Breakdown of Worüber ist die Enttäuschung so groß?
sein
to be
groß
big / tall
so
so, such (intensifier)
worüber
what about
die Enttäuschung
the disappointment
Questions & Answers about Worüber ist die Enttäuschung so groß?
Why does this sentence start with worüber instead of just asking über was?
The noun die Enttäuschung (the disappointment) has a fixed partnership with the preposition über (about/over). In standard German, when asking a question about a thing or concept using a preposition, we form a wo- compound. Because über starts with a vowel, we add an -r- for pronunciation, creating worüber. While you might hear über was in casual speech, worüber is the grammatically correct standard.
If I answer this question and state what the disappointment is about, what case do I use after über?
You must use the accusative case. Although über is a two-way preposition that sometimes takes the dative for physical locations, when it acts as a fixed preposition for abstract ideas (like emotions or conversations), it almost always requires the accusative. For example, you would answer: Die Enttäuschung über den neuen Chef (The disappointment over the new boss).
How would this question change if the disappointment was about a person instead of a thing?
You cannot use wo- compounds like worüber for living beings. To ask about a person, you must keep the preposition separate and use the question word for "who" in the correct case. Since Enttäuschung über demands the accusative, the question becomes: Über wen ist die Enttäuschung so groß? (Over whom is the disappointment so great?).
Does the verb enttäuschen (to disappoint) take the same fixed preposition as the noun?
No, and this is a tricky trap for learners! The verb usually uses von + dative, as in Ich bin von dem Film enttäuscht (I am disappointed by the film). However, the noun form die Enttäuschung pairs with über + accusative. It is very common in German for a verb and its related noun to require completely different fixed prepositions.
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