Interrogative Pronouns (Interrogativpronomen)¶
Interrogative pronouns, or "question words," are used to ask questions. They stand in for the noun that would be the answer.
The main forms are:
* wer? (who?) - for people
* was? (what?) - for things, ideas, and non-humans
* welcher? (which?) - for specific choice
* was für ein? (what kind of?) - for type or category
1. wer? (who?) and was? (what?)¶
wer? and was? decline for case, but only in the singular. was does not have a dative form.
| Case | For People | For Things | (English) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. | wer? | was? | who? / what? |
| Akk. | wen? | was? | whom? / what? |
| Dat. | wem? | — | (to/for) whom? |
| Gen. | wessen? | wessen? | whose? |
Examples: * Nom: Wer ist das? (Who is that?) * Nom: Was ist das? (What is that?) * Akk: Wen siehst du? (Whom do you see?) * Akk: Was machst du? (What are you doing?) * Dat: Wem hilfst du? (Whom are you helping?) * Gen: Wessen Auto ist das? (Whose car is that?)
2. welcher? (which?)¶
welcher? is used when asking to specify one item from a group. It acts just like a definite article and takes the same strong endings.
Declension (follows "der" endings): | Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | |:---|:---|:---|:---|:---| | Nom. | welcher? | welche? | welches? | welche? | | Akk. | welchen? | welche? | welches? | welche? | | Dat. | welchem? | welcher? | welchem? | welchen? |
Examples: * Welcher Tag ist heute? (Which day is today?) * Welchen Film siehst du? (Which movie are you watching?) * Mit welchem Freund gehst du? (With which friend are you going?)
3. was für ein? (what kind of?)¶
This phrase is used to ask about the type or quality of something. Only the ein part of it changes for case (and gender). In the plural, it's just was für.
- Nom: Was für ein Tag ist heute? (What kind of day is today?)
- Akk: Was für einen Wein trinkst du? (What kind of wine are you drinking?)
- Plural: Was für Bücher liest du? (What kind of books do you read?)