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Yes-or-no questions are useful, but they only get you so far. To actually find things out — where someone lives, what they do, why they are learning German — you need open-ended information questions. In German, these are called W-Fragen, because every single question word begins with the letter W.

The good news: unlike much of German grammar, W-Questions follow one clean, consistent rule for word order. Once you know the eight core question words and that single rule, you can build an enormous range of real questions immediately.

1

The 8 Essential W-Words

These are the foundational question words you need to know cold at A1. Treat each card as a unit — memorise the German word, what it asks about, and one example sentence together.

Wer
Who
Asking about a person
Wer ist das?
Who is that?
Was
What
Asking about a thing or activity
Was machst du?
What are you doing?
Wo
Where
Asking about a static location
Wo wohnst du?
Where do you live?
Wohin
Where to
Asking about a destination
Wohin gehst du?
Where are you going?
Woher
Where from
Asking about origin or source
Woher kommst du?
Where do you come from?
Wann
When
Asking about time or date
Wann beginnt der Kurs?
When does the course start?
Wie
How
Asking about manner or description
Wie geht es dir?
How are you?
Warum
Why
Asking for a reason
Warum lernst du Deutsch?
Why are you learning German?

You can also see all eight at a glance in the reference table below — useful for quick revision.

W-Word English Used for Example
Wer Who People Wer ist das? — Who is that?
Was What Things / activities Was machst du? — What are you doing?
Wo Where Static location Wo wohnst du? — Where do you live?
Wohin Where to Destination / movement Wohin gehst du? — Where are you going?
Woher Where from Origin / source Woher kommst du? — Where do you come from?
Wann When Time / date Wann beginnt der Kurs? — When does the course start?
Wie How Manner / description Wie geht es dir? — How are you?
Warum Why Reason / cause Warum lernst du Deutsch? — Why are you learning German?
2

Word Order: The Position 2 Rule

Building a W-Question follows a single formula that never changes. The structure is always the same, no matter how long or complex the sentence gets.

W-Word (Position 1)  +  Verb (Position 2)  +  Subject (Position 3)  +  Other details

Notice that the subject is pushed to Position 3 — right after the verb — which is the opposite of a regular statement. This verb-subject flip is what marks the sentence as a question.

  • Wo arbeitet dein Vater?
    Where does your father work?
  • Wann kommt der Bus an?
    When does the bus arrive?
    With separable verbs, the prefix still goes to the very end — even in a question.
  • Warum lernst du Deutsch?
    Why are you learning German?
  • Was isst du zum Frühstück?
    What do you eat for breakfast?
The golden rule: No matter how much detail you add after the subject — time, place, object, everything — the conjugated verb stays locked in Position 2. It never moves.
3

The "Where" Trap: Wo vs. Wohin vs. Woher

This is the single most common mistake English speakers make with W-Questions. In English, "where" covers every situation. In German, the concept of location is split into three distinct words depending on whether there is movement — and which direction that movement goes.

No movement Wo
You are already at a location. No travel involved.
Wo bist du?
Where are you? (You are already there.)

Wo wohnst du?
Where do you live?
Moving toward Wohin
Travelling to a destination. Movement away from here.
Wohin gehst du?
Where are you going (to)?

Wohin fährst du?
Where are you driving to?
Coming from Woher
Your origin or the source of something.
Woher kommst du?
Where do you come from?

Woher weißt du das?
Where do you know that from?
Quick test: Before choosing between the three, ask: Is there movement? If no — use Wo. If yes, ask: Which direction? Towards something — Wohin. Away from something — Woher.
4

Wie Combinations

Wie (how) is one of the hardest-working question words in German. On its own it asks about manner or feeling, but it also pairs with adjectives and numbers to form some of the most essential phrases you will use every single day at A1.

Wie viel kostet das?
How much does that cost?
Wie viele Geschwister hast du?
How many siblings do you have?
Wie alt bist du?
How old are you?
Wie spät ist es?
What time is it? (lit. How late is it?)
Wie heißt du?
What is your name? (lit. How are you called?)
Wie weit ist es?
How far is it?
Wie viel vs. Wie viele: Use Wie viel with uncountable nouns or money (Wie viel Geld? Wie viel Milch?). Use Wie viele with countable plural nouns (Wie viele Äpfel? Wie viele Leute?). The rule matches English "how much" vs. "how many."

Quick Practice

Choose the correct W-word for each blank. Type your answer and press Check to see how you did.

Fill in the W-Word

Complete each question with the right question word, then press Check Answers.

  1. 1 kommst du?
    Asking about someone's country of origin.
  2. 2 beginnt der Film?
    Asking about the start time of the film.
  3. 3 fährst du im Sommer?
    Asking about a holiday destination — movement toward a place.
  4. 4 lernst du Deutsch?
    Asking for the reason someone is learning German.
  5. 5 Sprachen sprichst du?
    Asking about a countable number of languages — two words!

Study Tips

Three strategies to make W-Questions automatic.

  • 1 Learn Wo, Wohin, Woher as a set. Write them on the same flashcard with a small arrow diagram — a dot for Wo, an arrow pointing right for Wohin, and an arrow pointing left for Woher. The visual sticks far faster than a rule written in words.
  • 2 Drill the Position 2 rule with a template. Pick any W-word and swap out the verb and subject: Wann ___ ___? Practice filling the slots until the verb-before-subject pattern feels natural — not something you have to think about mid-conversation.
  • 3 Memorise Wie combinations as full phrases. Don't just memorise Wie — memorise Wie alt bist du?, Wie spät ist es?, and Wie viel kostet das? as complete chunks. At A1, these phrases come up in almost every speaking exercise and exam interaction.