German question words nearly all start with w, which is tidy — and two of them are a trap laid specifically for English speakers. Wer means who, not where. Wo means where, not who. Mixing them up produces a sentence that's grammatically perfect and asks the wrong thing entirely.
Get those two straight and the rest of the list is one table you'll use for the rest of your life in the language.
The Question Words
who
wer
what
was
where
wo
where to
wohin
where from
woher
when
wann
why
warum
how
wie
how much
wie viel
how many
wie viele
which
welcher / welche / welches
whose
wessen
Practice these words
wer
Quick notes:
- Say them out loud with German sounds, not English ones: wer is "vair," was is "vass," wie is "vee." The pronunciation guide covers why w behaves that way.
- Welcher changes ending with the noun's gender, exactly like der/die/das: welcher Zug, welche Linie, welches Gleis.
- Wessen is rare in speech. Germans usually ask Wem gehört das? — "who does this belong to?"
The Word Order Rule
German questions have two shapes, and both are simpler than English.
With a question word, the verb comes second — right after the question word.
- Wo wohnst du?
- Wann kommt der Zug?
- Was kostet das?
Without a question word, the verb goes first and nothing else is added.
- Kommst du mit?
- Haben Sie einen Termin?
- Ist der Platz frei?
Quick note: there is no German equivalent of "do." English builds do you have…? out of an extra verb; German just moves haben to the front. Trying to translate "do" is the single most common beginner error.
Where, Where To, Where From
English collapsed three words into one. German kept all three, and it expects you to choose.
| German | Asks about | Example | Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
wo | position | Wo bist du? | Zu Hause. |
wohin | destination | Wohin gehst du? | Zum Bahnhof. |
woher | origin | Woher kommst du? | Aus der Ukraine. |
Quick note: in speech the two long ones often split in half and wrap around the sentence: Wo gehst du hin? and Wo kommst du her? Both are completely normal spoken German, and you'll hear them more often than the textbook forms.
The wie Family
Wie combines with other words to produce most of the practical questions you'll ask.
How are you?
Wie geht's?
Sorry, what?
Wie bitte?
What's your name?
Wie heißen Sie?
What time is it?
Wie spät ist es?
How long does it take?
Wie lange dauert das?
How often does the bus run?
Wie oft fährt der Bus?
How far is it?
Wie weit ist es?
How do I get to the station?
Wie komme ich zum Bahnhof?
Practice these words
Wie geht's?
Quick notes:
- Wie bitte? is the polite way to say you didn't catch something. Was? on its own is blunt — fine with friends, rude at a counter.
- German asks wie where English asks what for names and time: Wie heißen Sie, Wie spät ist es. Translating "what" straight across gives you Was heißen Sie, which sounds odd.
Questions Worth Memorising Whole
How much is this?
Was kostet das?
Where's the toilet?
Wo ist die Toilette?
When are you open?
Wann haben Sie geöffnet?
Who's responsible for this?
Wer ist dafür zuständig?
What does that mean?
Was bedeutet das?
When can I get an appointment?
Wann bekomme ich einen Termin?
Which documents do I need?
Welche Unterlagen brauche ich?
Why is this closed?
Warum ist das geschlossen?
Where do I sign?
Wo muss ich unterschreiben?
How much is shipping?
Wie viel kostet der Versand?
Practice these words
Was kostet das?
Quick notes:
- Wer ist dafür zuständig? is the most useful sentence on this page if you deal with German offices. Zuständig — responsible, in charge of this specific thing — is how German bureaucracy organises itself, and asking it directly saves hours.
- Welche Unterlagen brauche ich? belongs in the same category. Ask it before every appointment, ideally on the phone. There's a full set of these in phrases for the Jobcenter.
- Was kostet das? and Wie viel kostet das? are interchangeable. The first is shorter and more common.
Three Mistakes to Avoid
Reading wer as "where." It's who. The pair to keep straight is wer = who, wo = where — and there's no way around simply drilling it.
Adding "do" to questions. Do you have time? is Hast du Zeit? Two words, no helper.
Using was for names. It's Wie heißt du?, not Was heißt du? — the second one asks what you translate as.