W-questions are used when asking someone about an unknown fact. These questions cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no". They usually begin with the letter W, e.g.:
Woher …?
Wo …?
Wie …?
| Question word | Conjugated verb | Subject |
| Wie | heißt | du? |
| Wie | heißen | Sie? |
| Woher | kommst | du? |
| Woher | kommen | Sie? |
| Wo | wohnst | du? |
| Wo | wohnen | Sie? |
| Grammatical terms in German: die W-Frage: W-questions are open questions that cannot be answered with "yes" or "no". They are also called Ergänzungsfragen. At the beginning of a W-question there is a question word that usually begins with the letter W. |