Asking questions (Ja/Nein-Fragen, W‑Fragen, ...)

What is special about German questions?

• In German questions, the verb almost always stands at the very beginning.
• This is different from English, where you often add a “do/does/did”.
• Think: Question = Verb first, then the subject (person), then the rest.

Basic pattern for A1 questions:

• Yes/no questions: Verb – Subject – …?
• W-questions: Question word – Verb – Subject – …?
• Questions with nicht: (same as above) + nicht.
• Questions with welcher/welche/welches: Question word + noun – Verb – Subject – …?

1. Yes/No questions – verb at the start

Use yes/no questions when the answer is simply ja or nein.

Word order:

• Verb + Subject (person) + rest?

Typical mistakes to avoid:

• Du wohnst in Berlin? (spoken is possible, but not the neutral question form you learn now)
• Du arbeitest heute?
• For A1, always train: Verb first: Wohnst du …?, Arbeitest du …?

Quick self-check:

1. Underline the verb.
2. Is the verb in position 1 (the first word)?
3. Is the subject (du, Sie, er, sie, wir, …) directly after the verb?

If you answer “yes” to all: your yes/no question form is correct.

2. W-questions – adding a question word

Use W-questions when you want more information: who, what, where, when, why…

Common W-words at A1:

• Wer – who
• Was – what
• Wo – where (location)
• Wohin – where to (direction)
• Woher – where from
• Wann – when
• Warum – why
• Wie – how

Word order:

• W-word + Verb + Subject + rest?

Typical mistakes to avoid:

• Wann du gehst zur Schule? → Wann gehst du zur Schule?
• Wo du wohnst? → Wo wohnst du?

Quick self-check:

1. Does the question start with a W-word (Wer, Was, Wo …)?
2. Is the verb directly after this W-word?
3. Is the subject after the verb?

3. Negative questions with nicht

Negative questions work like normal questions, but you add nicht.

Word order (yes/no type):

• Verb + Subject + … + nicht?

Placement tip at A1:

• Often nicht comes before the word you negate or at the end of the sentence part.
• For now, copy the pattern from full sentences in your book and move nicht together with that part into the question.

Quick self-check:

1. Is the verb still first in the question?
2. Is nicht close to the information you want to negate (today, coffee, coming, …)?

4. Questions with welcher / welche / welches (which … ?)

Use these when you choose between options: Which bus? Which film? Which city?

3 forms you need now:

• welcher – with masculine nouns (der)
• welche – with feminine nouns (die)
• welches – with neuter nouns (das)

Word order:

• Welcher / welche / welches + noun + Verb + Subject + …?

Typical mistakes to avoid:

• Welcher ist Bus nach Berlin? → Welcher Bus fährt nach Berlin?
• Welche ist Übung machen wir jetzt? → Welche Übung machen wir jetzt?

Quick trick:

1. Look at the noun in the vocabulary list.
2. If it’s der → use welcher.
3. If it’s die → use welche.
4. If it’s das → use welches.

5. From statement to question – a step-by-step method

Use this simple 3-step method to form questions from statements.

1. Find the verb and the subject.
   • Ich gehe morgen ins Büro.
   • Verb = gehe, Subject = ich.
2. Move the verb to position 1.
   • Gehe ich morgen ins Büro.
3. Change the subject (if needed) and add a question word (if needed).
   • Yes/no question: Gehst du morgen ins Büro?
   • W-question (time): Wann gehst du ins Büro?

More examples:

• Ich komme aus Spanien. → Kommst du aus Spanien? (yes/no)
• Ich komme aus Spanien. → Woher kommst du? (W-question)
• Mein Deutschkurs beginnt um 18.30 Uhr. → Wann beginnt dein Deutschkurs?

Self-check routine for any question:

1. Is there a verb in position 1 (or directly after the W-word)?
2. Is there a subject right after the verb?
3. Does the sentence end with a question mark?

6. Mini checklist – what you should be able to do now

Use this checklist after working with the chapter.

• I can form yes/no questions with verb + subject: Wohnst du …?
• I can form W-questions with a question word + verb + subject: Wann gehst du …?
• I can make negative questions with nicht: Kommst du heute nicht …?
• I can choose between welcher / welche / welches using the article der / die / das.
• I can transform a simple statement into a question by moving the verb to the front.

If you can honestly tick most points, you are ready to use these question forms actively in conversation.