In this lesson for beginners, we'll look at what are often also called "question words." Actually, they are mostly either interrogative pronouns/interrogative adverbs or relative pronouns/relative adverbs, depending on the usage.
Let's begin with the word was and look at how it can be used in both interrogative and declarative sentences. In addition to meaning "what," was can also be translated in certain sentences as "something," "anything," or "that which."
Was machst du denn noch in deiner Freizeit? Joggst du gerne?
What else do you do in your spare time then? Do you like to go jogging?
Caption 8, Nicos Weg: Was macht dir Spaß?
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Und was man dabei auch bemerkt hat, ist, dass da kaum Eis ist...
And what you've also noticed is that there's hardly any ice...
Caption 29, WWF Deutschland Klimawandel hautnah:Was sind die Auswirkungen?
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The word wer may look like the English word "where," but it means "who" in German. Here is an example used in a question and also in a very common structure in which it means "anyone who" or "whoever."
Wer friert uns diesen Moment ein?
Who will freeze this moment in time for us?
Caption 2, Andreas Bourani: Auf uns
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Wer unnötige Begegnungen vermeidet, hilft allen, die sich in den Krankenhäusern um täglich mehr Fälle kümmern müssen.
Those who avoid unnecessary social interaction will help all of those in the hospitals who are having to take care of more cases every day.
Captions 49-50, Coronavirus: Fernsehansprache von Angela Merkel
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The word wer serves as a pronoun and is therefore different in the accusative and dative cases. Whereas many people rarely use "whom" in English, the words wen and wem are not optional in German!
Weißt du, wen ich gestern getroffen habe?
Do you know who I ran into yesterday?
Caption 9, Deutsch mit Eylin: Menschen beschreiben
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Mit wem willst du denn Valentinstag feiern?
Who do you want to celebrate Valentine's Day with?
Caption 32, Nicos Weg: Feste und Feiertage
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The German word for "where" is wo. You may have already learned the variations woher and wohin in order to ask people where they are from and where they are going.
Sag mir doch zuerst einmal, wo das Bundesland liegt.
First of all, tell me where the state is located.
Caption 14, Bundesländer und ihre Rezepte: Nordrhein-Westfalen
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Wohin muss man in Deutschland zuerst gehen, wenn man heiraten möchte?
Where do you first have to go in Germany if you want to get married?
Caption 3, Bundesrepublik Deutschland: Einbürgerungstest
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Not to be confused with wenn, which can also mean "if," wann is the interrogative adverb for "when." It refers solely to time and not to probability. You can find a lesson on the difference here.
Wann kommt der nächste Bus?
When is the next bus coming?
Caption 23, Deutsch mit Eylin: Fragewörter
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The word wie has several meanings, because in addition to "how" it also can be translated as "such as" or "like."
Hier Daniel Müller am Apparat. Wie kann ich Ihnen helfen?
Daniel Müller speaking. How can I help you?
Caption 54, Berufsleben: das Vorstellungsgespräch
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Ich liebe meine Freunde und wie wir miteinander sind.
I love my friends and how we are together.
Caption 12, AnnenMayKantereit: Ozean
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And finally we come to warum. Note that even though the word darum exists, it is only rarely translated as "because!" That would be too easy.
Warum ist denn hier nicht abgeschlossen?
Why isn't this locked here?
Caption 1, Die Pfefferkörner: Endspurt
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Further Learning
Next week we will look at how to say "whatever," "however," "whoever," and "whenever" in German. For now, notice how these question words are integrated into various sentences on Yabla German and watch Eylin's video Deutsch mit Eylin: Fragewörter.
Although it's also the title of a Beatles song (covered by the Beach Boys too!), today we're taking a look at German variations of the adverb warum (why).
Und warum schickt die Lehrerin dann immer ihn Kreide holen?
So then why does the teacher always send him to get chalk?
Caption 40, Der kleine Nick: Nachmittag bei Adalbert
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Ich weiß nicht warum, aber auch die Luft ist in dieser Jahreszeit oft wunderbar klar.
I don't know why, but the air is often wonderfully clear at this time of year.
Captions 15-16, Deutsch mit Eylin: Herbst in Hamburg
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Ja? Warum nicht, warum nicht, warum nicht.
Yes? Why not, why not, why not.
Caption 14, Deutschkurs in Tübingen: Warum, weil - Erklärungen
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It's probably pretty clear that warum can be used in a variety of contexts. But there are also—in English as well as German—different ways of saying "why."
Weshalb hatte er dann eine Pistole?
Why did he have a pistol then?
Caption 21, Großstadtrevier: Schatten der Vergangenheit
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Weshalb hast du Entspannung gebraucht?
Why did you need relaxation?
Caption 18, Konjugation: Das Verb „brauchen“
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As you see above, the adverb weshalb has been correctly translated into English as "why." But these two German sentences could just as well have been translated in different ways:
Weshalb hatte er dann eine Pistole?
What did he have a pistol for, then?
How come he had a pistol, then?
For what reason did he have a pistol, then?
Weshalb hast du Entspannung gebraucht?
What did you need relaxation for?
How come you needed relaxation?
For what reason did you need relaxation?
The adverb weshalb can be used when you are explicitly asking about the purpose of something, and is, to some extent, the equivalent of the English "what for." The adverb weshalb tends to be used more often in a written context, but is also commonly used in spoken German.
Everything in a word's meaning will vary depending upon the context. It's simply more natural to say something one way than another, with varying factors such as the subtlety of the intended meaning and the formality or informality of the context all playing roles. In the following case, three different equivalent English words and phrases were used just to differentiate the German words— plus it would read pretty badly using "why" three times in a row!
Die Frageworte „wieso“, „weshalb“, „warum“ bedeuten alle das Gleiche. Aber „wieso“ und „warum“ werden am häufigsten verwendet.
The question words “how come,” “for what reason,” “why” all mean the same thing. But “how come” and “why” are the most commonly used.
Captions 6-7, Deutsch mit Eylin: Fragewörter
So while they may mean approximately the same thing, it's up to you to decide which German word works best in context. Here are some more words with similar "why" meanings:
Also, kann's Gründe geben, weswegen wir dann doch 'n bisschen später ankommen?
That is, is there any reason why we might arrive a little later?
Caption 60, Galileo Zug vs. Flugzeug: Von München nach Berlin
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The adverb weswegen is used more in writing than in speech, but if somebody ever asks you Weswegen?—and you want to be flippant—you can answer Deswegen! ("Why?" —"Because!")
Wozu braucht man einen Fruchtbarkeitstee, wenn man bereits schwanger ist?
Why do you need fertility tea if you are already pregnant?
Caption 9, Großstadtrevier Nicht mit mir - Part 5
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The adverb wozu is also often translated as "what for."
Further Learning
Look for the German "why" adverbs warum, weshalb, wieso, weswegen, and wozu on Yabla German and see some of the various contexts in which they are used. Then write a list of English sentences and see if you can make multiple translations to German using the words above.
In a recent lesson, we looked at the verbs ansprechen, aussprechen, vorsprechen, nachsprechen, besprechen, and versprechen. However, there are many verbs related to speaking that do not contain the verb sprechen.
The verb sich unterhalten refers in particular to the art of conversation. Here it stands alone, but you will often see the construction sich mit jemanden unterhalten.
So kannst du auf natürliche Weise lernen, dich auf Deutsch zu unterhalten.
This is how you can naturally learn to converse in German.
Captions 10-11, Deutsch mit Eylin: Fragewörter
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The verb reden is interesting because it can be used for both serious and less serious conversations. In terms of prepositions, you'll often see über etwas reden ("to discuss something") or mit jemandem reden ("to talk with someone"), and if someone tells you Wir müssen reden ("We need to talk"), it could be very serious indeed.
Als Nächstes möchte ich über die Geschichte Berlins reden.
Next, I'd like to talk about the history of Berlin.
Caption 16, Bundesländer und ihre Rezepte: Bundesland Berlin
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Hast du nicht gesehen, wie sie die ganze Nacht mit dem Typen geredet hat?
Did you not see how she was talking to that guy all night?
Caption 22, Die Wohngemeinschaft: Die Verabredung
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The verb diskutieren is less ambiguous. Beware: it is stronger than "to discuss" in English and can even be translated as "to debate," "to dispute," or "to argue."
Am siebenundzwanzigsten Juli wollen sie das Thema im Gemeinderat diskutieren.
On the twenty-seventh of July they want to discuss the topic in the city council.
Caption 38, Online-Flashmob: "Bud-Spencer-Tunnel" in Gmünd
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The verb quatschen is quite informal, and refers to chatting or conversation that isn't restrained by time or formalities. You might remember that the noun der Quatsch means nonsense, but the use of quatschen doesn't necessarily mean that the topic is nonsense, just maybe not so serious or important. The verb plaudern has a similarly informal meaning, while the verb labern does indicate a lack of sense or importance.
Ich dachte, wir quatschen mal eine Runde.
I thought we could chat for a bit.
Caption 2, Großstadtrevier: Nicht mit mir
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Was quatschen die da hinten?
What are they chattering about back there?
Caption 19, Nena: Besser geht's nicht
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Und auch ein bisschen, äh, die Spieler noch mal zu treffen, mit denen so ein bisschen zu plaudern...
And also to meet the players a little bit again, to chat with them a little bit...
Captions 44-45, Mercedes Benz: Michael Schumacher und Nico Rosberg bei der Nationalmannschaft
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Der laberte irgendwas von Blüten.
He was babbling something about blossoms.
Caption 62, Die Pfefferkörner: Endspurt
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Further Learning
You'll find many examples with these verbs on Yabla German. Make sure you review their conjugations as well.
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