Questions
Yes/no questions start with the verb; W-questions start with the question word.
For a yes/no question, take your statement and move the verb to the front. That is it — no "do" to worry about.
Kannst du morgen kommen?
Can you come tomorrow?
Willst du essen?
Do you want to eat?
Darf sie heute arbeiten?
Is she allowed to work today?
Dürfen wir nach Hause gehen?
May we go home?
Können Sie Deutsch sprechen?
Can you speak German? (formal)
For a W-question, the question word takes position 1 — which means the verb is still in position 2. The rule never breaks.
W-word (1) · verb (2) · subject · … · infinitive at the end.
Was willst du essen?
What do you want to eat?
Wann kannst du kommen?
When can you come?
Warum muss sie arbeiten?
Why does she have to work?
Wo willst du hingehen?
Where do you want to go?
Warum können wir nicht nach Hause gehen?
Why can we not go home?
| word | meaning | example |
|---|---|---|
| was | what | Was machst du? |
| wann | when | Wann kommst du? |
| warum | why | Warum arbeitest du? |
| wo | where (at) | Wo wohnst du? |
| wohin | where to | Wohin gehst du? |
| woher | where from | Woher kommst du? |
| wer | who | Wer ist das? |
| wie | how | Wie heißt du? |
wo / wohin / woher are three different words in German where English mostly reuses "where". wo = location, wohin = destination, woher = origin. In speech wohin often splits: Wo willst du hingehen?
Wann du kannst kommen?Wann kannst du kommen?
The question word is position 1, so the verb must come immediately after it.
Words from this topic
- waswhat
- wannwhen
- warumwhy
- wowhere (location)
- wohinwhere to
- woherwhere from
- werwho
- wiehow