A W-question (German W-Frage or Ergänzungsfrage, "completion question") asks for a specific piece of information rather than a yes or no: who, what, where, when, why, how. In German these question words nearly all begin with w, which is how the type gets its name. The mechanics are beautifully simple and they reuse a rule you already know: the W-word goes first, the finite verb goes second. A W-question is just an ordinary statement with a question word fronted into the first slot — nothing else changes, and there is no "do."
The core rule: W-word first, verb second
German statements obey the verb-second (V2) rule: exactly one element comes before the finite verb, and the verb sits in position two. A W-question simply makes the question word that first element. The verb stays right behind it in second position, and the subject follows.
Was machst du?
What are you doing? (W-word 'was' first, verb 'machst' second, subject 'du' third)
Wo wohnst du?
Where do you live? ('wo' first, 'wohnst' second — no 'do')
Warum lachst du?
Why are you laughing? ('warum' first, 'lachst' second)
Wie heißt du?
What's your name? (literally 'how are you called' — 'wie' first, 'heißt' second)
Think of it as a fill-in-the-blank: the statement Du machst etwas ("You're doing something") becomes Was machst du? — you replace the unknown with its question word and pull that word to the front. The verb obediently stays in slot two. That is the entire transformation.
The core W-words
Here are the question words you will use constantly, with their meanings. Note that wer is the only one that changes its form by case.
| W-word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| wer | who (subject) | Wer kommt heute? |
| was | what | Was kostet das? |
| wo | where (location) | Wo ist der Bahnhof? |
| wohin | where to (direction) | Wohin gehst du? |
| woher | where from (origin) | Woher kommst du? |
| wann | when | Wann beginnt der Film? |
| warum / wieso / weshalb | why | Warum fragst du? |
| wie | how | Wie geht es dir? |
| wie viel / wie viele | how much / how many | Wie viele Leute kommen? |
| welcher / welche / welches | which | Welches Buch liest du? |
| was für ein | what kind of | Was für ein Auto fährst du? |
Each in a natural sentence:
Wer hat das gesagt?
Who said that? (wer = who, here the subject)
Wann kommst du nach Hause?
When are you coming home? (wann = when)
Wie viel kostet die Fahrkarte?
How much does the ticket cost? (wie viel = how much)
Welche Farbe magst du am liebsten?
Which color do you like best? (welche agrees with feminine 'Farbe')
wer changes by case: wer, wen, wem, wessen
English has only "who / whom / whose"; German declines its "who" fully across the four cases, and you must pick the form the verb or preposition calls for.
| Case | Form | Role | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | wer | subject (who) | Wer ruft an? |
| Accusative | wen | direct object (whom) | Wen rufst du an? |
| Dative | wem | indirect object (to whom) | Wem hilfst du? |
| Genitive | wessen | possessor (whose) | Wessen Tasche ist das? |
Wen hast du gestern getroffen?
Whom did you meet yesterday? (accusative 'wen' — direct object of treffen)
Mit wem fährst du in den Urlaub?
Who are you going on holiday with? (after the dative preposition 'mit', wer → wem)
Notice that when a preposition is involved, German keeps it attached to the question word at the front (Mit wem...?), where English colloquially strands it at the end ("Who... with?"). German never strands the preposition.
Why German needs no "do"
Just as with yes/no questions, German marks a W-question by word order alone — the fronted W-word plus V2 verb. There is no "do"-helper. What are you doing? is Was machst du?, with the real verb machen conjugated and standing in second position. The two errors English speakers carry over are (1) inserting a "do"-equivalent and (2) keeping the subject before the verb as in an English embedded clause ("why you laugh"). German allows neither: the verb must be in slot two, directly after the W-word.
Compound tenses: the W-word fronts, the verb cluster splits
In perfect tenses and with modals, the finite verb takes second position while the participle or infinitive stays at the end — the same sentence bracket as in statements and yes/no questions.
Was hast du gestern gemacht?
What did you do yesterday? (finite 'hast' in second slot; participle 'gemacht' at the end)
Wohin willst du im Sommer fahren?
Where do you want to go in the summer? (modal 'willst' second; infinitive 'fahren' at the end)
The W-word occupies the front; the finite verb sits second; the rest of the verb closes the clause. One template, every tense.
Common Mistakes
Inserting a "do"-helper, copying English.
❌ Was tust du machen?
Wrong — German has no 'do'-support; the real verb stands second: 'Was machst du?'
✅ Was machst du?
What are you doing?
Keeping the subject before the verb.
❌ Warum du lachst?
Wrong — the verb must come right after the W-word, in second position: 'Warum lachst du?'
✅ Warum lachst du?
Why are you laughing?
Using nominative wer where an object case is needed.
❌ Wer hast du gesehen?
Wrong — as the direct object, 'who' is accusative: 'Wen hast du gesehen?'
✅ Wen hast du gesehen?
Whom did you see?
Stranding the preposition at the end, English-style.
❌ Wem fährst du mit?
Wrong — the preposition stays with the question word at the front: 'Mit wem fährst du?'
✅ Mit wem fährst du?
Who are you going with?
Confusing wo (location) with wohin (direction).
❌ Wo gehst du?
Wrong for movement — to ask 'where to,' use 'wohin': 'Wohin gehst du?'
✅ Wohin gehst du?
Where are you going?
Key Takeaways
- A W-question = W-word in first position, finite verb second — a statement with a question word fronted.
- No "do"-support; the real verb is conjugated and stands in slot two.
- The core set: wer, was, wo/wohin/woher, wann, warum/wieso/weshalb, wie, wie viel(e), welcher, was für ein.
- Only wer declines: wer / wen / wem / wessen — pick the case the verb or preposition demands.
- German keeps the preposition with the question word (Mit wem...?); it never strands it.
- In compound tenses, the finite verb fronts to slot two; the participle/infinitive stays at the end.
Now practice German
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Start learning German→Related Topics
- Yes/No Questions (Entscheidungsfragen)A1 — German forms yes/no questions purely by putting the verb first — no 'do' helper — and answers them with ja, nein, or the special doch that overturns a negative question.
- All the Question Words at a GlanceA2 — A complete reference table of German W-question words — wer/wen/wem/wessen, wo/wohin/woher, wann, warum, wie and more — with case forms and examples.
- Verb-Second (V2): The Core Rule of German Word OrderA1 — The finite verb is always the second element in a German main clause — exactly one constituent precedes it, and the subject jumps behind the verb whenever something else is fronted.
- wo, wohin, woher (Location vs Direction)A2 — German splits English 'where' into three question words — wo (location), wohin (direction to), woher (origin) — and the choice is tied directly to case and the aus/nach system.
- warum, wieso, weshalb, wozu (Why)A2 — German has four 'why' words. warum/wieso/weshalb ask for a cause (answered with weil), while wozu asks for a purpose (answered with um…zu) — a cause/purpose split English's single 'why' hides.
- Questions: Complete ReferenceA2 — A one-page map of the entire German question system — yes/no via verb-first, W-questions via W-word plus V2, indirect questions verb-final, tags, and the answer words ja/nein/doch — all built from the same V2 machinery.