Yes/no questions and W-questions (A1) – German grammar

In a W-question the verb is in position 2. In a yes/no question it comes first: Wohnst du hier?

Learn first:Personal pronouns in the nominative Present tense of regular verbs Main clause: verb in position 2

Question words (W-Wörter)

Question word	Meaning	Example
Wer?	Who?	Wer unterschreibt hier? (Who signs here?)
Was?	What?	Was brauchen Sie? (What do you need?)
Wo?	Where?	Wo ist das Büro? (Where is the office?)
Wohin?	Where to?	Wohin fährt dieser Bus? (Where is this bus going?)
Woher?	Where from?	Woher kommen Sie? (Where are you from?)
Wann?	When?	Wann öffnet die Praxis? (When does the doctor's practice open?)

The main points

W-question: question word, then verb, then subject.
Yes/no question: the verb comes first.
No "do": start with the real German verb.
Yes to a question with nicht or kein: doch.
wo = where, wohin = where to, woher = where from.

Part 1 of 4

When you use it

1
Asking for information (W-Fragen)
- Wo wohnen Sie in Leipzig?Where do you live in Leipzig?
- Wann beginnt der Deutschkurs?When does the German course start?
Start with a question word like wo or wann. The verb comes next, then the subject.
2
Yes/no questions (Ja/Nein-Fragen)
- Sprechen Sie Englisch?Do you speak English?
- Kommt der Bus um neun Uhr?Is the bus coming at nine?
No question word. The verb comes first, the subject comes right after it.
3
Saying yes to a no-question: doch
- Haben Sie kein Ticket? – Doch, ich habe ein Ticket.Don't you have a ticket? – Yes, I do.
- Lernst du nicht gern Deutsch? – Doch, sehr gern!Don't you like learning German? – Yes, I do!
The question has nicht or kein, and you want to say yes? Answer with doch, not ja.

The forms

Question words (W-Wörter)

German question words start with W.

Question word	Meaning	Example
Wer?	Who?	Wer unterschreibt hier? (Who signs here?)
Was?	What?	Was brauchen Sie? (What do you need?)
Wo?	Where?	Wo ist das Büro? (Where is the office?)
Wohin?	Where to?	Wohin fährt dieser Bus? (Where is this bus going?)
Woher?	Where from?	Woher kommen Sie? (Where are you from?)
Wann?	When?	Wann öffnet die Praxis? (When does the doctor's practice open?)

What to notice

wo = where something is. wohin = where to. woher = where from.

Part 2 of 4

Step by step

1
W-question: pick the question word
What do you want to know? A time? Take wann.
- Wann ...
2
Add the verb, then the subject
The conjugated verb goes in position 2. The subject comes straight after it.
- Wann kommt der Zug ...
3
Send the prefix to the end
Separable verb? The prefix goes last (ankommen → kommt … an).
- Wann kommt der Zug an?When does the train arrive?
4
Yes/no question: start with the verb
Put the conjugated verb first, then the subject, then the rest. Don't add a word for "do".
- Brauchst du Hilfe?Do you need help?

Part 3 of 4

Common mistakes

~~Tun Sie Deutsch sprechen?~~
Sprechen Sie Deutsch?
No helper verb like "do". Start with the real verb.
~~Wo Sie wohnen?~~
Wo wohnen Sie?
The verb comes right after the question word.
~~Wann der Bus kommt?~~
Wann kommt der Bus?
The verb doesn't go to the end. It is in position 2.

Exceptions

Tap one to open it.

English needs "do" in questions. German never uses tun or machen for this. The main verb moves.
- Wohnst du hier?Do you live here?
- Wo arbeitest du?Where do you work?
Um wie viel Uhr, Wie lange, Wie viele Formulare: the whole phrase is position 1. The verb still comes second.
- Um wie viel Uhr schließt das Geschäft?What time does the shop close?
- Wie viele Formulare brauchen Sie?How many forms do you need?
wer is the subject, so the verb comes right after it, usually with -t. With sein: Wer sind Sie?
- Wer bezahlt heute den Kaffee?Who is paying for the coffee today?
In casual speech, people sometimes keep statement order and raise their voice at the end. Don't do this in writing.
- Du kommst morgen nicht?You're not coming tomorrow?

Don't mix it up

Statement, W-question or yes/no question

What stands in position 1 shows the type of sentence.

Feature	Statement (S01)	W-question (S02)	Yes/no question (S02)
Position 1	Subject or time / place (Der Zug … / Heute …)	Question word (Wann …, Wo …)	Conjugated verb (Fährt …)
Position 2	Conjugated verb (fährt …)	Conjugated verb (fährt …)	Subject (der Zug …)
Position 3	Other information or subject	Subject (der Zug …)	Other information
Purpose	Giving information	Asking for new information	Asking yes or no
Answers	None expected	A word, phrase or number	Ja, nein or doch

Part 4 of 4

In real life

Auskunft am Bahnhof

At the information counter in Leipzig main station, David asks about a train to Berlin. · Tap EN for English.

David
Guten Tag! Entschuldigen Sie, sprechen Sie Englisch?
Mitarbeiterin
Ein bisschen. Wie kann ich Ihnen helfen?
David
Danke! Wann fährt der nächste Zug nach Berlin?
Mitarbeiterin
Der Zug fährt um 14:15 Uhr von Gleis 3 ab.
David
Brauche ich eine Reservierung für einen Sitzplatz?
Mitarbeiterin
Nein, das ist nicht nötig. Möchten Sie das Ticket direkt kaufen?
David
Ja. Kann man hier mit Karte bezahlen?
Mitarbeiterin
Ja, natürlich. Haben Sie noch eine Frage?

That's the whole topic.

Next topicThe sentence bracket

Question words (W-Wörter)

The main points

When you use it

Asking for information (W-Fragen)

Yes/no questions (Ja/Nein-Fragen)

Saying yes to a no-question: doch

The forms

Question words (W-Wörter)

Step by step

W-question: pick the question word

Add the verb, then the subject

Send the prefix to the end

Yes/no question: start with the verb

Common mistakes

Exceptions

Don't mix it up

Statement, W-question or yes/no question

In real life

Sources