Breakdown of Was ist los? Bist du müde?
sein
to be
du
you (informal singular)
müde
tired
was
what
Was ist los?
what's going on? what's wrong?
Questions & Answers about Was ist los? Bist du müde?
Why does Was ist los? mean "What's wrong?" when los doesn't mean "wrong"?
The phrase Was ist los? is a very common fixed expression in German. It literally translates to "What is loose?" or "What is going on?", but it is the standard way to ask "What's the matter?" or "What's wrong?" when someone seems upset.
Why do the verbs ist and Bist appear in different places in these two questions?
This shows the two main question structures in German! In a W-question like Was ist los?, the question word (Was) comes first, and the verb (ist) stays in the second position. In a yes/no question like Bist du müde?, the verb (Bist) moves to the very beginning.
Why isn't du capitalized here?
In German, the informal word for you, du, is only capitalized at the beginning of a sentence. This is different from English, where "I" is always capitalized. However, remember that the formal you, Sie, is always capitalized no matter where it appears.
What is the dictionary form of the verbs ist and Bist?
They both come from the irregular verb sein (to be). The word ist is the form for he, she, or it (and pairs with Was here), while Bist is the specific form that matches the informal du.
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