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
Grammatical analysisBase form kommenPerson2nd person singular (du)TensePräsens (present)Checked deterministically before build Grammatical analysisBase form duCaseNominativ (nominative)NumberSingular (singular)Person2nd person singular (du)Checked deterministically before build heute?
Are you coming today?
Grammatical analysisBase form habenPerson2nd person singular (du)TensePräsens (present)Checked deterministically before build Grammatical analysisBase form duCaseNominativ (nominative)NumberSingular (singular)Person2nd person singular (du)Checked deterministically before build ein Auto?
Do you have a car?
Grammatical analysisBase form seinPerson3rd person singular (er/sie/es)TensePräsens (present)Checked deterministically before build das Kind müde?
Is the child tired?
Grammatical analysisBase form trinkenPerson2nd person singular (du)TensePräsens (present)Checked deterministically before build Grammatical analysisBase form duCaseNominativ (nominative)NumberSingular (singular)Person2nd person singular (du)Checked deterministically before build 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?