Der Kunde fragt nach dem Preis.

Der Kunde fragt nach dem Preis.
The customer asks about the price.
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Questions & Answers about Der Kunde fragt nach dem Preis.

Which word acts as the verb in Der Kunde fragt nach dem Preis, and what form is it?
The verb is fragt, the 3rd person singular present tense of the infinitive fragen (to ask). It agrees with the subject der Kunde.
Why does the sentence use the preposition nach after fragt, and what does this construction mean?
In German, when you fragen ‘ask’ about something, you use fragen nach + dative. Together fragen nach means ‘to inquire about’ or ‘to ask for’ something.
What case is dem Preis, and why is that case used here?
dem Preis is in the dative case (masculine singular). The preposition nach always governs the dative, so any noun following nach must be dative.
Why is Kunde preceded by der? What case is that?
der marks the nominative masculine singular article for Kunde. It indicates that der Kunde (‘the customer’) is the subject of the sentence.
How can you turn the sentence into a yes/no question?

Invert the subject and the finite verb. You get:
Fragt der Kunde nach dem Preis?
In German yes/no questions, the verb comes first.

How do you ask “What is the customer asking for?” using a question word?

Use the dative question word wonach (wo + nach):
Wonach fragt der Kunde?
This literally means “After what does the customer ask?”—i.e. “What is he asking about?”

Why can’t we say Der Kunde fragt den Preis to mean the same thing?
If you say Der Kunde fragt den Preis, you have an accusative object den Preis but no person to whom he’s asking. To express “ask someone something” you need jemanden fragen (e.g. Er fragt den Verkäufer). To express “ask about something in general,” you must use fragen nach + dative.
What’s the difference between fragen nach (verb + preposition) and the separable verb nachfragen?
  • fragen nach is the verb fragen followed by the preposition nach
    • dative: “to ask about.”
  • nachfragen is a separable verb meaning “to inquire” or “to ask again for clarification.”
    While they overlap, fragen nach is neutral “ask about,” and nachfragen often implies a follow‑up question.
Can you express the same idea using different verbs or phrases?

Yes. For example:

  • Der Kunde erkundigt sich nach dem Preis. (using sich erkundigen ‘to inquire’)
  • Der Kunde möchte den Preis wissen. (‘wants to know the price’)
  • Simply Wie viel kostet es? (‘How much does it cost?’)