Question 1

If I wanted to ask 'Where are you flying to?' to get this answer, would I use 'wo' or 'wohin'?

Accepted Answer

You would use wohin (where to). For example, Wohin fliegt ihr? (Where are you flying to?). Wohin is used for movement towards a destination, which fits perfectly with the verb fliegen (to fly). If you just wanted to know where someone currently is, you would use wo (where).

Question 2

Why is the word nach used to mean 'to' here?

Accepted Answer

In German, nach is the standard word for 'to' when you are traveling to most cities, countries, and continents. Since Spain (Spanien) is a country that doesn't use a 'the' word (article) in front of it, going 'to Spain' is translated simply as nach Spanien.

Question 3

Why does nicht come right before nach Spanien?

Accepted Answer

When you want to say that something is 'not' the case, nicht generally sits right in front of the specific thing you are negating. Placing it directly before nach Spanien makes it clear you are saying 'not to Spain' (perhaps you are flying somewhere else instead!).

Question 4

The English translation says 'are not flying', but isn't fliegen just the basic present tense?

Accepted Answer

Exactly! German does not have an '-ing' tense like English. Whether you want to say 'we fly' or 'we are flying', you just use the simple present tense: wir fliegen. German also frequently uses this simple present tense to talk about fixed future plans.

Nein, wir fliegen nicht nach Spanien.

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