commonly used question words in the German language? Explore your language questions and find answers with Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion method designed to give you real world language skills in practical lessons from native speakers. Never stop asking the big questions!
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