Lesson 9 German important Question Words: Wer, Was, Wo, Wann, Warum, Wie (A1)

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German · Grammar · Lesson 9

German Question Words: Wer,Was, Wo, Wann, Warum, Wie

Deutsch lernen — Die W-Fragen

Go back through the last eight lessons and you'll notice something — half the example sentences were questions. Wie heißt du? Wie alt bist du? Wo wohnst du? That's not an accident. Question words (Germans just call them W-Fragen, because almost all of them start with W) are how you actually keep a conversation going, instead of just reciting facts about yourself. Important! Please subscribe our blog you will update every new lesson when we update on blog.

The Six Question Words You Need

German Word	Pronunciation	English Meaning
wer	vair	who
was	vahs	what
wo	voh	where
wann	vahn	when
warum	vah-ROOM	why
wie	vee	how

You'll also run into wie viel (how much) and welche (which) fairly early on too, but these six will carry you through most day-to-day conversations on their own.

Building Questions With Them

Wer bist du? Who are you?

Wo wohnst du? Where do you live?

Warum lernst du Deutsch? Why are you learning German?

Notice the pattern: question word, then verb, then subject — Wo wohnst du? That order almost never changes, which honestly makes German questions a little more predictable than English ones once it clicks.

Example Conversation

Felix Wo wohnst du? Where do you live?

Nadia Ich wohne in Hamburg. Und du? I live in Hamburg. And you?

Felix In Köln. Warum lernst du Deutsch? In Cologne. Why are you learning German?

Nadia Für die Arbeit. Und du? For work. What about you?

Practice Quiz

1. Fill in the Blank
   _______ bist du? (Who are you?)
   Show answer

   Wer
2. Fill in the Blank
   _______ wohnst du? (Where do you live?)
   Show answer

   Wo
3. Fill in the Blank
   _______ hast du Zeit? (When do you have time?)
   Show answer

   Wann
4. Multiple Choice
   Which word means "why"?
   • A) wie
   • B) warum
   • C) wer
   Show answer

   B) warum
5. Multiple Choice
   "Was machst du?" is asking...
   • A) Who are you?
   • B) What are you doing?
   • C) Where are you going?
   Show answer

   B) What are you doing?
6. Multiple Choice
   Which sentence correctly asks "How are you?"
   • A) Wie geht's?
   • B) Wo geht's?
   • C) Wann geht's?
   Show answer

   A) Wie geht's?
7. True or False
   Almost all German question words start with the letter W.
   Wahr (True) Falsch (False)
   Show answer

   Wahr (True)
8. True or False
   "Wann" means "where."
   Wahr (True) Falsch (False)
   Show answer

   Falsch (False) — "wann" means "when"; "wo" means "where"
9. True or False
   In a German question, the verb usually comes right after the question word.
   Wahr (True) Falsch (False)
   Show answer

   Wahr (True)

Try this: Next time you're stuck for something to say in German, just pick a W-word and ask a question. It's the easiest way to keep a conversation alive instead of running out of things to talk about. Please express your opinion by commenting and tell us what the next topic should be.

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