Breakdown of Woraus baust du den Tisch? Aus Holz?
du
you (informal singular)
aus
from / out of (made of)
der Tisch
the table
bauen
to build
Questions & Answers about Woraus baust du den Tisch? Aus Holz?
Why is the word woraus used instead of aus was?
In German, you generally don't put a preposition (like aus) right next to was (what) to ask a question about a thing. Instead, you form a wo-compound. You take wo- and attach the preposition to it. Since aus starts with a vowel, an -r- is added in the middle to make it easier to say, creating woraus (out of what).
Could I use woraus to ask out of who or from whom?
No, you can only use wo-compounds like woraus for inanimate things, such as objects, ideas, or materials. If you are asking a question about a person, you must keep the preposition separate and use the correct case for who (for example, von wem for from whom).
Why does the sentence use den Tisch instead of der Tisch?
Tisch (table) is a masculine noun. In this sentence, the table is the direct object because it is the thing you are building. That means it must be in the accusative case, so the masculine word for the changes from der to den.
I know aus is a dative preposition. Why isn't it aus dem Holz?