Asking questions

Why does one question start with “Wo” and another with “Kann”?

Take a look

Guten Morgen, wie geht es Ihnen?Good morning, how are you?
Wo ist der nächste Bahnhof?Where is the nearest train station?
Kann ich mit Kreditkarte bezahlen?Can I pay by credit card?

The rule

If you need a particular piece of information, start with a question word such as wo, wann or wie. The changed verb follows: Wo ist der nächste Bahnhof? If the answer can be yes or no, start with the verb: Kann ich mit Kreditkarte bezahlen? The person then follows the verb. In either type, the verb form still matches the person. Put a question mark at the end.

Remember: Question word + verb, or verb + person.

Goes with lesson 1, 5, 6 of the course.

What differs for you

English also has question words for place and manner, so “Wo” and “wie” have familiar jobs. In yes-or-no questions, however, English often needs a helper such as do, while German puts the conjugated verb first: “Kann ich mit Kreditkarte bezahlen?” Learn the German verb form together with this opening position rather than inserting an English-style helper.

The forms

Question words

Fragewort	fragt nach	Beispiel
wer	Person	Wer ist das?
was	Sache	Was machst du?
wo	Ort	Wo wohnst du?
woher	Herkunft	Woher kommst du?
wohin	Richtung	Wohin fährst du?
wann	Zeit	Wann kommst du?
wie	Art und Weise	Wie geht es dir?
warum	Grund	Warum lernst du Deutsch?
— (Ja/Nein)	Verb zuerst	Kommst du mit?

Common mistakes

*Wo der Bahnhof ist? → Wo ist der nächste Bahnhof?
*Ich kann bezahlen? → Kann ich mit Kreditkarte bezahlen?

Quick check

Which form fits? ___ ist der nächste Bahnhof?
1. Wo
2. Was
3. Wann
Answer
Wo — To ask for the location of “Bahnhof”, use “Wo”.
Which form fits? Guten Morgen, ___ geht es Ihnen?
1. wo
2. wie
3. wann
Answer
wie — To ask how someone is, say “wie” geht es Ihnen.
Which form fits? ___ ich mit Kreditkarte bezahlen?
1. Können
2. Kannst
3. Kann
Answer
Kann — In this yes-or-no question with ich, “Kann” comes first.
Which form fits? ___ ist die nächste Apotheke?
1. Wo
2. Wann
3. Was
Answer
Wo — To ask for the location of “Apotheke”, use “Wo”.
Which form fits? ___ es einen Rabatt?
1. Gibst
2. Gibt
3. Geben
Answer
Gibt — In the question about a discount, “Gibt” comes before es.

The same exercises come back in the course — there Langula remembers what you know and asks again at the right moment. Learn German free →

Terms

Question: A sentence used to ask for information: Is it raining?
Question-word question: A question starting with a question word: Where do you live?
Yes-no question: A question you can answer with yes or no: Are you coming?
Word order: The order of words in a sentence: Today I am coming.

BeforeSeparable verbs AfterThe accusative

Sentence structure

The verb in second position A1Where is the verb after “Heute”?→Nicht and kein A1What does “nicht” do in these sentences?→In, auf, unter: place or direction A2Why is it “in die Schule” but “in einem Büro”?→Join sentences with weil and dass A2Where is ist after weil in “Sie ist traurig, weil er weg ist”?→Relative clauses B1Relative clauses give additional information about a noun.→Infinitive constructions B1Infinitive constructions with 'zu' replace subordinate clauses.→

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