Asking Questions in German: Easy A1 Guide
Do you want to speak German with locals? You need to know how to ask questions! In German, there are two main ways to ask a question: Yes/No Questions and W-Questions.
Here is how you can use them easily.
1. Yes/No Questions (Ja/Nein-Fragen)
We use these questions when we want a simple “yes” (ja) or “no” (nein) answer.
The Grammar Rule: Put the Verb first!
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German: „Trinkst du Kaffee?“
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English: Do you drink coffee?
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German: „Ist das dein Haus?“
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English: Is that your house?
2. W-Questions (W-Fragen)
We use W-questions to get more information. They are called W-questions because the question words start with the letter W.
Here are the most common A1 question words:
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Wer (Who)
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Was (What)
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Wo (Where)
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Wann (When)
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Wie (How)
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Warum (Why)
The Grammar Rule: Put the W-Word first, and the Verb second!
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German: „Wer bist du?“
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English: Who are you?
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German: „Wann möchtest du einen Kaffee?“
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English: When do you want a coffee?
3. Asking “How Much?” (Wie viel?)
When you go shopping or visit a café in Germany, you need to ask about prices or quantity. For this, we use „Wie viel?“ (How much?).
Just like other W-questions, the verb comes right after the phrase „Wie viel?“.
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German: „Wie viel kostet das?“
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English: How much does that cost?
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German: „Wie viel kostet ein Kaffee?“
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English: How much does a coffee cost?
Summary Table for Beginners
| Question Type | Word Order | Example |
| Ja/Nein-Frage | Verb + Subject + … | Kommst du aus Deutschland? (Are you from Germany?) |
| W-Frage | W-Word + Verb + Subject + … | Woher kommst du? (Where do you come from?) |
| Wie viel? | Wie viel + Verb + … | Wie viel kostet das Bier? (How much does the beer cost?) |
A1 Vocabulary Words to Remember
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Die Frage — The question
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Kosten — To cost
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Der Kaffee — The coffee
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Ja — Yes
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Nein — No