→ W-words in German (Interrogative Pronouns & Adverbs)

• W-words are used to ask questions.
• They always come at the beginning of the question.
• The verb is in the second position.

Example:

• • • Wo wohnst du?
      → Where do you live?

W-Words for People (Cases are important!)

Wer (Nominative – Subject)

asks about the person performing the action

• • • Wer kommt heute?
      → Who is coming today?

Wen (Accusative – Object)

asks about the direct object (person)

• • • Wen siehst du?
      → Whom do you see?

Wem (Dative – Indirect Object)

asks about the indirect object (person)

• • • Wem gibst du das Buch?
      → To whom do you give the book?

Wessen (Genitive – Possession)

asks about possession or belonging

• • • Wessen Tasche ist das?
      → Whose bag is that?

W-Words for Place & Movement

Wo (Position – static location)

no movement, only location

• • • Wo bist du?
      → Where are you?

Wohin (Direction – movement away)

movement from A to B

• • • Wohin gehst du?
      → Where are you going?

Woher (Origin – source)

movement from a place toward the speaker

• • • Woher kommst du?
      → Where do you come from?

General Questions

Was (things, ideas, actions)

asks about things or information

• • • Was machst du?
      → What are you doing?

Wie (how / sometimes “what”)

asks about manner or details

• • • Wie heißt du?
      → What is your name?
    • Wie geht es dir?
      → How are you?

Reason, Cause, Motivation

Warum (neutral “why”)

normal, neutral question

• • • Warum lernst du Deutsch?
      → Why are you learning German?

Wieso (emotional / surprise)

used in surprise or expectation

• • • Wieso bist du schon hier?
      → Why are you already here?

Weshalb (formal / written)

formal style (e.g., writing)

• • • Weshalb haben Sie das getan?
      → Why did you do that?

Time-related W-Words

Wann (point in time)

asks about a specific time

• • • Wann beginnt der Kurs?
      → When does the course start?

Seit wann (since when – starting point)

beginning of an action in the past

• • • Seit wann lernst du Deutsch?
      → Since when have you been learning German?

Wie lange (duration)

duration of an action

• • • Wie lange lernst du schon Deutsch?
      → How long have you been learning German?

Frequency

Wie oft (frequency)

• • • Wie oft gehst du ins Fitnessstudio?
      → How often do you go to the gym?

Typical answers:

• • • oft / selten / manchmal / nie
      → often / rarely / sometimes / never

Quantity & Number

Wie viel (uncountable)

• • • Wie viel Wasser trinkst du?
      → How much water do you drink?

Wie viele (countable)

• • • Wie viele Bücher hast du?
      → How many books do you have?

Choice

Welch- (which)

declines like an article

• • • Welches Buch liest du?
      → Which book are you reading?
    • Welche Stadt gefällt dir?
      → Which city do you like?

Purpose

Wozu (for what purpose)

• • • Wozu brauchst du das?
      → What do you need that for?

Important Additional Rule (VERY IMPORTANT!)

“Wo + preposition” → Wor- form

• • • Woran denkst du?
      → What are you thinking about?
    • Worauf wartest du?
      → What are you waiting for?