Learn German A1 W-Questions & Basic Conversations Lesson 6! While, The most difficult thing to learning a language is actually taking the time to study. Languages are different than most subjects, in that you cannot cram the information in one sitting. Therefore, on weekly basis, Ask-scholars.com brings free language (German & Swedish )lessons for you!

German Introductions and Greetings Lesson 1

While, this lesson explains basics of W-Fragen in German and Basic conversation. Meanwhile, You would be able to ask for directions, ask about prices and talk about work situation after going through this lesson!

You perfect what you practice.

Los geht’s! (Let’s go!)

W Questions in German

These are questions which in English start with What?, Who?, Where? etc. Even though the question How? also comes into this category. While, W Questions are known as W-Fragen in German.

Meanwhile, for Ja-Nein Frage (Yes-No Question), just go through Learn German A1 Lesson 5!

While, In German these questions tend to start with W.

So, To structure a question in German using your newly learned vocabulary, you must start with the question word first. Next you’ll add the inflected verb in the second position, and then finally – the subject.

Position 1	Position 2	Position 3
Was	ist	das?
Wer	ist	das?
Wo	wohnst	du?
Wohin	gehst	du?
Warum	kochen	Sie?
Wann	gehen	Sie?

So, Here are more questions in German, you can ask someone!

Wie Heißen Sie? (What is your name?)

Wie geht es Ihnen? (How are you?)

Woher Kommen Sie? (Where do you come from?)

Wo wohnen Sie? (Where do you live?)

Entschuldigung, wo ist die Speisekarte? (Excuse me, where is the menu?)

Was trinken Sie gern? (What do you like to drink?)

Karl, was ist dein Beruf? (Karl, what is your profession?)

Warum kommst du zu spät? (Why are you coming so late?)

Wer bist du? (Who are you?)

Wen liebst du? (Whom do you love?)

Warum lernen Sie Deutsch? (Why do you learn German?)

Wie viel kostet der Tee? (How much does the tea cost?)

Wie viele Bücher haben Sie? (How many books do you have?)

German vs English: Differences & Similarities

Ask for directions

We use “Entschuldigung! Wo ist” + place to ask for directions.

So, For Examples:

Entschuldigung, wo ist der Markt? (Excuse me, where is the market?)

Der Markt ist da drüben. (The market is over there.)

Entschuldigung, wo ist das Hotel? (Excuse me, where is the hotel?)

Das Hotel ist in der Nähe. (The hotel is nearby.)

Der Supermarkt ist auch in der Nähe. (The supermarket is also nearby.)

Entschuldigung, wo ist der Taxistand? (Excuse me, where is the taxi stand?)

Der Taxistand ist rechts. (The taxi stand is on the right.)

Entschuldigung! Wo ist der Bahnhof? (Excuse me! Where is the train station?)

Der Bahnhof ist links! (The train station is on the left.)

Entschuldigung! Wo ist der Hauptbahnhof? (Excuse me! Where is the main station?)

Der Hauptbahnhof ist hier geradeaus! (The main station is here straight ahead!)

While, Remember: der for masculine nouns, die for feminine nouns, das for neuter nouns. So, If you need recap, Just follow the Learn German A1 Lesson 3 about genders of nouns!

So, Here is another way to ask for directions in German to strangers!

Ist die U-Bahnstation in der Nähe? (Is the subway station nearby?)

Nein, die U-Bahnstation ist weit weg! (No, the subway station is far away.)

Ist das Museum rechts oder links? (Is the museum on the right or on the left?)

Das Museum ist geradeaus und dann links! (The museum is straight ahead and then left.)

Talking about work situation

So, Let’s use our new knowledge about verbs from German A1 Lesson 4 to talk a bit more about work – or a lack of it.

Elisa sucht Arbeit als Ingenieurin. Elisa is looking for work as an engineer.

“Arbeitslos” consists of:
1): Arbeit – job
2): s – a letter used as “glue”
3): los – -less
Altogether, it means “without a job”.

Julian ist arbeitslos. Er sucht Arbeit als Ingenieur. (Julian is unemployed. He is looking for a work as engineer.)

Seid ihr arbeitslos? Sucht ihr Arbeit als Krankenpfleger? (Are you unemployed? Are you looking for a work as a nurse?)

We can say “ich arbeite als…” to say that we’re doing a job that we’re either not trained for, or that we’re only doing it short term.

For example:

Ich bin Lehrer, aber ich arbeite als Verkäufer. (I am a teacher, but I work as a salesman.)

Ali und ich, wir arbeiten bei Volvo. (Ali and I, we work for Volvo.)

Ich studiere Jura. Ich arbeite als Verkäuferin. (I study law. I work as a shop assistant.)

Note:

In Germany, most professions require either a course or an “Ausbildung”, a thorough 3 year vocational training course combining theoretical and practical experience.

That’s why German craftsmanship is world famous!

So, More examples relevant to work:

Ich suche Arbeit als Kellnerin. (I’m looking for work as a waitress.)

Ich bin im Moment arbeitslos. (I’m unemployed at the moment.)

Asking for Price

Hast du Durst? (Are you thirsty?)

If you aren’t right now, you might be after this lesson! So, Let’s get to know some typical drinks from German-speaking countries and learn how to ask for their prices.

Prost! (Cheers!)

Wie viel kostet der Kaffee? (How much is the coffee?) or Wie viel kostet ein Kaffee? (How much is a coffee?)

Der Kaffee ist sehr gut! (The coffee is very good.)

When you order a “Kaffee”, you’ll get a mug of black filter coffee. While, You can drink it with milk and/or sugar. 70-80% of the people in Germany, Austria and Switzerland drink coffee every day – they drink even more coffee than water – or beer!

Have you had a Schorle?

While, It is very popular to mix sparkling water and fruit juice to create a refreshing drink called Schorle. The standard flavour is Apfel (apple), but you can also find trendy flavours like Rhabarberschorle (rhubarb schorle) or Maracujaschorle (passion fruit schorle).

Wie viel kostet eine Apfelschorle? (How much is an sparkling apple juice?)

Eine Apfelschorle kostet 4,20 €. (A sparkling apple juice costs 4,20 euros.)

Some facts about ”Wasser”!

While, In German-speaking countries, sparkling water is very popular. So, Water usually isn’t free in restaurants and bars, and it’s not common to ask for it!

Wie viel kostet ein Wasser? (How much is a water?)

Ein Wasser kostet 2 €! (a water costs 2 euros!)

So, More Examples about asking price:

Entschuldigung, wie viel kostet die Uhr? (Excuse me, how much is the clock?)

Wie viel kostet das Handy? (How much is the mobile?)

Entschuldigung, wie viel kostet der Hut? (Excuse me, how much is the hat?)

It’s important to know the gender of a noun, but genders are random. So it’s easiest to remember them by learning a word with its article!

der Wein ?? Wein is masculine

die Cola ?? Cola is feminine

das Bier ?? Bier is neuter

Wie viel kostet eine Cola? (How much is a cola?)

So, Here’s a tip!

“Ein” and “der” are the masculine articles, e.g. ein Kaffee / der Kaffee.

“Eine” and “die” are the feminine articles, e.g. eine Apfelschorle / die Apfelschorle.

So, If you need recap, Just follow the Learn German A1 Lesson 3 about genders of nouns!

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