Questions

German Lesson 9 (Questions and Misunderstanding)

Duration: 30 mins

Lessons German Lessons
Linguistic German Vocabulary
Culture German Phrases
Structure German Grammar

This 9th lesson teaches an important aspect in German which is the interrogative form also called questions. In addition, there is a list of vocabulary terms about misunderstanding and finally some commonly used phrases. I will try to give examples using both vocabulary and grammar. That way it will be easy for you to see the words when they are separate and when they are in a sentence. Going through the whole page should take about 30 min. Make sure to read the pronunciation and hear the audio as well. If you have any question about this course, please email me directly at German Classes.

Questions

Being able to ask questions is what makes us curious beings, which in turns broadens our knowledge. It is no different when it comes to learning German. You will always be asking questions, and the following are some tools to help you in that quest.

The following are the 5 Ws + "how" commonly used adverbs to express the interrogative form. Most likely, whenever a question needs to be asked, one of them should be used. The table contains 3 columns (English, German, and Audio). Make sure you repeat each word after hearing it by either clicking on the audio button or by reading the pronunciation. That should help with memorization as well as improving your pronunciation.

Interrogative Form in German

Questions German Audio
How?wie?
What?was?
When?wann?
Where?wo?
Who?wer?
Why?warum?

Now we will try to implement the adverbs above into full German sentences. That way you will be able to use the word not only by itself but embedded in a structure.

German Questions in a Sentence

Can I come?Kann ich kommen?
Can I help you?Kann ich Ihnen helfen?
Can you help me?Können Sie mir helfen?
Do you know her?Kennst du sie?
Do you speak English?Sprechen Sie Englisch? / Sprichst du Englisch?
How difficult is it?Wie schwer ist es?
How far is this?Wie weit ist das?
How much is this?Wie viel kostet das?
How would you like to pay?Wie möchten Sie bezahlen?
What is this called?Wie heisst das?
What is your name?Wie heisst du?
What time is it?Wie spät ist es?
When can we meet?Wann können wir uns treffen?
Where do you live?Wo wohnst du?
Who is knocking at the door?Wer klopft an der Tür?
Why is it expensive?Warum ist es teuer?

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact me If you simply want to ask a question, please German contact form on the header above.

Vocabulary List about Misunderstanding

There are times when you will not understand what a person said in German, or simply that you want them to repeat a word. The following are 24 expressions used to clear misunderstandings. Very essential to any conversation!

Misunderstanding in German

Misunderstanding German Audio
Can you repeat?Können Sie das wiederholen?
Can you speak slowly?Können Sie langsam sprechen?
Did you understand what I said?Hast du verstanden, was ich gesagt habe?
Don't worry!Keine Sorge!
Excuse me? (i.e. I beg your pardon?)Wie bitte?
How do you say "OK" in French?Wie sagt man 'OK' auf Französisch?
I don't know!Ich weiss es nicht!
I don't understand!Ich verstehe nicht!
I need to practice my FrenchIch muss mein Französisch zu üben
Is that right?Ist das richtig?
Is that wrong?Ist das falsch?
MistakeFehler
My French is badMein Französisch ist schlecht
No problem!Kein Problem!
Quicklyschnell
Slowlylangsam
Sorry (to apologize)Es tut mir leid.
To speakSprechen
What does that word mean in English?Was bedeutet das Wort auf Englisch?
What is this?Was ist das?
What should I say?Was soll ich sagen?
What?Was?
What's that called in French?Wie heißt das auf Französisch?
Write it down please!Schreiben Sie es bitte auf!

Daily Conversation in German

Finally, a list of some common phrases that you might come across from time to time. For a complete list of commonly used sentences, please visit our German Phrases page. Enjoy!

Common Expressions in German

English German Audio
Thisdies
Thatdas
Herehier
Theredas, dort
In The Morningam Morgen
In the eveningam Abend
At Nightbei Nacht
Really!Wirklich!
Look!Sieh!
Hurry up!Beeile dich!

Fun Facts

Language Quote: The oldest written language was believed to be written in about 4500 BC.

Congratulations! You finished your 9th lesson in German about questions, and misunderstanding. Are you ready for the next lesson? We recommend German Lesson 10. You can also simply click on one of the links below or go back to our Learn German homepage.

Lessons German Lessons
Linguistic German Vocabulary
Culture German Phrases
Structure German Grammar