Write 5 questions about the German language. Word order in an interrogative sentence. Such questions are most often answered with yes or no.

One of the main tasks in learning a foreign language is the ability to ask interrogative sentences, which in turn come in different types. This educational material contains the basic rules of this topic.

If you have questions about how to ask questions in German, please leave your messages on the discussion page of this article.

General rules

The order of words in any German sentence depends directly on the type of sentence itself. Declarative, negative and interrogative sentences are formed according to certain rules of German grammar. There are several ways to ask questions in German. This determines the presence of several types of interrogative sentences; they can be divided into two main groups:

Formed using a question word;
Sentences in the formation of which interrogative words are not used.

These groups, in turn, include several varieties.

Types of Interrogative Sentences

General issues These are questions that require “yes” or “no” to answer. Certain question words and expressions are not involved in their formation.
Special questions– their formation requires the presence of a question word. They are assigned to one or another member of the sentence.
Alternative questions asked when there is a choice between two or more options.
Dividing questions- are asked in order to express doubt about one thing or another. Consist of two parts, separated by a comma.
Questions with denial. These types of interrogative sentences include negation. It can be confirmed or denied in the answer. Certain words are used for this.

General questions in German

Such questions require an affirmative or negative answer. The first place in such a sentence is occupied by the predicate. Question words are not used. Responses must begin with the words “yes” (“ja”) or no (“nein”).

Word order when forming a general question: Verb-predicate + subject + other members of the sentence.

Examples of general questions:

Anna komt am Abend. – Kommt Anna am Abend? (Anna will come in the evening. – Anna will come in the evening?).
Sie sind aus Rom. – Sind Sie aus Rom? (They are from Rome. - Are they from Rome?).
Kommen Sie aus Oslo? – Ja, ich komme aus Oslo. (Are you from Oslo? – Yes, I am from Oslo).
Wohnen Sie in Berlin? – Nein, ich wohne in Hamburg. (Do you live in Berlin? – No, I live in Hamburg).

If the predicate in a sentence is compound, then the variable part of it is placed at the beginning of the sentence, and the unchangeable part completes the question. Examples:

Gehst du heute spazieren? – Ja, ich gehe heute spazieren. (Are you going for a walk today? - Yes, I’m going for a walk today.)
Haben Sie morgen viel zu tun? – Nein, ich habe morgen nicht viel zu tun. (Do you have a lot to do tomorrow? - No, I don’t have much to do tomorrow.)

Exceptions:
If a sentence to which a general question is asked contains a negation, then it is moved to the end of the question. Example:

Ich gehe nicht. – Gehst du nicht? (I’m not going. – You’re not going?)

Special questions

A similar version of the question is asked to one of the members of the sentence using a suitable question word. It begins a sentence and can be expressed by an interrogative pronoun or an adverb. The so-called "W-Fragen" are used such as

Was? - What?
Wer? - Who?
Wie? - How?

Read a separate article for more information about these question words.

It is necessary to observe the word order in special questions as follows: Question word + predicate + subject + other members of the sentence. Examples of special questions:

Wie heißen Sie? – Ich heiße Anna. (What is your name? My name is Anna.)
Wo wohnen sie? – Sie wohnen in Kassel. (Where do they live? - They live in Kassel.)
Woher bist du? – Ich bin aus Deutschland. (Where are you from? – I’m from Germany.)
Wo liegt Bern? – In der Schweiz. (Where is Bern? – In Switzerland.)
Was macht er in Berlin? – Er studiert Deutsch hier. (What is he doing in Berlin? – He is studying German here).

Exceptions:
If the sentence to which you need to ask a special question contains a compound predicate, then the word order will be as follows:
Question word + invariable part of the predicate + subject + secondary members of the sentence + unchangeable part of the predicate. Examples:

Wann willst du heute arbeiten? – Ich will am Abend arbeiten. (When do you want to work today? – I want to work in the evening.)

Some question words can be combined with nouns to form interrogative expressions. The most common among them are:

Was für ein (eine)? – translated into Russian “which one?” which? Which?". They are used when the interlocutor is interested in the properties of objects. Example: Was für eine Tasche hast du gekauft? – What bag did you buy?
Wie lange? - how long? Example: Wie lange warst du in Deutschland? – How long have you been in Germany?
Wie oft? - how often? Example: Wie oft fahren Sie nach Deutschland? – How often do you travel to Germany?
Wie alt? - How many? (when talking about age) Example: Wie alt ist deine Mutter? – How old is your mother?

Alternative questions

These questions are intended for situations where there is a choice between several events, objects, or preferences. Similar questions are formed using the conjunction “oder”, which is translated into Russian as “or”. This conjunction is placed in the middle of an interrogative sentence. Examples of alternative questions in German

Wohnt er in Berlin oder in Hamburg? – Does he live in Berlin or Hamburg?
Heißen Sie Monika oder Barbara? – Is your name Monica or Barbara?
Willst du Schokolade oder Marmelade? – Do you want chocolate or jam?

In everyday communication, you can often hear questions in which “oder” is placed at the end of the sentence and separated from the general question by a comma. In such situations, “oder” will be translated into Russian as “isn’t it?” The word order in the question does not change. Examples:

Trinkt Anna Milch, oder? – Anna drinks milk, doesn't she?
Hat sie eine Schwester, oder? – She has a sister, doesn't she?
Wohnen Sie hier, oder? – You live here, don't you?

Dividing questions

They are affirmative-interrogative sentences. They are characterized by direct word order. An affirmative answer is expected. Such questions are translated into Russian with the combination “isn’t it?”, “Isn’t it true?”
The word order in dividing questions will be as follows: Subject + predicate + other parts of the sentence + comma + nicht war? Examples:

Sie wohnen in Berlin, nicht war? – They live in Berlin, don't they?
Er ist Student, nicht war? – He's a student, isn't he?
Wir warten Peter, nich war? – We're waiting for Peter, aren't we?
Otto studiert in München, nicht war? – Otto studies in Munich, doesn't he?

Questions with denial

Some German interrogative sentences contain a negative. The answer to such a question requires confirmation or refutation of the stated denial. To form the correct answer, the word “doch” is used. Examples of negative questions

Möchtest du nicht nach Hause gehen? (Don't you want to go home?) – Doch! Ich möchte nach Hause gehen. (No (On the contrary), I want to go home.) Nein, ich möchte nicht nach hause gehen. (No, I don't want to go home).
Hat er keinen Computer? (Does he not have a computer?) - Doch! Er hat einen. (No, he has a computer.) Nein, er hat keinen Computer. (No, he doesn't have a computer.)
Haben Sie die Arbeit nicht gemacht? (Have you not done your work?) – Doch! Ich habe die Arbeit gemacht. (On the contrary! I did the work.) Nein, ich habe die Arbeit nicht gemacht. (No, I didn't do the work.)

So using " doch ” in such questions refutes the denial that they contain. In these cases, “doch” can be translated into Russian as “on the contrary”, “no”, “no”.

In German there are types of interrogative sentences that combine several questions. The words in each question will be arranged according to its type. Such questions in one sentence are separated by a comma. Examples:

Könnten Sie bitte sagen, wo ist ein Geshäft? – Can you please tell me where the store is located?

Thus, the general question “Könnten Sie bitte sagen?” was combined into one sentence. and the special question “Wo ist ein Geshäft?”

The rules for forming different types of interrogative sentences are not a complex section in German grammar. In order to competently construct a dialogue, it is enough to remember the order of words in a certain question and the most common question words. This knowledge will help you communicate competently with native speakers and get answers to all your questions.

Conclusion

We hope that this educational material helps you understand what and how to ask questions in German. If there are any additions to the article or questions regarding this topic, you can ask them in a specially created topic on our forum.

Unchangeable question words in German

Wo?- Where?

The question is asked if you need to know the location. In most cases, prepositions are used when answering. For example: in, bei, an.

Wo liegt München?– In Bayern.

Where is Munich? - In Bavaria.

Whoa?- Where?

Find out the purpose of the movement. The answer contains prepositions: nach, in, zu.

Wohin fährt dieser Zug? – Nach Dresden.

Where is this train going? - To Dresden.

Woher?- Where?

The answer to this question often contains prepositions: aus, von.

Woher kommt dieses Flugzeug? – Aus Paris.

Where did this plane come from? From Paris.

Warum?- Why?

Let's find out the reason. The answer contains prepositions weil or da.

Warum kommst du nicht? – Weil ich keine Zeit habe.

Why don't you come? - Because I don't have time.

Weswegen?- Because of which? For what reason?

Weswegen kommst du heute so spät?- Why are you coming so late today?

Wozu?- For what?

Wozu schreist du? – Damit du mir zuhörst.

Why are you screaming? So that you can listen to me.

Wann?- When?
Wann wirst du achtzehn? – Nächstes Jahr.

When will you turn eighteen? - Next year.

Some immutable question words in German can be used with a preposition:

Ab wann?- From what time?

Ab wann willst du studieren? – Ab nächstem Jahr.

Bis wann?- How long?

Bis wann bleibt ihr hier? – How long will you stay here?

Seit wann?- Since when?

Seit wann regnet es? Seit letztem Dienstag. - Since when has it been raining?

The question word is also unchangeable wie:

Wie? - How?

Wie geht es dir?- How are you doing?

Wie komme ich zum Dom?– How can I get to the cathedral?

A whole series of interrogative combinations are formed with the word wie:

wie + adjective:

Wie alt? - How many years? (By the way, about age in German, read

Wie alt best du? - How old are you?

Wie spat? - What time is it now?

Wie spät ist es? –Es ist dreiviertel neun.

What time is it now? It's a quarter to nine now.

Wie weit? – How far?

Wie weit ist es zum Dom? How far is it from here to the cathedral?

Wie oft? - How many times?

Wie oft warst du schon in Deutschland?– How many times have you been to Germany?

Wie lange? - How long?

Wie lange dauert der Film?– How long is the film?

The word wie also forms a question wieso, which translates as “why?” “how so?” "And what?"

Ärgerst du dich?– Nein, wieso?

You're angry?- No, why?

Variable question words in German:

Wer?- Who?

Wer hat geklingelt? – Der Briefträger.

Who called? - Postman.

Was?- What?

Was it du bestellt? – Einen Kaffee.

What did you order? - Coffee.

Wen? – Whom?

Wen hast du getroffen? – Meinen Freund.

Who did you meet? - My friend?

Wem?- To whom?

Wem schreibst du? – Meiner deutschen Freundin.

Who are you writing to? – To my German friend.

Mit wem?- With whom?

Mit wem bist du in Urlaub gefahren?– Mit Sabine.

Who did you go on holiday with? - With Sabina.

Wessen?- Whom? Whose?

Wessen Rad ist das? – Das ist Marinas Rad.

Whose bike is this? – This is Marina’s bike.

Welche?- Which?

Question word Welcher inflected like the definite article. It is also called the interrogative article.

Welche Stadt gefällt dir am besten?– Which city do you like best?

Welchen Wein soll ich trinken?– What wine should I drink?

Was it fur ein?- Which?

Mit was für einem Auto kommst du? - Mit einem blauen.

What car will you arrive in? - On blue.

The difference between the last two question words lies in themselves. Welche requires a specific answer - with a definite article. Was für eine - as can be seen from the construction itself, requires an indefinite article and the same not entirely accurate answer. As in the example: he will arrive in some blue car, but no one understood which one from the answer.

There are also a number of question words in German, for example: womit, worüber, wonach ... They are formed with the help of prepositions, but they are worth talking about separately.

The main topics that need to be mastered in German include options for constructing different types of sentences - simple and complex. The procedure and rules in some cases are similar to the Russian language, but sometimes they are different.

When learning German, you should not rely on our grammar, because... Russia and Germany are completely different countries and the language here developed differently. In order not to learn anything incorrectly, start mastering each topic from scratch, without projections into your native language.

General rules: German questions and their construction

The interrogative sentence is one of the simplest topics in the German language. In order to learn how to correctly formulate questions and answer them, you will need to spend a little time. Questions with answers are an important topic because... It is she who helps to start and maintain a conversation with the interlocutor, obtain the necessary information from him and convey her own.

All interrogative sentences in German are divided into two large groups:

No question word: The sentence is missing a corresponding question word and the verb is moved to first place.

Bist du die Schülerin? – Are you a student?

Fährst du heute nach München? – Are you going to Munich today?

With a question word: the verb takes second place; the first one is a question word.

Was machst du da? - What are you doing over there?

Wohin fahren wir? – Where are we going?

Let's look at the word order using the first example:

In German, questions in both cases can be asked in relation to any member of a sentence - subject, predicate, modifier, object, circumstance, whole part of a sentence or the whole sentence.

How to ask a question correctly? Examples with translation and case endings

In order to learn how to ask questions correctly in German, you need to learn the basic question words.

Wer? - Who?

Wer sind Sie? – Who you are?

Was? - What?

Was sind Sie? - What is your occupation? (What do you do?)

Wie? - How?

Wie heißen Sie? – What is your name?

Wann? - When?

Wann kommt der Zug? – When does the train arrive?

Wo? – Where?

Wo wohnen Sie? – Where do you live?

Woher? – where?

Woher commen Sie? - Where are you from?

Whoa? – Where?

Wohin fahren Sie? – Where are you going?

Warum? - Why?

Warum sind Sie gekommen

General, special, indirect and other types of questions

General issues

Interrogative sentences are constructed with the aim of obtaining an answer from the interlocutor - positive or negative (“yes - ja” or “no - nein”). Question words are not used; the predicate comes first (it is the verb or its conjugated part). The subject is placed in second place.

The remaining members of the sentence are placed in their places, as usual.

Example:

– Freust du dich schon auf das Wiedersehen mit deinen Schulfreunden?

(Are you already excited about the upcoming meeting with your school friends?)

Ja, ich freue mich auf das Wiedersehen mit meinen Schulfreunden.

(Yes, I am looking forward to meeting my school friends)

Special question type

A special type of question addresses a specific member of a sentence. In the first place is the question word, which is expressed by the corresponding pronoun or adverb. Then follows the predicate (if a compound predicate is used, then its conjugated part).

Example:

– Welche Schlussfolgerungen habt ihr in diesem Zusammenhang gemacht? (What conclusions did you draw in this regard?)

Negative questions

Negative questions contain a negation - they can usually be answered in the negative:

– Hast du diese Radiosendung noch nicht gehört?

(Have you heard this radio program yet?)

– Nein, ich habe diese Radiosendung noch nicht gehört.

(No, I haven't heard this radio program yet)

– Doch, ich habe diese Radiosendung bereits gehört.

(No, I've already heard this radio program)

Affirmative-interrogative questions

Affirmative-interrogative questions contain direct word order, when the subject is written first, then the predicate and other members of the sentence. This type requires an affirmative answer:

– Du willst morgen mit deinem Vater fahren, nicht wahr?

(You want to go with your father tomorrow, don't you?)

Indirect questions

Indirect questions are built into the sentence. The predicate or its conjugated part is placed at the end. The general structure of a sentence looks like this: question word, subject, object and verb:

– Wann hat er Zeit? (When does he have time?)

– Ich weiß nicht, wann er Zeit hat. (I don't know when he has time)

-Was hat sie gesagt? (What she said?)

– Ich sage dir nicht, was sie gesagt hat. (I won't tell you what she said)

In the absence of a question word, an indirect question is introduced using the conjunction ob.

– Kommt sie morgen? (Will she come tomorrow?)

– Er fragt, ob sie morgen kommt. (He asks if she will come tomorrow)

Almost every conversation cannot be complete without questions. And this does not depend on the language. This, at first glance, simple sentence carries a very important function - obtaining information. Questions are the driving force of human development.

Interrogative (question) sentences (sentence) in German are divided into two types - question. sentence with a question word and interrogative sentences without a question word.

In German there are such questions. words: wer - who, was - what, wie - how, which, which, which, wo - where, wohin - where, woher - from, wann - when, warum - why, wessen - whose, wem - to whom, wen - whom.

Question sentence with question in a word they are constructed in this way: question. word, predicate (its conjugated part), subject, other members of the sentence and, if any, the non-conjugated part of the predicate:

Wer ist das? - Who is this?
Was hat euch am besten gefallen? – What did you like most?
Wie fühlen Sie sich? - How are you feeling?
Wo habt ihr die Elefanten gesehen? – Where did you see elephants?
Wohin reist ihr in diesem Sommer? – Where are you traveling this summer?
Woher commen Sie? - Where are you from?
Wann kommt er aus Kenya zurück? – When does he return from Kenya?
Warum sind sie so spät gekommen? – Why did they arrive so late?
Wessen Buch ist das? - Whose book is this?
Wem muss er helfen? -Who should he help?
Wen habt ihr um Rat gebeten? – Who did you ask for help?

There are questions. sentence in German, in which question. The word together with the noun forms a question expression:

wie viel or wie viele when asked about a specific number. After wie viel there is a singular noun without an article, and after wie viele there is a plural noun without an article: Wie viele Stunden seid ihr gewandert? – How many hours did you travel? Wie viel Geld brauchst du? - How much money do you need?
welcher, -e, -es, Pl. -e when asking about a specific person or thing, when it comes to choosing from various persons or things: Welches Hotel hat euch am besten gefallen? – Which hotel did you like best?
was für ein, -e, -; Pl. when asked about the property of a person or object: Was für ein Zimmer habt ihr genommen? -Which room did you take?

Question the expression is also formed with the words wie: lange - long, oft - often, alt - old, dick - thick, groß - big, hoch - high, lang - long, schwer - heavy, tief - deep and others:

Wie lange waren Sie in Italien? – How long were you in Italy?
Wie oft be sucht er seine Oma? – How often does he visit his grandmother?
Wie hoch kannst du springen? – How high can you jump?
Wie alt bist du? - How old are you?

Question sentence no question words are constructed in this way: the predicate (its conjugated part), the subject, other members of the sentence and, if any, the non-conjugated part of the predicate:

Kennst du diesen Mann? – Do you know this man?
Habt ihr mich nicht verstanden? - You did not understand me?
Darf ich raus gehen? - May I go out?

These questions are most often answered with yes or no:

Kannst du mir helfen? – Ja, natural. - Can you help me? Yes, sure.

chläfst du schon? – Nein, ich sehe noch den Film. - Are you already asleep? - No, I'm still watching the film.

Source: https://deutsch-sprechen.ru/interrogative-sentences/

The process of constructing interrogative (question) sentences (sentence) in German is quite simple. There are two types of questions. preposition: with a question word ( die Ergänzungsfragen, die Wortfragen) and without a question word ( die Entscheidungsfragen, die Satzfragen).

Let's look at the question. sentence no question words (die Satzfragen) .

To begin with, let's give an example of a model for constructing a simple narrative sentence:

Subject + Predicate + minor members of the sentence.

For example:

Ich sitze heute zu Hause den ganzen Tag. — I’m sitting at home all day today.

Model question offers no question word next:

Predicate + subject + minor members of the sentence.

For example:

Sitzest du heute zu Hause den ganzen Tag? -Are you sitting at home all day today?

Thus, the order of the predicate and subject changes, the remaining members of the sentence. remain in the same order as in a simple narrative sentence.

To these questions, the questioner can only receive a positive or negative answer (answer).

With a positive answer. When asked, either the short agreement word ja is used:

or the full answer:

— Studierst du an der Moskauer Pädagogischen Universität? (Are you studying at Moscow Pedagogical University?)

— Ja, ich studiere an der Moskauer Pädagogischen Universität. (Yes, I study at Moscow Pedagogical University).

If the answer to a question is negative, use the negative word nein. At the same time, resp. is constructed in the same way as with a positive answer:

— Studierst du an der Moskauer Pädagogischen Universität? (Are you studying at Moscow Pedagogical University?)

— Nein (No),

or the full answer is also possible:

— Studierst du an der Moskauer Pädagogischen Universität? (Are you studying at Moscow Pedagogical University?)

— Nein, ich studiere an der Moskauer Pädagogischen Universität nicht. Ich studiere an der Moskauer Staatlichen Universität (No, I do not study at Moscow Pedagogical University. I study at Moscow State University).

The question is structured somewhat differently. sentence, if there is a question word.

Question words: wer (who), was (what), wo (where), wohin (where), woher (from), wann (when), wessen (whose) and etc.

In the given proposal. in the first place is the question. the word, on the second - the predicate, on the third - the subject, after it - the remaining members of the sentence, i.e.:

Question word + Predicate + Subject + minor members of the sentence.

Note. If the subject answers the question wer (who) or was (what), in question. sentence it is not used.

For example:

Ich sitze heute zu Hause den ganzen Tag.

To this proposal. It is possible to ask four questions with a question word.

Wer sitzt heute den ganzen Tag? – Who stays at home all day today?
Wo sitzest du heute den ganzen Tag? – Where are you sitting all day today?
Wann sitzest du den ganzen Tag? – When you sit at home all day?
Wie lange sitzest du heute zu Hause? – How long have you been sitting at home today?

A question with a question word can receive either a short or a more complete answer, depending on what information the questioner wants to receive.

For example:

Was willst du trinken?
Wein.

— Wie gross ist deine Familie?

— Wir sind drei: mein Mann, meine Tochter und ich.

Speaking about the issue. sentence in German, there is another type of sentence - the so-called affirmative-interrogative sentences (die Bestätigungsfragen).

The word order in these sentences. does not differ from narrative ones, however at the end of the sentence. after the comma the stable phrase nicht wahr (isn’t it) is placed; offer data suggest an affirmative answer:

Du hast seinen neuen Film schon gesehen, nicht wahr? (You've already seen his new film, haven't you?)
Ja, aber ich wurde von ihm nicht beeindruckt. (Yes, but he didn't impress me).
Sie wohnen in dieser Stadt seit zwei Jahren, nicht wahr? (You've lived in this city for two years, haven't you?)
Ja, genau. (Yes exactly).