German · A1 · Everyday language
Your Project Ideas in German
Use these simple German questions to show interest in your child's school project. Use du when talking to one child.
What you'll learn
- Ask about your child's project, group and plans.
- Use the question words wer, was, wo, wann, warum and wie.
- Recognize basic German question word order.
German phrases for your project ideas
Wer ist in deiner Gruppe?
Who is in your group?
Wer means 'who'. Learn in deiner Gruppe as a chunk meaning 'in your group'.
Was ist dein Projekt?
What is your project?
Use this to ask your child to name or describe the project.
Wo arbeitest du?
Where do you work?
In this context, this asks where your child works on the project.
Wann fängst du an?
When do you start?
Anfangen means 'to start'. With du, it becomes fängst … an; an goes at the end.
Warum magst du dieses Thema?
Why do you like this topic?
Magst du means 'you like' in this question. Dieses Thema means 'this topic'.
Wie funktioniert das?
How does this work?
A useful question about a model, experiment or idea.
Was brauchst du?
What do you need?
Use this to ask about materials or other things your child needs.
Wer hilft dir?
Who helps you?
Helfen uses the dative case, so 'you' is dir here, not dich.
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
wer
who
Asks about a person.
was
what
Asks about a thing or activity.
wo
where
Asks about a location.
wann
when
Asks about a time.
warum
why
Asks for a reason.
wie
how
Asks how something happens or works.
die Gruppe
the group
German nouns begin with a capital letter.
das Projekt
the project
Dein Projekt means 'your project'.
das Thema
the topic
Dieses Thema means 'this topic'.
Question word + verb + subject
In these questions, the question word comes first, followed by the verb and then the subject. German does not add an extra word like English 'do' or 'does'.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Place | Wo + verb + subject? | Wo arbeitest du? |
| Thing needed | Was + verb + subject? | Was brauchst du? |
| How something works | Wie + verb + subject? | Wie funktioniert das? |
When wer is the subject
In these questions, wer is itself the subject: the person being asked about. Use the singular verb form, such as ist or hilft.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Ask who is there | Wer + ist + more information? | Wer ist in deiner Gruppe? |
| Ask who helps | Wer + hilft + dir? | Wer hilft dir? |
A verb that splits: anfangen
Anfangen is a separable verb. In this question, fängst follows the question word and an goes at the end. German can use the present tense to ask about future plans.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Ask about starting | Wann + fängst + du + an? | Wann fängst du an? |
More examples
Was brauchst du? – Ich brauche Papier.
What do you need? – I need paper.
Ich brauche means 'I need'.
Wann fängst du an? – Morgen.
When do you start? – Tomorrow.
A short answer is natural in conversation.
Wer hilft dir? – Papa hilft mir.
Who helps you? – Dad helps me.
Mir means 'me' after helfen, just as dir means 'you'.