How to ask a question in German
You will want to know how to ask a question when studying German. It is an essential skill for mastering your everyday life. Luckily this is not too hard to learn. After this article and the attached free worksheet, you will be a master at asking questions!
Questions in German
As in every language, there are two ways of asking a question. One can ask a closed question. This means that there is only the possibility of saying “ja” (yes) and “nein” (no) as an answer. Usually, these questions do not need a question word and can be formed with any verb.
To do so in German, one needs to flip the verb to the first position of the sentence.
Recommended study materials on the topic:
A-Grammar: Practice German grammar (incl. answers)
German self-study book for A1-B1 (incl. answers)
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Closed questions (Ja-Nein-Fragen)
Normal sentence structure:
Du gehst nach Hause. (→ You go home.)
Er macht Hausaufgaben. (→ He does homework.)
Ihr schreibt einen Brief. (→ You write a letter.)
Question sentence structure:
Gehst du nach Hause? (→ Do you go home?)
Macht er Hausaufgaben? (→ Does he do homework?)
Schreibt ihr einen Brief? (→ Do you write a letter?)
Open questions (W-Fragen)
If you want to ask open questions in German, you must use the correct question words. In German, questions with question words are called “W-Fragen.” This is because all question words start with the letter “w.”
German question words:
were → who
wie → how
was → what
warum → why
wo → where
woher → from where
wohin → to where
wann → when
Normal sentence structure:
Du gehst nach Hause. (→ You go home.)
Er macht Hausaufgaben. (→ He does homework.)
Ihr schreibt einen Brief. (→ You write a letter.)
“W-Frage” question sentence structure:
The sentence order also changes a bit here. Therefore we start with the question word, which is followed by the verb and the subject/object:
Wohin gehst du? (Where do you go?)
Wer macht Hausaufgaben? (What does he do?)
Was macht ihr? (What do you do?)
As you can hopefully see, asking a question in German is not very hard. You can practice your knowledge with the free worksheet “How to ask a question in German” (including answers).
Bis bald!
Steffie
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