Verwende „wer“, „was“ und „welcher/welche/welches“ in deinen Fragen.

(Use „wer“, „was“ and „welcher/welche/welches“ in your questions.)

What is the difference between wer, was and welcher/welche/welches?

  • wer = who (for people)
  • was = what (for things, ideas, professions in general)
  • welcher / welche / welches = which (for a specific choice)

Ask yourself two questions:

  1. Person or thing? → person = wer, thing/idea = was.
  2. Open question or choice? → open = wer/was, choice = welcher/welche/welches.
Question word Meaning Typical use Example
Wer who Person (subject or object) Wer arbeitet als Ärztin? – Who works as a doctor?
Was what Thing, idea, profession in general Was studierst du? – What are you studying?
Welcher / Welche / Welches which Choice between options Welche Firma ist interessant? – Which company is interesting?

Step 1: When do I use wer?

  • Use wer when you ask about a person.
  • It can be the subject of the sentence.

Patterns:

  • Wer + Verb ... ?
  • Wer ist ... ?

Examples:

  • Wer arbeitet als Ingenieur? – Who works as an engineer?
  • Wer ist deine Chefin? – Who is your boss (female)?
  • Wer sind deine Kollegen? – Who are your colleagues?

Important rule:

  • Wer is always singular in form, even if the answer is plural.

Check:

  • Wer sind die? – Who are they?
  • Answer can be: Das sind meine Kollegen.

Self-check:

  • Am I asking about a person? → Yes → Use wer.
  • Can the answer be "He/She/They are ..."? → Yes → Use wer.

Step 2: When do I use was?

  • Use was when you ask about things, ideas or activities.
  • In everyday language, Germans also use was to ask about a profession in general.

Patterns:

  • Was + Verb ... ?
  • Was machst du? – What are you doing / what do you do?

Examples (things, activities):

  • Was studierst du? – What are you studying?
  • Was lernst du heute? – What are you learning today?
  • Was ist das? – What is that?

Examples (profession in general):

  • Was bist du von Beruf? – What is your profession?
  • Was sind Sie von Beruf? – What is your profession? (formal)

Compare:

  • Was bist du von Beruf? – What is your job? (general category)
  • Wer ist dein Chef? – Who is your boss? (person)

Self-check:

  • Am I asking about a thing, activity or profession type? → Use was.
  • Can the answer be "I study ... / I work as ... / It is ..."? → Use was.

Step 3: When do I use welcher / welche / welches?

Use these forms when you ask which one? – you have a limited choice.

  • Welcher – with masculine nouns
  • Welche – with feminine and plural nouns
  • Welches – with neuter nouns

They are like the article der/die/das and must match the noun in:

  • Gender (masculine, feminine, neuter)
  • Number (singular, plural)
Noun Gender / Number Form of "welch-" Example
der Lehrer (teacher, m.) masculine, singular Welcher Welcher Lehrer ist nett?
die Frau (woman) feminine, singular Welche Welche Frau ist deine Kollegin?
das Kind (child) neuter, singular Welches Welches Kind ist neu?
die Kollegen (colleagues) plural Welche Welche Kollegen sind neu?

Typical patterns:

  • Welcher + masculine noun + Verb ... ?
  • Welche + feminine/plural noun + Verb ... ?
  • Welches + neuter noun + Verb ... ?

Self-check:

  • Am I choosing between options? → Use welcher/welche/welches.
  • Can I put a noun directly after it? → Yes → Use welcher/welche/welches.

Step 4: Open question or choice?

This step helps you choose between wer/was and welcher/welche/welches.

Type of question Use Example
Open question about a person wer Wer ist dein Chef? – Who is your boss?
Open question about a thing/activity was Was machst du beruflich? – What do you do for a living?
Choice between people / things welcher / welche / welches Welche Firma ist interessant? – Which company is interesting?

Compare:

  • Wer arbeitet hier? – Who works here? (open)
  • Welche Person arbeitet hier? – Which person works here? (from a known group)

Word order: keep it simple

  • The question word is always at the beginning of the sentence.
  • The verb is in second position.

Basic pattern:

  • Question word + Verb + Subject ... ?

Examples:

  • Wer arbeitet als Ärztin?
  • Was studierst du?
  • Welche Firma ist interessant?

Wrong word order (avoid):

  • Wer du arbeitest als Ärztin?
  • Was du studierst?

Typical mistakes and how to avoid them

  • Mixing up "wer" and "was" for jobs
    • Wer bist du von Beruf? – sounds wrong in German.
    • Say: Was bist du von Beruf?
    • Or: Was machst du beruflich?
  • Forgetting to adapt "welch-" to the noun
    • Welcher Frau ist deine Kollegin? ✗
    • Welche Frau ist deine Kollegin? ✓ (because die Frau)
    • Welches Lehrer ist nett? ✗
    • Welcher Lehrer ist nett? ✓ (because der Lehrer)
  • Using plural form with "wer"
    • Wer sind die? – looks plural, but this is actually correct.
    • Remember: wer itself never changes, the verb can be singular or plural.
    • Wer ist das? – singular answer possible.
    • Wer sind die? – plural answer possible.

Mini checklist: can I choose the right question word?

  1. Am I asking about a person?
    • Yes → Is it open? → wer
    • Yes → Is it a choice with a noun? → welcher/welche/welches + noun
  2. Am I asking about a thing, idea, study, job type?
    • Yes → open question → was
  3. Am I choosing between concrete options?
    • Yes → look at the noun and choose:
    masculine (der) welcher
    feminine (die) welche
    neuter (das) welches
    plural (die) welche

Quick self-test

Cover the solutions and decide: wer, was or welcher/welche/welches?

  1. ________ arbeitet als Journalistin in deiner Firma?
    • Solution: Wer arbeitet als Journalistin in deiner Firma?
  2. ________ studierst du an der Universität?
    • Solution: Was studierst du an der Universität?
  3. ________ Kollege ist neu im Büro?
    • Solution: Welcher Kollege ist neu im Büro?
  4. ________ Firma findest du besser: die deutsche oder die internationale?
    • Solution: Welche Firma findest du besser: die deutsche oder die internationale?
  5. ________ Kind ist krank?
    • Solution: Welches Kind ist krank?

If you can explain why each answer is correct, you are ready to use these question words in real conversations.

  1. Question words are used to ask for specific information – depending on whether it is about people, things or a choice, you use different question words.
  2. Welcher/welche/welches are adapted to the noun in gender and number.
Fragewort (question word)Verwendung (use)Beispielsatz (example sentence)
WerFür Personen (for people)Wer arbeitet als Ärztin? (Who works as a doctor?)
WasFür Dinge, Tiere oder abstrakte Begriffe (for things, animals or abstract ideas)Was arbeitest du? (What is your job? / What do you do for work?)

Welcher / Welche / Welches

Plural: Welche

Für alle Nomen (for all nouns)

Welcher Lehrer ist nett? (Which teacher is nice?)

Welche Frau ist deine Mutter? (Which woman is your mother?)

Welches Kind ist das? (Which child is that?)

Exceptions!

  1. "Wer" is always singular, even when it refers to several people: "Wer sind die?"

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

1. ________ arbeitet als Ingenieur in unserer Firma?

________ works as an engineer at our company?)

2. ________ Beruf haben Sie?

________ profession are you?)

3. ________ studierst du an der Universität?

________ are you studying at university?)

4. ________ Firma ist interessant für dich: die große IT-Firma oder das kleine Start-up?

________ company is interesting for you: the large IT firm or the small start‑up?)

Exercise 2: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Rewrite the sentences as questions using the correct question word: who, what, or which.

Show/Hide translation Show/Hide hints
  1. Hint Hint (Wer) Die Frau arbeitet als Ärztin.
    ⇒ _______________________________________________ Example
    Wer arbeitet als Ärztin?
    (Who works as a doctor?)
  2. Hint Hint (Was) Du arbeitest als Ingenieur in Berlin.
    ⇒ _______________________________________________ Example
    Was bist du von Beruf in Berlin?
    (What is your profession in Berlin?)
  3. Hint Hint (Welcher) Der Lehrer ist sehr nett.
    ⇒ _______________________________________________ Example
    Welcher Lehrer ist sehr nett?
    (Which teacher is very nice?)
  4. Hint Hint (Welche) Die Frau ist deine Kollegin im Büro.
    ⇒ _______________________________________________ Example
    Welche Frau ist deine Kollegin im Büro?
    (Which woman is your colleague in the office?)
  5. Hint Hint (Welches) Das Kind ist neu in der Klasse.
    ⇒ _______________________________________________ Example
    Welches Kind ist neu in der Klasse?
    (Which child is new in the class?)
  6. Hint Hint (Wer) Die Personen dort sind deine Kollegen.
    ⇒ _______________________________________________ Example
    Wer sind deine Kollegen dort?
    (Who are your colleagues over there?)

Exercise 3: Grammar in action

Instruction: Work in pairs: Ask questions using question words and answer them.

Show/Hide translation
Situation
Sie treffen neue Leute im Deutschkurs und sprechen über Berufe und Studium.
(You meet new people in your German class and talk about jobs and studies.)
Discuss
  • Wer arbeitet als Arzt, Lehrer, Ingenieur oder Journalist in Ihrer Gruppe? (Who in your group works as a doctor, teacher, engineer, or journalist?)
  • Was studieren Sie oder was haben Sie früher gelernt? (Was lernen Sie für Ihren Beruf?) (What are you studying, or what did you study before? (What are you learning for your career?))
Useful words and phrases
  • Ich arbeite als ... (I work as ...)
  • Ich studiere ... / Ich habe ... studiert (I am studying ... / I studied ...)
  • Welcher Beruf interessiert Sie? (Which profession interests you?)
Use in conversation
  • Wer + Verb (Wer + verb)
  • Was + Verb (Was + verb)
  • Welcher/Welche/Welches + Nomen + Verb (Welcher/Welche/Welches + noun + verb)

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This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage

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Sophie Schmidt

International Administration Management

Würzburger Dolmetscherschule

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Last Updated:

Wednesday, 18/02/2026 16:26