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### Asking questions about things: *wo-* compounds

When you ask a question involving a preposition and an inanimate object, English often separates the "what" and the preposition ("What are you cutting with?"). German instead combines them into a single question word starting with **wo-**.

If the preposition begins with a consonant, simply attach it directly to **wo-**:
- **wo** + **mit** = **womit** (with what)
- **wo** + **für** = **wofür** (what for)

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### Adding an *-r-* for vowels

If the preposition begins with a vowel, insert an **-r-** between them to make it easier to pronounce:
- **wo** + **r** + **auf** = **worauf** (what on / what for)
- **wo** + **r** + **über** = **worüber** (what about)
- **wo** + **r** + **aus** = **woraus** (out of what)

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When answering a **wo-** question, you typically reply using the original preposition followed by the object in its required case.

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Prepositional questions for things (wo-)

adjective

adverb

auxiliary verb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Definite articles and gender (der, die, das)

Indefinite articles (ein, eine)

Regular verbs and statement word order (ich -e, er -t)

The second person (du -st, Sie -en)

Yes/No questions

The verb 'to have' (habe, hast, hat)

Plural pronouns and regular verbs (wir, ihr, sie)

Plural 'to be' and 'to have' (sind, haben)

Plural nouns and the plural article (die)

Sentence negation (nicht)

Noun negation (kein, keine)

Question words (wer, was, wo, wie)

Numbers 0 to 12 (null, eins, zwei)

The accusative case (den, die, das)

Indefinite accusative articles (einen, keinen)

Direct object pronouns (mich, dich, ihn)

There is / there are (es gibt)

Vowel changes: e to i/ie (er spricht, sie liest)

Vowel changes: a to ä (er fährt)

Weather and conditions (es regnet)

First- and second-person possessives in the nominative (mein, dein, Ihr)

First- and second-person possessives in the accusative (meinen, deinen, Ihren)

Third-person and plural possessives (sein, ihr, unser, euer)

Possession with names (Annas Auto)

Demonstrative pronouns (dieser, diese, dieses)

Expressing preference (gern, lieber)

Asking about direction and origin (woher, wohin)

Expressing ability (können)

Polite requests (möchten)

Expressing intention (wollen)

Modal verbs of obligation and permission (müssen, dürfen)

Separable prefix verbs

Adverbs of frequency (immer, oft, manchmal, nie)

The Dative case and definite articles (dem, der, den)

Dative indefinite and negative articles (einem, einer, keinem)

Dative personal pronouns (mir, dir, ihm, ihr...)

Dative verbs (helfen, danken, gefallen, schmecken)

Dative prepositions (aus, bei, mit, nach...)

Accusative prepositions (für, ohne, gegen)

Two-way prepositions for location (in, an, auf...)

Informal singular imperative (mach, komm)

Plural and formal imperative (macht, machen Sie)

Coordinating conjunctions (und, oder, aber, denn)

Simple past of sein and haben (war, hatte)

The perfect tense: regular verbs (gemacht, gespielt)

Past tense: irregular verbs (ge-...-en)

The perfect tense: mixed verbs (gebracht, gekannt)

The perfect tense with sein (ist gegangen)

The perfect tense: separable verbs (eingekauft)

The perfect tense: inseparable and -ieren verbs (besucht, studiert)

Informal singular commands (mach, lern)

Numbers 13 to 20 (dreizehn to zwanzig)

Counting by tens to 100 (dreißig, vierzig)

Telling time (Uhr, halb, Viertel, vor, nach)

Numbers 21 to 99 (einundzwanzig, zweiunddreißig)

Greetings and farewells

Thank you, sorry and good wishes

Everyday replies

Numbers 100 to 1,000,000 (hundert, tausend...)

Becoming and getting (werden)

The impersonal pronoun (man)

Indefinite pronouns (jemand, niemand...)

Time sequence prepositions (vor, nach, bei)

Time span prepositions (von... bis, seit, für)

Adverbs of sequence (zuerst, dann, danach)

Two-way prepositions for direction (in, auf, an...)

Directional adverbs (hin, her)

Placement verbs (setzen, stellen, legen)

Months of the year (Januar, Februar)

The four seasons (Frühling, Sommer)

Time prepositions and indefinite pronouns (an, in, um)

Ordinal numbers 1st to 19th (am ersten)

Ordinals 20th and beyond (-ste, -sten)

Placement vs. location verbs (stellen vs. stehen)

Accusative reflexive pronouns (mich, dich, sich)

Accusative reflexive verbs (sich freuen)

Dative reflexive pronouns (mir, dir, sich)

Dative reflexive verbs (sich etwas merken)

Ordinal numbers 11th to 19th (-te)

Temporal prepositions (an, in, um)

Double objects with nouns

Double objects with pronouns

The modal verb for advice (sollen)

Simple past of modal verbs (musste, wollte...)

Simple past of common irregulars (wurde, wusste, es gab)

Adverbial connectors of consequence (deshalb, darum...)

Subordinate clauses for statements (dass)

Question	Answer
with what	womit
the paper	das Papier
the scissors	die Schere
What are you cutting the paper with? With the scissors?	Womit schneidest du das Papier? Mit der Schere?
what for (with verbs taking für)	wofür
What do you need the scissors for?	Wofür brauchst du die Schere?
what on / what for	worauf
What are you waiting for? For your new fabric?	Worauf wartest du? Auf deinen neuen Stoff?
what about	worüber
to craft / to make by hand	basteln
What are you talking about? Are you crafting together again?	Worüber sprecht ihr? Bastelt ihr wieder zusammen?
out of what	woraus
the wood	das Holz
What are you building the table out of? Out of wood?	Woraus baust du den Tisch? Aus Holz?
What are you putting the wood on? On the desk?	Worauf legst du das Holz? Auf den Schreibtisch?
What are you making the toy out of? I am making it out of paper.	Woraus machst du das Spielzeug? Ich mache es aus Papier.
What are you buying the fabric for? For a beautiful dress?	Wofür kaufst du den Stoff? Für ein schönes Kleid?
to sew	nähen
I need the scissors because I am sewing a thin scarf.	Ich brauche die Schere, weil ich einen dünnen Schal nähe.
What are you crafting with on the weekend? We are crafting with paper because we have no wood.	Womit bastelt ihr am Wochenende? Wir basteln mit Papier, weil wir kein Holz haben.
What are you talking about? About a new project?	Worüber sprecht ihr? Über ein neues Projekt?
What are you sewing this dress out of?	Woraus nähen Sie dieses Kleid?

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