German Yes/No Questions: Verb-First Word Order (and Answering with doch)
To ask a yes/no question in German, put the conjugated verb in first position, and use doch to say "yes" against a negative question.
A German yes/no question (an Entscheidungsfrage) is easy: take the conjugated verb and move it to position 1, in front of the subject.
| Statement | Yes/no question |
|---|---|
| Du kommst. | Kommst du? |
| Er hat Zeit. | Hat er Zeit? |
| Das Kind ist müde. | Ist das Kind müde? |
Nothing else moves — the subject simply follows the verb. You do not need a helper word like English do: Do you have a car? is just Hast du ein Auto?
Answering. Use ja to confirm and nein to deny — just like English. But there is a third word English lacks: doch. When the question is negative (Kommst du nicht? — "Aren't you coming?") and you want to say "Yes, I am!", you must answer Doch!, never ja.
- Hast du kein Auto? — Doch! (Yes, I do have one.)
- Hast du kein Auto? — Nein. (No, I don't.)
So doch is the little word that overturns a negative assumption.
Examples
Kommst du heute?
Are you coming today?
Hast du ein Auto?
Do you have a car?
Ist das Kind müde?
Is the child tired?
Trinkst du kein Wasser? — Doch!
Don't you drink water? — Yes, I do!
Common mistakes
A yes/no question is NOT just a statement with a question mark. The conjugated verb must move to first position, before the subject: *Kommst du?* not *Du kommst?*
To contradict a negative question ('Aren't you coming?') and mean 'Yes, I am!', German uses *doch*, never *ja*. Answering *ja* here would be confusing or wrong.
Related topics
Practice
___ du heute Zeit?
Trinkst du keinen Kaffee? — ___, ich trinke jeden Morgen welchen.
___ das Kind schon müde?