German W-Questions: wer, was, wo, wann, wie, warum + Word Order
Learn the German question words wer, was, wo, wann, wie, warum, welch- and wie viel, and the fixed word order where the verb comes second.
German open questions start with a W-word, and almost every question word begins with w. The rule that trips learners up is the word order:
W-word — verb (position 2) — subject — rest.
| W-word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| wer | who |
| was | what |
| wo | where |
| wann | when |
| wie | how |
| warum | why |
| welch- | which |
| wie viel | how much/many |
The conjugated verb always sits in second position, right after the W-word, and the subject follows the verb:
- Wann kommst du? — When are you coming?
- Wo wohnt der Mann? — Where does the man live?
With wer and was as the subject, the verb still comes second, and there is no separate subject: Wer hat den Apfel?
Contrast for English speakers: German needs no helper like do (Where do you live? → simply Wo wohnst du?). Drop the do entirely and put the main verb in second place.
Examples
Wann kommt Grammatical analysisBase form derCaseNominativ (nominative)Gendermaskulin (masculine)NumberSingular (singular)Checked deterministically before build Grammatical analysisBase form ZugCaseNominativ (nominative)Gendermaskulin (masculine)NumberSingular (singular)Checked deterministically before build?
When does the train come?
Wo Grammatical analysisBase form seinPerson3rd person singular (er/sie/es)TensePräsens (present)Checked deterministically before build das Kind?
Where is the child?
Was liest Grammatical analysisBase form derCaseNominativ (nominative)Gendermaskulin (masculine)NumberSingular (singular)Checked deterministically before build Grammatical analysisBase form MannCaseNominativ (nominative)Gendermaskulin (masculine)NumberSingular (singular)Checked deterministically before build?
What is the man reading?
Wer Grammatical analysisBase form habenPerson3rd person singular (er/sie/es)TensePräsens (present)Checked deterministically before build Grammatical analysisBase form derCaseAkkusativ (accusative)Gendermaskulin (masculine)NumberSingular (singular)Checked deterministically before build Grammatical analysisBase form ApfelCaseAkkusativ (accusative)Gendermaskulin (masculine)NumberSingular (singular)Checked deterministically before build?
Who has the apple?
Wie heißt deine Mutter?
What is your mother's name?
Welches Buch liest Grammatical analysisBase form duCaseNominativ (nominative)NumberSingular (singular)Person2nd person singular (du)Checked deterministically before build?
Which book are you reading?
Common mistakes
In an open (W-) question the conjugated verb must come SECOND, right after the W-word; the subject follows the verb.
Use wie (how), not wo (where), for 'How are you?'. Wo asks about place; wie asks about manner or state.
To ask 'which' out of a known set, use welch- (welches Buch), not was. Welch- agrees with the noun's gender: welcher/welche/welches.
Related topics
Practice
___ wohnst du?
Wann ___ der Zug ab?
Warum ___ du so früh nach Hause?