German Interrogative Pronouns – Complete Guide with Declension Tables and Examples

Key takeaways

• German interrogative pronouns replace a noun in a question — the main ones are wer (who) and was (what), plus welcher/welche/welches (which) for specific choices.
• Wer declines across all four cases: wer, wen, wem, wessen — matching nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive.
• Was does not decline; in fixed prepositional contexts it is replaced by wo(r)- compounds: worüber, womit, woran.
• Welcher declines like a definite article and must agree with the noun being asked about in gender, case, and number.
• In indirect questions, interrogative pronouns introduce a subordinate clause — the verb moves to the end.

German interrogative pronouns are the tools you use to ask questions about specific, replaceable nouns — who, what, and which. Unlike question adverbs (wann, wo, warum, wie) that ask about time, place, or manner, interrogative pronouns stand in for a noun directly. They appear in every type of question: direct, indirect, rhetorical, and in embedded clauses.

This guide covers the full system: the declension of wer across all four cases, was and its wo(r)- prepositional compounds, the complete declension table for welcher, indirect questions, and the relationship between interrogative pronouns and question words. If you want interactive practice, explore German on Promova and build question fluency step by step.

What are interrogative pronouns in German?

An interrogative pronoun is a pronoun that introduces a question by replacing an unknown noun. It signals that the speaker wants information about a person, thing, or choice. In English, "who," "whom," "what," and "which" serve this function. German has an equivalent system — but unlike English, wer fully declines across four cases, and welcher must agree with the noun in gender and case.

The three core German interrogative pronouns:

• wer — who (person)
• was — what (thing, idea, action)
• welcher / welche / welches — which (specific choice from a group)

Interrogative pronouns vs question adverbs

Interrogative pronouns replace a noun; question adverbs ask about circumstances. This distinction is important:

• Wer kommt? — Who is coming? (wer replaces a person-noun)
• Wann kommt er? — When is he coming? (wann asks about time, not the person)
• Was passiert? — What is happening? (was replaces a thing/event)
• Warum passiert das? — Why is that happening? (warum asks about reason)

wer — who: full declension and usage

Wer asks about people. It is the only interrogative pronoun in German that fully declines across all four cases, making it both a grammatical tool and a case identification aid (the four forms mirror the case question words for the entire German case system).

Full declension of wer

• Nominative — wer? (who? — subject): The person performing the action.
• Accusative — wen? (whom? — direct object): The person directly receiving the action.
• Dative — wem? (to/for whom? — indirect object): The person benefiting from or receiving something.
• Genitive — wessen? (whose? — possession): The person something belongs to.

Examples for each case:

• Wer kommt heute? — Who is coming today? (subject)
• Wer hat das gesagt? — Who said that? (subject)
• Wen rufst du an? — Whom are you calling? (direct object)
• Wen siehst du? — Whom do you see? (direct object)
• Wem gibst du das Buch? — To whom are you giving the book? (indirect object)
• Wem hast du geholfen? — Whom did you help? (dative verb)
• Wessen Auto ist das? — Whose car is that? (possession)
• Wessen Fehler war es? — Whose mistake was it? (possession)

In everyday spoken German, the genitive form wessen is sometimes replaced by a von wem construction: Von wem ist das Auto? — Whose car is that? (lit. From whom is the car?)

wer with prepositions

When wer follows a preposition, it takes the case that preposition requires:

• Mit wem fährst du? — With whom are you traveling? (mit + dative)
• Von wem hast du das? — From whom do you have that? (von + dative)
• Für wen ist das Geschenk? — For whom is the gift? (für + accusative)
• Bei wem wohnst du? — With whom are you living? (bei + dative)

was — what: usage and wo(r)- compounds

Was asks about things, actions, ideas, and situations. Unlike wer, was is invariable — it does not decline for case. It functions as both nominative and accusative without change:

• Was passiert? — What is happening? (nominative)
• Was machst du? — What are you doing? (accusative)
• Was bedeutet das? — What does that mean?
• Was hast du gegessen? — What did you eat?
• Was ist dein Lieblingsfilm? — What is your favourite film?

wo(r)- compounds — was with prepositions

Unlike wer, which combines directly with prepositions (mit wem, für wen), was cannot follow a preposition directly when asking about things. Instead, German uses wo(r)- + preposition compounds:

• worüber — what about, about what (über): Worüber sprecht ihr? — What are you talking about?
• womit — with what (mit): Womit schreibst du? — What are you writing with?
• woran — on/at what (an): Woran denkst du? — What are you thinking about?
• wozu — for what, why (zu): Wozu brauchst du das? — What do you need that for?
• wodurch — through/by what (durch): Wodurch wurde das verursacht? — What caused that?
• wofür — for what (für): Wofür interessierst du dich? — What are you interested in?
• worauf — on/onto what (auf): Worauf wartest du? — What are you waiting for?

The r is inserted between wo- and prepositions beginning with a vowel (worüber, woran, worauf) to aid pronunciation.

welcher / welche / welches — which: full declension

Welcher asks about a specific choice within a known group. It must agree with the noun it refers to in gender, case, and number — following the same endings as definite articles.

Full declension table

• Nominative: welcher (m.) / welche (f.) / welches (n.) / welche (pl.)
• Accusative: welchen (m.) / welche (f.) / welches (n.) / welche (pl.)
• Dative: welchem (m.) / welcher (f.) / welchem (n.) / welchen (pl.)
• Genitive: welches (m.) / welcher (f.) / welches (n.) / welcher (pl.)

Examples across genders and cases:

• Welcher Zug fährt nach München? — Which train goes to Munich? (masc. nom.)
• Welche Sprache lernst du? — Which language are you learning? (fem. acc.)
• Welches Buch empfiehlst du? — Which book do you recommend? (neut. acc.)
• Welchen Film möchtest du sehen? — Which film would you like to see? (masc. acc.)
• Mit welchem Bus fährst du? — Which bus are you taking? (masc. dat.)
• In welcher Stadt wohnst du? — In which city do you live? (fem. dat.)
• Welche Bücher liest du gerne? — Which books do you like to read? (plural)

Welcher can also be used without a following noun — as a standalone pronoun — when the noun is clear from context: Welchen nimmst du? — Which one are you taking?

Interrogative pronouns in indirect questions

Interrogative pronouns frequently introduce indirect questions — questions embedded inside a larger clause. In indirect questions, the verb moves to the end of the embedded clause (unlike direct questions where the verb comes second):

Direct question: Wer kommt heute? — Who is coming today?
Indirect question: Ich weiß nicht, wer heute kommt. — I don't know who is coming today.

• Ich frage mich, wer das getan hat. — I wonder who did that.
• Kannst du mir sagen, wen du anrufst? — Can you tell me whom you are calling?
• Weißt du, wem das gehört? — Do you know who this belongs to?
• Ich verstehe nicht, was er meint. — I don't understand what he means.
• Sag mir, welchen du bevorzugst. — Tell me which one you prefer.

Identifying the right form — decision guide

Use this quick decision logic to choose the correct interrogative pronoun:

• Asking about a person as subject? → wer: Wer kommt?
• Asking about a person as direct object? → wen: Wen rufst du an?
• Asking about a person as indirect object or after dative verb/prep? → wem: Wem hilfst du?
• Asking about a person's possession? → wessen: Wessen Buch ist das?
• Asking about a thing or action? → was: Was machst du?
• Asking about a thing with a preposition? → wo(r)- compound: Womit schreibst du?
• Asking about a specific choice from known options? → welcher/welche/welches (agree with noun): Welches nimmst du?

Tips for mastering German interrogative pronouns

• Learn wer in all four cases as a unit. Wer, wen, wem, wessen — these four forms directly mirror the case identification questions for the entire German case system. Mastering them simultaneously gives you a grammar anchor for nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive all at once.
• Memorize wo(r)- compounds as vocabulary. Worüber, womit, woran, wozu, wofür, worauf, wodurch — treat each as a fixed word rather than a rule to apply. They appear constantly in spoken and written German. The principle (wo + prep for things vs wer-case + prep for people) is easy once the vocabulary is in place.
• Practice welcher with nouns of different genders. The declension is identical to definite articles — so if you know der/die/das endings, you already know welcher/welche/welches. Practice by pointing at objects around you and asking Welcher/Welche/Welches ist das?
• Build indirect question sentences. The structure Ich weiß nicht, wer... and Kannst du mir sagen, was... appears constantly in real German. Practicing the verb-final rule in these frames is essential for natural German.
• Use interrogative pronouns to practice asking about cases. Asking questions with wen? and wem? in conversation forces you to think about accusative and dative in real time — which is far more effective than drilling tables in isolation.

Learn interrogative pronouns in German with Promova

Promova offers structured lessons that take you through German interrogative pronouns — from the four cases of wer to wo(r)- compounds, welcher declension, and indirect questions. Interactive exercises give immediate feedback on case choices, and conversation practice helps you ask natural German questions in real contexts.

Final thoughts on German interrogative pronouns

German interrogative pronouns form a compact but grammatically rich system. Wer declines across all four cases and mirrors the case-identification questions. Was is invariable but generates wo(r)- compounds for prepositional contexts. Welcher declines fully like a definite article and handles specific-choice questions. And all three introduce indirect questions with verb-final word order. Master these three pronouns in their full forms, and you have a powerful set of tools for asking and understanding any kind of question in German.