Breakdown of Was für ein Auto hast du?
du
you (informal singular)
haben
to have
das Auto
the car
was für ein
what kind of
Questions & Answers about Was für ein Auto hast du?
Why does the sentence use Was für ein? Doesn't that literally mean 'What for a'?
Literally, yes! But in German, was für ein is a very common fixed phrase that means 'what kind of' or 'what sort of'. You will use this exact phrase whenever you want to ask about the specific type or characteristics of something.
This lesson is about the accusative case. Why is it ein Auto instead of einen Auto?
The verb haben (here as hast) takes a direct object in the accusative case. However, Auto is a neuter noun (das Auto). For neuter nouns, the indefinite article is ein in both the nominative (subject) and accusative (object) cases. The article only changes to einen for masculine nouns.
Does the ein in Was für ein ever change its ending?
Yes, it does! The ein part changes based on the noun's gender and case, just like a normal article. For example, if you were asking about a masculine noun like der Hund (the dog) in this exact same sentence, you would need the masculine accusative form: Was für einen Hund hast du?
Why is the verb hast placed right in the middle of the sentence?
In German open questions, the conjugated verb must take the second 'position' or slot. Here, the entire question phrase Was für ein Auto (What kind of car) acts as a single block of information occupying position 1. Therefore, the verb hast comes immediately after it in position 2, followed by the subject du.
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