Word
Worauf legst du das Holz? Auf den Schreibtisch?
Meaning
What are you putting the wood on? On the desk?
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Worauf legst du das Holz? Auf den Schreibtisch?
du
you (informal singular)
auf
on / to (down/up to a level)
legen
to lay / to put (flat)
der Schreibtisch
the desk
Questions & Answers about Worauf legst du das Holz? Auf den Schreibtisch?
Why does the sentence use Worauf instead of just asking Auf was?
In German, when asking a question about a thing (not a person) that involves a preposition, you don't use the preposition + was (what). Instead, you combine wo + the preposition. Because auf starts with a vowel, we add an extra -r- in the middle to make it easier to pronounce: wo + r + auf = worauf.
What if I wanted to ask 'Who are you putting the wood on?' instead of 'What'?
Wo-compounds like worauf are only for inanimate objects (things). If you are asking about a person, you separate the preposition and use the question word for people. Since putting something onto someone implies motion toward a destination, auf takes the accusative case here, so you would ask: Auf wen? (On whom?).
Why is the answer auf den Schreibtisch (accusative) and not auf dem Schreibtisch (dative)?
The verb legen (to put/lay) describes an action with a destination—moving the wood onto the desk. Auf is a two-way preposition, meaning it takes the accusative case (den for masculine nouns like Schreibtisch) when showing movement toward a goal. If you were just describing where the wood is already resting, you'd use the dative (auf dem Schreibtisch).
Why do we use the verb legen here? Could I use instead?