Question words wer, wen, wem, was (A1) – German grammar

Wer asks about the subject, wen about the accusative object, wem about the dative: Wem gehört die Tasche?

Learn first:Yes/no questions and W-questions Dative case

Case forms of the question word for people (wer)

Case	Question word	Function in sentence	Example
Nominativ	wer	Subject (Who is acting?)	Wer kommt morgen? (Who is coming tomorrow?)
Akkusativ	wen	Direct object (Who receives the action?)	Wen besuchst du? (Who are you visiting?)
Dativ	wem	Indirect object / dative verbs and prepositions	Wem gehört das Handy? (Who does the mobile phone belong to?)
Genitiv	wessen	Possession (Whose? Rare at A1)	Wessen Auto ist das? (Whose car is that?)

The main points

wer = who does it (subject, Nominativ).
wen = who receives the action (object, Akkusativ).
wem = the dative person: Wem gehört das? Mit wem?
was = what, for things, as subject or object.
Prepositions: mit wem, für wen. For things: womit, worauf.

Part 1 of 4

When you use it

1
Who does it? wer
- Wer arbeitet heute im Büro?Who is working in the office today?
- Wer kommt am Freitag mit nach Berlin?Who is coming along to Berlin on Friday?
Use wer (who) for the person who does the action: the subject.
2
Who receives the action? wen
- Wen suchen Sie?Who are you looking for?
- Wen triffst du heute im Supermarkt?Who are you meeting at the supermarket today?
Use wen for the person in the accusative: the direct object of the verb.
3
The dative person: wem
- Wem gehört dieses Buch?Whose book is this?
- Wem helfen Sie bei der Arbeit?Who are you helping at work?
Use wem after verbs like helfen and gehören, and after mit. Wem gehört …? is the normal way to ask "Whose is …?".

The forms

Case forms of the question word for people (wer)

The endings match the article: wer like der, wen like den, wem like dem.

Case	Question word	Function in sentence	Example
Nominativ	wer	Subject (Who is acting?)	Wer kommt morgen? (Who is coming tomorrow?)
Akkusativ	wen	Direct object (Who receives the action?)	Wen besuchst du? (Who are you visiting?)
Dativ	wem	Indirect object / dative verbs and prepositions	Wem gehört das Handy? (Who does the mobile phone belong to?)
Genitiv	wessen	Possession (Whose? Rare at A1)	Wessen Auto ist das? (Whose car is that?)

What to notice

Wessen (whose) is rare in speech. People say Wem gehört …? instead.

Part 2 of 4

Step by step

1
Find the role of the person
Are you asking about the subject (wer), the direct object (wen) or the dative person (wem)?
2
Check the verb or preposition
Some verbs and prepositions need the dative, for example gehören, helfen and mit. Then use wem.
- gehören (dative) → wem
3
Build the question
Put the question word in position 1 and the verb in position 2 (→ S02). A preposition goes before the question word.
- Wem gehört diese Tasche?Who does this bag belong to?
- Mit wem sprichst du?Who are you talking to?

Part 3 of 4

Common mistakes

~~Wer suchst du?~~
Wen suchst du?
The person you look for is the object (Akkusativ), so use wen.
~~Wem siehst du da?~~
Wen siehst du da?
sehen takes an accusative object, so use wen.
~~Wen arbeitet heute?~~
Wer arbeitet heute?
The person does the action. That is the subject, so use wer.

Exceptions

Tap one to open it.

For things, standard German uses womit or worauf. Mit was is casual speech. For people, always use mit wem, auf wen.
- Worauf wartest du? – Auf den Bus.What are you waiting for? – The bus.
- Auf wen wartest du? – Auf meine Schwester.Who are you waiting for? – My sister.
Wessen (whose) exists, but in everyday German people ask Wem gehört …? instead.
- Wem gehört das Buch?Whose book is this?

Don't mix it up

wer, wen, wem or was?

Does the person act (wer), receive the action (wen), or stand in the dative (wem)? For things, use was.

Question word	Case / target	Example
Wer?	Nominative (subject)	Wer kocht heute? (Who is cooking today?)
Wen?	Accusative (direct object)	Wen triffst du? (Who are you meeting?)
Wem?	Dative (indirect object / preposition)	Wem schreibst du? (Who are you writing to?)
Was?	Things / actions	Was machst du? (What are you doing?)

Part 4 of 4

In real life

Fundsache im Büro (lost and found item in the office)

In an office in Leipzig, David finds a handbag on a table. He asks his colleague Sarah about it. · Tap EN for English.

David
Schau mal, Sarah! Hier liegt eine Tasche auf dem Tisch. Wem gehört diese Tasche?
Sarah
Keine Ahnung. Wer sitzt denn hier?
David
Ich weiß es nicht. Fragen wir doch im Team nach. Wen können wir fragen?
Sarah
Frag am besten den Chef. Aber wo ist er? Mit wem spricht er gerade?
David
Er spricht gerade mit Herrn Müller. Ich frage ihn gleich nach der Tasche.
Sarah
Na gut, dann gehen wir zusammen zum Chef. Auf wen warten wir noch?
David
Auf niemanden. Gehen wir!

That's the whole topic.

Next topicwelcher and was für ein

Case forms of the question word for people (wer)

The main points

When you use it

Who does it? wer

Who receives the action? wen

The dative person: wem

The forms

Case forms of the question word for people (wer)

Step by step

Find the role of the person

Check the verb or preposition

Build the question

Common mistakes

Exceptions

Don't mix it up

wer, wen, wem or was?

In real life

Sources