Questions & Answers about Wann wachst du auf?
Why is auf at the very end of the sentence?
The verb here is aufwachen (to wake up). It is a separable verb. In German questions and regular sentences, the main part of the verb (wachst) takes the second position, and the prefix (auf) gets chopped off and sent to the very end of the sentence.
What is the dictionary form (infinitive) of the verb used here?
The full dictionary form is aufwachen. Because the subject of the sentence is du (you), the core part of the verb, wach, takes the typical -st ending to become wachst.
Why doesn't the sentence go: Wann du wachst auf?
In German questions that start with a question word like wann (when), the conjugated verb must be the second element. So, wachst has to come right after wann, pushing the subject du to the spot immediately after the verb.
Is it wrong to just say: Wann aufwachst du?
Yes, that is incorrect. When using a separable verb like aufwachen as the main verb of a question, you must split the prefix (auf) from the verb stem and move it to the end. You cannot keep the word glued together as aufwachst here.
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