Asking Questions
Just like English, German has more than one way to ask a question. Sometimes just intoning your voice while you make a statement is a question. Other questions require a yes or no answer. Still others begin with an interrogative word.
Yes or No Questions
When asking a question that can be answered by either ja (yes) or nein (no), invert the subject and the verb to make a question.
Statement: Er kommt um acht Uhr. (He's coming at 8 o'clock.)
Question: Kommt er um acht Uhr? (Is he coming at 8 o'clock?)
Statement: Deine Schwester singt gut. (Your sister sings well.)
Question: Singt deine Schwester gut? (Does your sister sing well?)
Using Interrogative Words
Interrogative words ask questions about specific elements in a sentence: how, when, where, why, who, what.
COMMON INTERROGATIVE WORDS
wer |
who |
was |
what |
wann |
when |
wo |
where |
wie |
how |
warum |
why |
A question that begins with an interrogative word requires the inversion of the subject and verb, just like in a yes-no question.
Statement: Du hast kein Geld.
(You don't have any money.)
Question: Warum hast du kein Geld?
(Why don't you have any money?)
Statement: Er findet eine Zeitung.
(He finds a newspaper.)
Question: Was findet er?
(What does he find?)
Statement: Sie kommen um acht Uhr.
(They're coming at 8 o'clock.)
Question: Wann kommen sie?
(When are they coming?)
