A1 Grammar · Unit 1 · Topic 3 of 29
Asking Questions
German has two types of questions. For yes/no questions, move the verb to the front. For questions with a question word (who, what, where, when), put that word first, then the verb. No extra "do" word like in English.
Question words: wer (who), was (what), wie (how/what), woher (where from), wo (where), wann (when).
| Question word | Verb | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Wer | ist | Herr Sharma? |
| Wie | heißt | deine Schwester? |
| Woher | kommt | Geeta? |
| Was | trinkst | du? |
| Wo | wohnt | Ram? |
| Wann | beginnt | der Kurs? |
Yes/no question: the verb comes first.
Kommst du aus Indien?·Woher kommst du?·Wie heißt du?
If the question is negative (contains not or no), answer "Doch" to say yes, or "Nein" to say no.
Common mistakes
The verb must be second in the question word position. "Wie du heißt?" is wrong. It's "Wie heißt du?" And don't translate the English "do" into German. There's no equivalent.
Memory trick
Wh-word first, verb second. It's like a queue. For yes/no questions, the verb runs to the front.
Practice
Make a question.
- (Name) ___ heißt du?
- (Origin) ___ kommst du?
- Make a yes/no question from "Du sprichst Deutsch."
Show answers
Answers: Wie, Woher, Sprichst du Deutsch?