Question words

• 11 Question words

  11.1

  what, where, who

  

  

  Question words are placed at the beginning of a question to ask for specific information.

  • what (what), where (where), who (who)

  什么What 是is 你的your 名字name?

  What's your name?

  哪里Where （助动词）do 你you 住live?

  Where do you live?

  谁Who 是is 那个that 男人man?

  Who is that man?

  Note: A be verb or auxiliary do/does often follows the question word: Where do you work?

  11.2

  when, why, how

  • when (when), why (why), how (how / in what way)

  什么时候When 是is （冠词）the 派对party?

  When is the party?

  为什么Why （是）are 你you 难过sad?

  Why are you sad?

  怎么How （助动词）do 你you 拼写spell 它it?

  How do you spell this?

  Note: how can also combine with adjectives to ask about degree: How old are you? How much is it?

  Common Errors

  • ❌ ~~Where you live?~~ → ✓ Where do you live? — After the question word, you still need do/does or be; you cannot follow directly with the subject.
  • ❌ ~~What means this word?~~ → ✓ What does this word mean? — mean is an ordinary verb: question word + does + subject + base form.
  • ❌ ~~Why you are late?~~ → ✓ Why are you late? — When there is a be verb in the sentence, move be before the subject.
  • ❌ ~~How to spell it?~~ → ✓ How do you spell it? — A literal translation of "How to spell?" loses the subject and auxiliary verb; these must be added.

All topics · English Grammar · A1