How do I form a yes/no question in German?

For Ja/Nein questions , move the verb to the first position . For example, "Du bist müde" becomes " Bist du müde?"

What is the structure of a German W-question?

A W-question usually follows W-word + verb + subject . For example: " Wo wohnst du?" or " Wann kommst du?"

What’s the difference between wer and wo?

Wer means "who" and refers to a person, while wo means "where." For example, " Wer ist das?" asks about a person, not a place.

Questions — Asking Stuff ❓🤔

To form a yes/no question in German, simply move the verb from position 2 to position 1 (e.g., Gehst du nach Hause?). For open questions, place a W-question word in position 1, followed immediately by the verb (e.g., Wann gehst du nach Hause?).

Infographic illustrating the two ways to ask questions in German: Yes/No vs W-Questions.

There are two main ways to ask questions in German.

1. Ja/Nein Questions (Verb First) 🚦

If you want a Yes or No answer, you simply move the verb to the FRONT.
Imagine taking a statement and tossing the verb to Position 1.

Statement: Du bist müde. (You are tired).
Question: Bist du müde? (Are you tired?)
Statement: Er hat Hunger.
Question: Hat er Hunger?
Statement: Du spielst Fußball.
Question: Spielst du Fußball? (Note: English adds "Do", German just moves the verb!).

2. W-Questions (Open Questions) 🗣️

These start with a "W-Word" (Question Word).
Structure: W-Word + Verb + Subject...?

The W-List

German	English	Example
Was	What	Was machst du?
Wer	Who	Wer ist das?
Wo	Where	Wo wohnst du?
Wie	How	Wie heißt du?
Wann	When	Wann kommst du?
Warum	Why	Warum weinst du?
Woher	Where from	Woher kommst du?
Wohin	Where to	Wohin gehst du?

[!TIP]
Wer vs Where? 🤯

Wer = Who.

Wo = Where.
Don't let your English brain trick you! "Wer ist das?" refers to a person.

Intonation (The Voice Lift) 📈

In German, just like English, your voice must go UP at the end of a question.

Du kommst morgen. (Flat voice 📉) -> Statement.
Du kommst morgen? (Rising voice 📈) -> Question (Emphasis).

Colloquial Shortening ✂️

In spoken German, we sometimes drop the verb if it's obvious.

Und du? (And you?) -> Short for "And what about you?"
Alles klar? (Everything clear?) -> Short for "Ist alles klar?"
Lust auf Kino? (Desire for cinema?) -> Short for "Hast du Lust auf Kino?"

Indirect Questions 🕵️‍♀️

"I want to know where he lives."
These are polite questions embedded in sentences.
See Indirect Questions for the full guide.