German Question Words (W-Fragen) for Beginners
🇩🇪 German · 20 cards · A1 · by Annika Vogel
Every German question word begins with a W, which makes them easy to spot and just as easy to mix up. This deck has the twenty you really hear — on the platform, at the bakery, in the office — from wer and was to the wo- compounds womit and wofür.
Three things trip up beginners. German splits English "where" into wo (position), wohin (direction) and woher (origin). Wer changes with the case: wer, wen, wem, wessen. And wie viel goes with things you cannot count, wie viele with things you can.
Learn the examples as whole chunks. The conjugated verb sits in second position, straight after the question word or question phrase.
Flip through the cards, then switch to Quiz. Tap the play button on any row to hear it. The full table below is there to read, print or copy into your own flashcard app.
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All 20 cards
| # | German | English | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | wer Nominative form (the subject). Careful: it looks like English "where" but means "who". | who | Wer kommt heute Abend mit? Who's coming along tonight? | |
| 2 | was Also in the set phrase "Was für ein ...?" (What kind of ...?). | what | Was machst du gerade? What are you doing right now? | |
| 3 | wo Only for position, never for movement. | where (location) | Wo ist die nächste Haltestelle? Where is the nearest stop? | |
| 4 | wohin In speech it often splits: "Wo fährst du hin?" — that's completely normal. | where to | Wohin fährt dieser Bus? Where does this bus go? | |
| 5 | woher Also splits in casual speech: "Wo kommst du her?" | where from | Woher kommst du ursprünglich? Where are you originally from? | |
| 6 | wann Combines with prepositions: "seit wann" (since when), "bis wann" (until when), "ab wann" (from when). | when | Wann fängt der Film an? When does the film start? | |
| 7 | wie Also used for names: "Wie heißt du?" (What's your name?) — not "was". | how | Wie war dein Wochenende? How was your weekend? | |
| 8 | warum The most neutral of the three "why" words. | why | Warum hast du nicht angerufen? Why didn't you call? | |
| 9 | wieso Same meaning as warum, a bit more casual and very common in spoken German. | why, how come | Wieso lachst du? How come you're laughing? | |
| 10 | weshalb More formal; you read it more often than you hear it. | why, for what reason | Weshalb ist das Büro heute geschlossen? Why is the office closed today? | |
| 11 | wen Accusative form of wer — used when the person is the object of the verb, and after accusative prepositions: "für wen?" | who, whom (direct object) | Wen hast du gestern getroffen? Who did you meet yesterday? | |
| 12 | wem Dative form of wer; also after dative prepositions: "Mit wem?" (Who with?). | to whom, who ... to (indirect object) | Wem gehört die blaue Jacke? Who does the blue jacket belong to? | |
| 13 | wessen Genitive form. Formal; in everyday speech people say "Wem gehört das Handy?" instead. | whose | Wessen Handy klingelt da? Whose phone is ringing there? | |
| 14 | welcher Endings change with gender, case and number: welcher Zug, welche Linie, welches Gleis, welchen Bus. | which | Welcher Zug fährt nach Hamburg? Which train goes to Hamburg? | |
| 15 | wie viel Two words in current spelling. Use with uncountable things: Geld, Zeit, Milch. | how much | Wie viel kostet das? How much does that cost? | |
| 16 | wie viele For countable things — the -e ending marks the plural. | how many | Wie viele Geschwister hast du? How many siblings do you have? | |
| 17 | wie lange For time. For physical length use lang: "Wie lang ist der Tisch?" | how long (duration) | Wie lange dauert die Fahrt? How long does the journey take? | |
| 18 | wie oft Typical answers: "einmal pro Woche", "alle zehn Minuten". | how often | Wie oft fährt die U-Bahn sonntags? How often does the U-Bahn run on Sundays? | |
| 19 | womit A wo- compound: use it for things. For people say "mit wem". | with what | Womit fährst du zur Arbeit? How do you get to work? (literally: with what do you travel to work?) | |
| 20 | wofür For people it becomes "für wen" (for whom). | what for, for what | Wofür brauchst du das Geld? What do you need the money for? |
Hamburg native. I spent years explaining German word order to exchange students and still enjoy it. My decks favour the words you hear on the U-Bahn over the ones in textbooks.
Questions about this deck
- What is the difference between wo, wohin and woher?
- German splits English "where" three ways. Wo asks about a position: "Wo bist du?" (Where are you?). Wohin asks about the destination: "Wohin gehst du?" (Where are you going?). Woher asks about origin: "Woher kommst du?" (Where are you from?). In everyday speech the last two usually split up — "Wo gehst du hin?", "Wo kommst du her?" — and that is what you will hear most on the street.
- Are warum, wieso and weshalb interchangeable?
- Yes, all three mean "why" and you can swap them in almost any sentence. Warum is the neutral default and the safest choice as a beginner. Wieso is a little more casual and often carries a hint of surprise, close to English "how come". Weshalb is the most formal and turns up mainly in writing. There is also weswegen, which is rarer still and can be ignored at A1.
- When do I use wie viel and when wie viele?
- Use wie viel with things you cannot count: "Wie viel Zeit hast du?", "Wie viel kostet das?", "Wie viel Milch brauchst du?". Use wie viele with countable plural nouns: "Wie viele Leute kommen?", "Wie viele Tage bleibst du?". Since the 1996 spelling reform both are written as two words; the old one-word spelling wieviel is out of date.
- Where does the verb go in a question with a question word?
- The conjugated verb comes in second position, directly after the question word or question phrase: "Wann kommt der Bus?", "Warum hast du das gemacht?", "Wie viele Leute kommen mit?". The subject follows the verb. With separable verbs the prefix goes to the end: "Wann fängt der Film an?". Unlike English, German needs no helper verb like "do" — verb and subject simply swap places.
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