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Questions & Answers about Wo ist der Bus?
Wait, doesn't Wo mean 'who'?
This is a classic trap for English speakers! In German, Wo actually means 'where'. If you want to ask 'who', you need to use the German word Wer. A helpful trick is to remember that they look swapped: Wo means 'where', and Wer means 'who'.
Is the word order in this question exactly the same as in English?
Yes, it matches perfectly! In German W-questions, you start with the question word (Wo), put the verb second (ist), and then the subject comes next (der Bus).
Why is it der Bus instead of das Bus or die Bus?
In German, every noun has a grammatical gender, and Bus happens to be masculine. Because the bus is the subject of the sentence here, we use the basic masculine word for 'the', which is der.
How do I pronounce the 'w' in Wo?
In German, the letter 'w' is pronounced like an English 'v'. So, Wo sounds like 'vo' with a long 'o' sound.