Asking Questions

ASKING QUESTIONS
COPYRIGHT 2022 LUZ LANGUAGE CENTER

INTRODUCTION
❖ Interrogative
There are two main types of questions. The first starts Woher kommen Sie?
Wo wohnen Sie?
with a question word (interrogative) and tends to be
more ‘open’. The second starts with a finite verb and
requires ‘yes’ or ‘no’ as an answer.
Both types are frequently used in English and German:
❖ Yes or no question
Haben Sie Geschwister?
Ist das Ihr Handy
➢ Interrogative or ‘w-questions’
Here are some examples which show how the
Who? Wer? question words work.
What? Was?
Wer ist das? Who is that?
Where? Wo?
Wo wohnst du? Where do you live?
where . . . from? woher?
Woher kommen Sie? Where do you come from?
where . . . (to)? wohin?
Wohin fährt Juliane nächstes Wochenende? Where is
When? Wann?
Juliane going next weekend?
Why? Warum?
Wie ist deine E-Mail-Adresse? What is your e-mail
How? Wie?
address?
how often? wie oft?
Wie viel kosten 100 Gramm Mozzarella? How much is
how long? wie lange?
100 grams of Mozzarella?
how much? wie viel?
Wie oft gehst du aus? How often do you go out?
how many? wie viele?
Useful points
➢ Use of wo, wohin and woher
As you can see, the usage of most question words
in German is very similar to English. Note the Note that wo corresponds to the English
following points. ‘where’ referring to a precise location but

when indicating ‘’where to’’ and ‘’where
➢ Wie used for names and addresses
from’’, German always uses wohin or woher.
The German interrogative wie ‘how’ is also used
✓ Wo ist die Kirche? Where is the church?
when you ask for a name or address:
✓ Wohin gehst du heute Abend? Where are
✓ Wie ist dein Name? What is your name?
you going (to) this evening?
✓ Wie ist Ihre Telefonnummer/ Adresse? What
✓ Woher kommst du gerade? Where have
is your phone number/ address?
you just come from?
It is incorrect to use ‘’was’’ in such questions.
How to ask about professions/ where
Question words in first position
you work
The question word occupies the first place in a
The most common way in German to ask
question. It is followed by the finite verb as the
what somebody does for a living is:
second idea and then the subject
• Was sind Sie von Beruf? What do
you do for a living? (lit. What are you by Question Finite Other
Subject
word verb elements
profession)
Woher kommst du?
To find out for which company somebody
Wohin fährt Juliane am Wochenende?
is working, the question in German is:
• Wo arbeiten Sie? For whom do you

work? (lit. Where do you work?)
:
Yes and no questions ÜBUNGEN
Formation Übung 1- Ergänzen sie mit Frageworten
The second type of question can by answered 1 Wie heißen Sie?
by a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. As you can see, it 2 _____ wohnen Sie?
does not need a question word. Instead, the 3 _____ ist Ihre E-Mail-Adresse?
finite verb moves into the first position: 4 _____ arbeiten Sie?
5 _____ sind Sie von Beruf?
Finite
Subject Other elements
verb 6 _____ kommen Sie eigentlich?
Spielt er Fussball? 7 _____ viel kostet das?

8 _____ beginnt das Konzert?
Wohnst du in Bohn?
9 _____ viel Uhr ist es?
Trinken Sie gern?
10 ____ viele Einwohner hat Deutschland?
Übung 2 4 ____________________________?
Here is an interview with Oliver Gehrs. Can → Ja, die Arbeit ist sehr interessant. Manchmal aber auch
you find out what the questions were? ein wenig stressig.
Example: Wie alt sind Sie? 5 ____________________________?

→ Ja, ich habe Kinder. Eine Tochter und zwei Söhne.
→ Ich bin 32 Jahre alt.
1 ____________________________? 6 ____________________________?
→ Ja, ich bin seit fast 15 Jahren verheiratet.
→ Mein Name ist Oliver Gehrs.
7 ____________________________?
2 ____________________________? → Ich lese gern, ich gehe gern ins Kino und ich schwimme
→ Ich bin Journalist. auch viel.
8 ____________________________?
3 ____________________________?
→ Nein, ich spreche kein Spanisch. Ich spreche aber sehr
→ Meine Arbeit beginnt meistens um 8.00 Uhr. gut Englisch.
Übung 3
Translate the following questions. Use both the du and Sie forms
for ‘you’.
1 What is your name?
2 Where do you come from?
3 What is your e-mail address?
4 What is the time?
5 Are you married?
6 Do you have children?
7 Do you speak English?

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ASKING QUESTIONS

COPYRIGHT 2022 LUZ LANGUAGE CENTER

following points. ‘where’ referring to a precise location but

• Wo arbeiten Sie? For whom do you

Spielt er Fussball? 7 _____ viel kostet das?

Example: Wie alt sind Sie? 5 ____________________________?

1 What is your name?

2 Where do you come from?

3 What is your e-mail address?

4 What is the time?

5 Are you married?

6 Do you have children?

7 Do you speak English?

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