To get information about something, we ask questions.
There are several types of questions in German, and sentence structure can change in some of them. Let's find out how to form different questions correctly.
Closed Questions
Rule 1: In closed questions, or Ja-Nein Fragen, the verb moves to the beginning of the sentence and the subject follows in the second position.
Open Questions
Rule 2: In open questions, or W-Fragen, there is an interrogative pronoun at the beginning of the sentence, then comes the verb and the subject.
Here's a list of German question words, or interrogative pronouns:
| Wo | Where? |
| Woher | Where from? |
| Wohin | Where to? |
| Wann | When? |
| Was | What? |
| Wer | Who? |
| Wie | How? |
| Warum | Why? |
Welch- vs. Was für ein- to ask "Which?"
Rule 3: When using interrogative pronouns to ask questions, we usually don't decline them. However, we need to decline two question words that can translate as "which:" welch- and was für ein-.
Rule 4: Welch- asks for a selection of known persons or things in a group. It is similar to "which?" or "which one?"
Rule 5: Was für ein-" asks for the quality level or type. It is similar to "what kind of ...?"
Rule 6: These two can be used before another word or as a substitute for another word. As substitutes, they refer to a noun that has already been mentioned.
Indirect Questions
Rule 7: Questions can also be placed in subordinate clauses, and then they abecome indirect questions.
Because indirect questions function as subordinate clauses, the conjugated verb is placed at the end. They end with a full stop and not a question mark.
Rule 8: For yes/no questions, we use the conjunction ob.
Rule 9: In W-questions, those that start with interrogative pronouns, the sentence structure doesn't almost change, only the conjugated verb is placed at the end.
Questions and Prepositional Adverbs
Rule 10: Certain adverbs can stand for whole phrases or subordinate clauses. To form them, you need to combine a question or a relative pronoun with a preposition:
- wo + mit = womit (with which)
- da + mit = damit (with this, with it)
- wo + für = wofür / dafür (for what)
- wo + in = worin (in what)
- da + in = darin (in there, in it)
We call these prepositional adverbs.
Rule 11: We can use prepositional adverbs to ask questions about the phrases or subordinate clauses they stand for.