Questions are the engine of real conversation-and in German, a handful of small words do most of the heavy lifting. This list hands you around 35 essential question words and phrases so you can stop fumbling and start connecting.
You’ll meet the everyday question starters like wer (who), was (what), wo (where), and warum (why), plus ready-to-use phrases such as Wie geht’s? and Was ist das?. Each entry comes with a clear meaning and a natural example sentence so you see exactly how it works in the wild.
We’ve also included audio for every entry-because your ears need practice just as much as your eyes. Use the play button right in the table to hear the correct pronunciation, then repeat it yourself until it feels easy.
Ready to sound a little less like a deer in headlights and a little more like a German speaker? SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM for the free printable Basic Questions in German vocabulary list PDF and the free downloadable printable Basic Questions in German flashcards.
If this topic helped, explore more in our German learning section. it’s the easiest way to keep building related vocabulary without jumping around the web.
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| Word | Meaning | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entschuldigung, wo ist …? | ent-SHOOL-di-goong, voh ist | Entschuldigung, wo ist die Toilette? | |
| Haben Sie …? | HAH-ben zee | Haben Sie einen Stift? | |
| Hast du …? | hahst doo | Hast du kurz Zeit? | |
| Hast du Hunger? | Do you have hunger? | Are you hungry? | |
| Hast du Zeit? | Yes-no question | Do you have time? | |
| Ist das richtig? | Is that correct? | Is that correct? | |
| Kann ich ein Glas Wasser haben? | kann ikh ayn glas VAH-ser HAH-ben | Kann ich ein Glas Wasser haben? | |
| Kann ich helfen? | Can I help? | Can I help? | |
| Kann ich mit Karte zahlen? | kann ikh mit KAR-te TSAL-en | Kann ich mit Karte zahlen? | |
| Kannst du …? | kahnst doo | Kannst du das wiederholen? | |
| Können Sie …? | KER-nen zee | Können Sie mir helfen? | |
| Sprichst du Englisch? | Do you speak English? | Do you speak English? | |
| wann | vahn | Wann beginnt der Kurs? | |
| Wann geht der Zug? | vahn gayt dair tsoog | Wann geht der Zug? | |
| Wann kommst du? | Question-word question | When are you coming? | |
| warum | vah-room | Warum lernst du Deutsch? | |
| was | vass | Was ist das? | |
| Was kostet das? | vass KOS-tet dahs | Was kostet das? | |
| Was machst du? | vass mahkst doo | Was machst du heute? | |
| welcher / welche / welches | VEL-cher / VEL-che / VEL-ches | Welchen Zug nimmst du? | |
| wer | vair | Wer ist das? | |
| wie | vee | Wie heißt du? | |
| Wie bitte? | vee BIT-te | Wie bitte? Ich habe dich nicht verstanden. | |
| Wie heißen Sie? | vee HY-sen zee | Wie heißen Sie? | |
| Wie heißt du? | vee hists doo | Wie heißt du? |
Free Basic Questions in German PDF and Flashcard Downloads
You can download the Basic Questions in German vocabulary list for free using the purple vocab-list button. The teal flashcards button gives you the Basic Questions in German flashcards, and both downloads are 100% free with no signup.
