Key Points

Yes/No questions: Verb comes first

W-questions: Question word, then verb

Subject comes after verb in all questions

Learn common question words by heart

Asking Questions in German

Yes/No Questions

Put the verb first, then the subject:

Verb + Subject + Rest

Bist du müde? (Are you tired?)
Hast du Zeit? (Do you have time?)
Kommst du morgen? (Are you coming tomorrow?)

W-Questions (Question Words)

Question word + Verb + Subject:

Common Question Words

German	English	Example
wer	who	Wer bist du?
was	what	Was machst du?
wo	where	Wo wohnst du?
wann	when	Wann kommst du?
wie	how	Wie geht's?
warum	why	Warum lernst du Deutsch?
woher	from where	Woher kommst du?
wohin	where to	Wohin gehst du?

Common Questions for Beginners

Greetings & Introductions:

Wie heißt du? (What's your name?)
Wie geht es dir? (How are you?)
Woher kommst du? (Where are you from?)

Information:

Wo ist...? (Where is...?)
Was ist das? (What is that?)
Wie viel kostet das? (How much does that cost?)
Wie spät ist es? (What time is it?)

Preferences:

Magst du...? (Do you like...?)
Möchtest du...? (Would you like...?)

Answering Questions

Yes/No:

Ja, ich bin müde. (Yes, I am tired.)
Nein, ich habe keine Zeit. (No, I don't have time.)

W-Questions:
Answer directly with the information asked:

Wo wohnst du? → Ich wohne in Berlin.

Examples

"Sprichst du Deutsch?"

"Do you speak German?"

💡 Yes/no question with verb first

"Was isst du gern?"

"What do you like to eat?"

💡 W-question starting with 'was'

"Wohin fährt der Bus?"

"Where is the bus going?"

💡 Using 'wohin' for direction

Common Mistakes to Avoid

✗ Using 'wo' instead of 'wohin' for destinations

✗ Forgetting to put verb first in yes/no questions

✗ Translating 'do' from English (German doesn't use a helping verb)

Asking Questions