Word orderQuestions and word order

It is not difficult to ask a question in German.

In an ordinary question, when you want to ask things like Do I?, Must we?, Do you want?, you just swap the verb and the subject, so that the question begins with the verb.

• Statement: Du hast einen Hund. - You have a dog.
• Question: Hast du einen Hund? - Do you have a dog? (literally: Have you a dog?)

• Statement: Sie hat früher in Essen ge wohnt. - She used to live in Essen.
• Question: Hat sie früher in Essen gewohnt? - Did she used to live in Essen?

• Statement: Wir müssen das Auto heute zum Werkstatt bringen - We have to take the car to the garage today.
• Question: Müssen wir das Auto heute zum Werkstatt bringen? - Do we have to take the car to the garage today?

Sometimes you need to use a question word to form a question in German.

Here are some examples:

• Wann? - When?
• Warum? - Why?
• Was? - What?
• Was für? - What sort of?
• Wer? - Who?
• Wie? - How?
• Wie viel? - How much?
• Wie viele? - How many?
• Wo? - Where?
• Woher? - From where?
• Wohin? - Where to?

Examples in use

• Wie heißt du? - What is your name? (literally: How are you called?)
• Wie alt bist du? - How old are you?
• Wo wohnst du? - Where do you live?
• Woher kommst du? - Where do you come from?
• Wer ist das? - Who is that?
• Wie viele Geschwister hast du? - How many brothers and sisters do you have?