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Lesson 7

Asking Personal Questions (Wer, Wie, Woher, Wo)

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Guten Tag! Welcome to the final lesson of our first module. I hope you're ready to put your new knowledge into practice.

In our last lesson, you learned how to count all the way to 100. This was a significant step, and today you'll see how useful it is as we start asking and answering questions. For example, you can now answer the question, "Wie alt sind Sie?" (How old are you?).

Today's lesson focuses on a fundamental skill: asking for basic personal information. We will learn how to use the German "W-Fragen" (W-Questions). Specifically, you will learn to use Wer? (Who?), Wie? (How?/What?), Woher? (Where from?), and Wo? (Where?) to ask and answer questions about name, origin, and residence.

1. Understanding W-Questions (W-Fragen)

In German, questions that ask for a specific piece of information (not just a "yes" or "no") are called W-Fragen because the question word usually starts with a 'W'.

Here is a quick overview of the most common ones. We will focus on the first four in the left column.

12 German Question Words for Beginners
This infographic shows twelve common German question words. Today, we'll master Wer, Wie, Woher, and Wo.

The most important rule for forming these questions is the sentence structure. It's very consistent in German.

Rule: Question Word + Verb + Subject

Let's see this structure in action.

W-Fragen in German A1 | How to ask questions in German | German Basics for Beginners

This video from 'Five Minute German' provides a very clear and concise explanation of how to form W-questions. Please watch the following segment to understand the basic sentence structure.

Watch from 01:05 to 02:03. Pay close attention to the explanation of the sentence structure: Position 1 (W-word), Position 2 (conjugated verb), and Position 3 (subject).

As the video explained, the structure is simple:

  1. Question Word (e.g., Wo)
  2. Verb (conjugated to match the subject, e.g., wohnen)
  3. Subject (e.g., Sie)

Example: Wo wohnen Sie? (Where do you live?)

A key difference from English is that German does not use a helper verb like "do" or "does". You place the main verb directly after the question word.

Now, let's explore the specific question words for this lesson.

2. The Key Question Words for Personal Information

We will now go through each question word, looking at how to ask the question and how to form a proper answer.

Wie? — How? / What?

While wie usually means "how," it is also used in some very common questions where English would use "what."

  • Asking for a name:

    • Question: Wie heißen Sie? (formal) / Wie heißt du? (informal)
    • Literally: "How are you called?"
    • Answer: Ich heiße... (My name is...)

  • Asking about well-being:

    • Question: Wie geht es Ihnen? (formal) / Wie geht's? (informal)
    • Answer: Gut, danke. (Good, thank you.)

  • Asking for age (connecting to our last lesson!):

    • Question: Wie alt sind Sie? (formal) / Wie alt bist du? (informal)
    • Answer: Ich bin [your age] Jahre alt. (I am [your age] years old.)
      • For example: Ich bin dreiunddreißig Jahre alt. (I am 33 years old.)

Master Simple German Questions and Answers for Beginners

This article from GermanPod101 provides excellent, practical examples of questions and answers. Please read the first section to see how 'Wie heißen Sie?' is used in a conversational context.

Read the short section titled '1. Contestant Number One'. It covers both 'Wie heißen Sie?' and the alternative 'Wie ist Ihr Name?'.

Wer? — Who?

Wer is used to ask about a person.

  • Question: Wer ist das? (Who is that?)

  • Answer: Das ist mein Freund, Thomas. (That is my friend, Thomas.)

  • Question: Wer sind Sie? (Who are you?)

  • Answer: Ich bin Maria Schmidt. (I am Maria Schmidt.)

Be careful not to confuse wer (who) with the English word "where". This is a very common mix-up for beginners. Similarly, the German word for "where" can be confusing. Let's look at that next.

Woher? — Where from?

Woher is used specifically to ask about someone's origin or where they are coming from.

Basic German Question Words | All A1 Question Words You Need to Know

The channel 'YourGermanTeacher' has a great video on question words. Let's watch the part that explains 'woher'.

Watch from 03:33 to 04:29. The video clearly demonstrates the use of 'Woher kommst du?' (Where are you from?).

  • Question: Woher kommen Sie? (formal) / Woher kommst du? (informal)
  • Answer: Ich komme aus [country]. (I come from [country].)
    • You already learned how to say your country of origin in Lesson 4! For example: Ich komme aus Frankreich.

Wo? — Where?

While woher asks about origin, wo asks about a current, fixed location, like where you live or where something is.

  • Question: Wo wohnen Sie? (formal) / Wo wohnst du? (informal)
  • Answer: Ich wohne in [city]. (I live in [city].)
    • For example: Ich wohne in Paris.

3. Let's Practice!

Now it's time to put everything together. The best way to learn is by doing.

First, let's look at a practice table. Imagine you are meeting these people and want to ask them questions.

German Personal Information Table: Wer? Woher? Wo?
This table shows information about different people. Use it to practice forming questions with Wer?, Woher?, and Wo?.
Test your understanding!

Based on the table above, how would you ask the following questions in German? (Use the informal "du" form for practice).

  1. Ask about Sofia's name. (e.g., "Who is that?")
  2. Ask where Jonas comes from.
  3. Ask where Mateo lives.
Show answer
  1. Wer ist das? or Wie heißt sie? (Her name is Sofia.)
  2. Woher kommt Jonas? (He comes from Germany.)
  3. Wo wohnt Mateo? (He lives in Geneva.)

Now, let's make it personal. Answer these questions about yourself in German. This is excellent practice for real conversations.

Practice about yourself!

Answer these questions out loud or write them down.

  1. Wie heißen Sie?
  2. Woher kommen Sie?
  3. Wo wohnen Sie?
  4. Wie alt sind Sie?
Show example answers

Of course, your answers will be personal to you, but they will follow this structure:

  1. Ich heiße [Your Name].
  2. Ich komme aus [Your Country].
  3. Ich wohne in [Your City].
  4. Ich bin [Your Age] Jahre alt.

Conclusion

Sehr gut! You have now completed the first module of your German course. You've built a strong foundation, from the alphabet to greetings, numbers, and now, asking basic questions.

Key Takeaways from this lesson:

  • Informational questions (W-Fragen) follow the structure: Question Word + Verb + Subject.
  • Wie? is used for "how" and also to ask for your name (Wie heißen Sie?) and age (Wie alt sind Sie?).
  • Wer? asks "who".
  • Woher? asks about origin ("where from"), as in Woher kommen Sie?.
  • Wo? asks about a fixed location ("where"), as in Wo wohnen Sie?.

In our next lesson, we will begin Module 2: Core Sentence Structure. We'll start by looking closely at personal pronouns (ich, du, er, sie, es etc.). Understanding these is essential, as they are the subjects in almost every sentence you've learned so far.

Keep practicing these questions. Try asking them to yourself throughout the day. The more you use them, the more natural they will become. Bis zum nächsten Mal! (Until next time!)

End of Module,Exit lesson