The W-Fragen in German are question words. They are also known as 'open-ended questions. In English the W-Fragen also begin 'w': who, what, when, where, why, and how. (These questions are different from the ja/nein Fragen or yes/no questions in German begin with the verb ("Arbeiten Sie heute?" "Kommen Sie aus Bayern?").)
You begin learning the W-Fragen at the A1 level in German.
In most books you usually see a list like this, it's just the German and English translations. But is that really enough? Take a close look.
|
German |
English |
|
was |
what |
|
wann |
when |
|
wo |
where |
|
wie |
how |
|
warum |
why |
|
wer |
who |
If you simply memorize this list, that's one technique for learning it. And that would probably be kind of boring.
What if you had an example sentence? An example sentence here would be really helpful! You could attach meaning to the words and you would have a sentence that functions like a touchstone--you can always go back to it to help you with other sentences and questions. Go into your book and find one easy sample sentence for each of these W-Wörter. Print out this page if you like and write the sample sentences right on the page and then put it in your 3-ring binder.
You can use it as a reference for many classes and study hours to come.