Sentence StructureA1
W-Fragen
Question words: wie, wo, woher, was, wer
Learning Goal
Can ask basic questions about personal information
Exam Skills:ListeningWritingSpeaking
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Wie heißen Sie?
What is your name? (formal)
Woher kommst du?
Where do you come from?
Was machst du beruflich?
What do you do for a living?
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
W-Fragen beginnen mit einem Fragewort und erwarten eine inhaltliche Antwort (nicht ja/nein).
Die wichtigsten W-Fragewörter:
| W-Wort | Bedeutung | Beispiel |
|---|---|---|
| wie | how | Wie heißen Sie? |
| wo | where | Wo wohnen Sie? |
| woher | where from | Woher kommen Sie? |
| was | what | Was machen Sie? |
| wer | who | Wer ist das? |
| wann | when | Wann kommst du? |
| warum | why | Warum lernst du Deutsch? |
Wortstellung: W-Wort + Verb (Position 2) + Subjekt + Rest: Wo wohnst du?
Tipp: Wie kombiniert sich oft: wie alt (how old), wie viel (how much), wie lange (how long).
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Practice Exercises
Learners confuse wo (where/location) and woher (where from/origin). Wo wohnst du? vs. Woher kommst du?
🇬🇧 English speakers: English speakers keep English SVO order after the W-word: 'Wo du wohnst?' instead of 'Wo wohnst du?' with verb at position 2.
Common Error Patterns
Verb not in second position in main clause
Count positions: element 1 + VERB + rest. The verb is always second.
Wrong word order in subordinate clause
In subordinate clauses (weil, dass, wenn...) the verb goes to the END
Wrong connector or connector type used
Review: coordinating (und, aber, oder) vs subordinating (weil, dass, wenn) conjunctions
Wie heißen Sie?
What is your name? (formal)
Wie (how) + verb at position 2 + subject.
Woher kommst du?
Where do you come from?
Woher asks about origin, not current location.
Was machst du beruflich?
What do you do for a living?
Was (what) asks about things or activities.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Put it into practice
Try a free exercise from the courseFrequently asked questions
- When is W-Fragen used?
- W-Fragen beginnen mit einem Fragewort und erwarten eine inhaltliche Antwort (nicht ja/nein).
- How is W-Fragen formed?
- Wortstellung: W-Wort + Verb (Position 2) + Subjekt + Rest: Wo wohnst du? Tipp: Wie kombiniert sich oft: wie alt (how old), wie viel (how much), wie lange (how long).
- What are common mistakes with W-Fragen?
- Learners confuse wo (where/location) and woher (where from/origin). Wo wohnst du? vs. Woher kommst du? 🇬🇧 English speakers: English speakers keep English SVO order after the W-word: 'Wo du wohnst?' instead of 'Wo wohnst du?' with verb at position 2. 🇷🇺 Russian speakers: Russian speakers may omit the verb in questions like 'Wo du?' since Russian allows verbless questions with implied 'to be'. 🇨🇿 Czech speakers: Czech speakers may add a question particle or use rising intonation alone instead of the required verb-second word order.