Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions about people, things, reasons, manner, time, place, and quantity. They include wer (who), was (what), and a set of pronouns beginning with w- (such as wo-, wann, warum, wie, welch-).

True Interrogative Pronouns: "wer" and "was"

Wer means “who” and is used to ask about people. Was means “what” and is used to ask about things, concepts, or general questions.
CaseWer (who)Was (what)Example (German)Example (English)
Nom. (Subject)werwasWer kommt?Who is coming?
Gen. (Possessive)wessenwessenWessen Buch ist das?Whose book is that?
Dat. (Indirect Object)wemWem gibst du das?To whom are you giving that?
Akk. (Direct Object)wenwasWen siehst du? / Was siehst du?Whom do you see? / What do you see?

The “w-” Pronouns

These pronouns always start with a w- and serve different roles in forming more specific questions.

wo- Pronouns (Location-Based)

Used to form questions about place or direction by adding suffixes to wo (“where”).
PronounMeaningExample (German)Example (English)
wowhereWo bist du?Where are you?
worausfrom what (material)Woraus ist der Tisch?What is the table made of?
wovonfrom/about whatWovon sprichst du?What are you talking about?
wofürfor whatWofür brauchst du das?What do you need that for?
wogegenagainst whatWogegen bist du?What are you against?
woraufon whatWorauf wartest du?What are you waiting for?
worinin whatWorin liegt das Problem?What is the problem in?
wovorbefore/what … fromWovor hast du Angst?What are you afraid of?
Note: The suffixes usually correspond to prepositions used in statements.*

Other "w-" Pronouns

These pronouns do not inflect and remain the same regardless of case.
PronounMeaningExample (German)Example (English)
wannwhenWann kommst du?When are you coming?
warumwhyWarum lernst du Deutsch?Why are you learning German?
wiehowWie geht es dir?How are you?
wie viel(e)how much / how manyWie viel kostet das?How much does that cost?
welcher, welche, welcheswhichWelches Buch willst du?Which book do you want?
Note: welch- pronouns must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify.*

Summary

  • wer / was are pure interrogative pronouns with full case inflections.
  • wo- pronouns combine wo + preposition to ask about locations and circumstances.
  • wann, warum, wie, wie viel(e) are fixed, uninflected pronouns for time, reason, manner, and quantity.
  • welch- functions as an interrogative adjective and must agree with the noun it modifies.
This system allows German to form precise and varied questions about people, things, places, times, reasons, and more.

What is the role of "wer / was" in German questions?


They are pure interrogative pronouns with full case inflections.

"Wer / was" can be declined for case and directly ask about people and things.

How are you?


Wie geht es dir?

Wie means "how" and asks about manner or condition.

What are you talking about?


Wovon sprichst du?

Wovon means "about what" and is used with sprechen (to speak) to ask about the topic.

Flashcards (1 of 17)

  • Case: Nom. (Subject)
  • Wer (who): wer
  • Was (what): was
  • Example (English): Who is coming?

Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025

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