Direct Questions with inwiefern and inwieweit
When discussing complex topics like global supply chains and ethical consumption, you often need to ask "in what way" or "to what extent" something is true. For this, German uses inwiefern (in what way) and inwieweit (to what extent). While there is a slight nuance in meaning, these two words are frequently used interchangeably in everyday German.
When you use them to ask a direct question, they act as interrogative words. They take the first position in the sentence, meaning the conjugated verb must come immediately after them in the second position.
| In what way is this consumption ethical? | Inwiefern ist dieser Konsum ethisch? |
| To what extent does the label guarantee fair trade? | Inwieweit garantiert das Siegel einen fairen Handel? |
Indirect Questions with Subordinating Conjunctions
You can also use inwiefern and inwieweit to embed questions into larger statements, creating indirect questions like "I wonder in what way..." or "We do not know to what extent..."
When used to connect two clauses, they act as subordinating conjunctions. Just like other subordinating conjunctions, they push the conjugated verb to the very end of their dependent clause.
| I ask myself in what way the producer profits. | Ich frage mich, inwiefern der Produzent profitiert. |
| We do not know to what extent one can trace the supply chain. | Wir wissen nicht, inwieweit man die Lieferkette nachvollziehen kann. |