German Question Words: wer, was, wo, wann, wie
After this lesson you can ask for any piece of information you need.
Do this first: Present tense
German Question Words: wer, was, wo, wann, wie
The W-words are how you ask for information rather than a yes or a no. There are eight of them, and German keeps three apart where English has only "where".
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Kulturnotiz
Wie geht es dir? — or the everyday Wie geht's? — is not the empty greeting that "How are you?" is in English. Ask a German and you may well get a real answer, including what is going wrong at work. Conversely, asking it of a stranger in a shop will read as oddly intimate. Save it for people you actually know.
Common questions
+What is the difference between wo, woher and wohin?
Wo is static location — Wo wohnst du? Woher is origin — Woher kommst du? Wohin is destination — Wohin gehst du? English uses "where" for all three, which is why learners collapse them.
+Why is there no German word for "do" in questions?
Because German changes word order instead. English needs the auxiliary "do" to form questions; German simply puts the verb in the right slot, so "Where do you live?" is just Wo wohnst du?
+How do I ask someone's name?
Wie heißt du? informally, Wie heißen Sie? formally. Literally "how are you called" — German uses wie, not was.
+When do I use wie viel vs wie viele?
Wie viel for uncountable amounts (Wie viel kostet das?), wie viele for countable things (Wie viele Kinder hast du?). The same split as "how much" and "how many".