Question 1

What are the German question words for GCSE?

Accepted Answer

The main German question words you need for GCSE are: wer (who), was (what), wo (where), wohin (where to), woher (where from), wann (when), warum (why), wie (how), and welch- (which). You also need to know their case variations: wen (whom, accusative) and wem (whom, dative). These appear in all exam papers, so learn them thoroughly.

Question 2

How do you use 'welch-' in German questions?

Accepted Answer

'Welch-' means 'which' and must agree with the noun it describes in gender, number, and case. For example: 'Welcher Hund?' (masculine nominative), 'Welche Katze?' (feminine nominative), 'Welches Buch?' (neuter nominative), 'Welche Bücher?' (plural nominative). In accusative, it becomes 'welchen' (masculine), 'welche' (feminine/plural), 'welches' (neuter). Always place the verb second: 'Welchen Film siehst du?'

Question 3

What's the difference between 'wo', 'wohin', and 'woher'?

Accepted Answer

'Wo' asks about a location or place where something is or happens (e.g., 'Wo ist der Supermarkt?'). 'Wohin' asks about a destination or direction (e.g., 'Wohin fährst du im Urlaub?'). 'Woher' asks about an origin or source (e.g., 'Woher kommst du?'). Think of it as: wo = static, wohin = movement to, woher = movement from.

Question 4

Do German question words change the word order?

Accepted Answer

Yes, in German questions, the verb always comes second. For example: 'Wann kommst du?' (When are you coming?) – the verb 'kommst' is second. This is different from English, where we often use 'do' or 'does'. There is no auxiliary verb in German questions; the main verb moves to second position. Exception: if the question word is the subject, the verb still comes second: 'Wer kommt?' (Who is coming?) – 'wer' is subject, 'kommt' is verb.

Question 5

How do you ask 'who' in German with different cases?

Accepted Answer

The base form is 'wer' for the subject (nominative). For the direct object (accusative), use 'wen' (e.g., 'Wen siehst du?' – Whom do you see?). For the indirect object (dative), use 'wem' (e.g., 'Wem gibst du das Geschenk?' – To whom are you giving the present?). Some verbs also take the genitive, but that's rare at GCSE. Practice with verbs like 'sehen' (wen), 'helfen' (wem), and 'geben' (wem + accusative object).

Question 6

What are common mistakes with German question words in exams?

Accepted Answer

Common mistakes include: using 'wer' instead of 'wen' or 'wem' (e.g., 'Wer siehst du?' is wrong – it should be 'Wen siehst du?'); confusing 'wo', 'wohin', and 'woher'; forgetting to put the verb second (e.g., 'Wo du wohnst?' instead of 'Wo wohnst du?'); and not matching 'welch-' endings to the noun. To avoid these, memorise the case changes and practice forming questions aloud.

General vocabulary: Question words

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Common Mistakes in General vocabulary: Question words

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