A bit confused on how to apply question words, mist sources I find have quite conflicting results on which word signify which question word on which context. Like, is the "how" in "how are you doing" and "how do you cook food" the same? Why is who wer and where wo ?
Any help would be appreciated, if it isnt obvious enough, yes Im pretty terrible @ german rn : )
#What Why When Where Who How?
violet light
gritty flame
A bit confused on how to apply question words, mist sources I find have quite co...
Basically, you're in luck: the question words mostly work the same way in English and German: Where is the bank? = Wo ist die Bank? Who is Michael? = Wer ist Michael?
Unfortunately, for questions about personal information, like "What's your name/address/phone number?" Germans tend to use "Wie...?" instead of "Was...?" There is no real reason for this, it just sounds more polite to us.
As to why "Where?" = "Wo?" and "Who?" = "Wer?", you'd have to look into the etymology of the words (wiktionary usually has a section about it for single words), i.e. the answer is buried somewhere in the history of our languages, how they evolved.
Etymology is something I find quite fascinating, and it can be quite helpful, too, when learning vocabulary. However, ultimately, you just have to accept its results, live with them, and memorize them. 🎄
@violet light
violet light
Unfortunately, for questions about personal information, like "What's your name/...
ooh got it
violet light
As to why "Where?" = "Wo?" and "Who?" = "Wer?", you'd have to look into the etym...
interesting, never knew wiktionary had that feature, sounds rly fascinating just to learn it a bit honestly
gritty flame
I see I overlooked a question of yours: yes, the "how/wie" is the same in "How are you?/Wie geht es dir?" and in "How do you cook food?/Wie...?" Apart from that, trust me, everyone is pretty terrible at a language they're just beginning to learn. 🎄