welcher/welche/welches

Which

Level 1

Use welcher (which/what) when you are asking for a specific choice from a limited set of options. It changes its ending to match the gender and case of the noun it describes.

How It Works

The word welcher is an interrogative word that can act as both a determiner (used with a noun) and a standalone pronoun (replacing a noun). It must agree with the gender and grammatical case of the noun it refers to.

1. The Endings (Strong Declension)
It follows the same ending pattern as dieser. Note that the neuter nominative/accusative is -es (welches):

  • Masculine: welcher (Nom), welchen (Acc), welchem (Dat), welches/welchen* (Gen)
  • Feminine: welche (Nom/Acc), welcher (Dat/Gen)
  • Neuter: welches (Nom/Acc), welchem (Dat), welches/welchen* (Gen)
  • Plural: welche (Nom/Acc), welchen (Dat), welcher (Gen)

*Note: In the Genitive masculine/neuter, welchen is often used as a stylistic choice to avoid the repetitive 's' sound if the following noun already ends in -s (e.g., 'welchen Weges').

2. Welcher vs. Was für ein
Use welcher for a specific selection ('Which one of these?'). Use was für ein when asking about a category or description ('What kind of?').

3. Indefinite Pronoun ('Some' / 'Any')
In colloquial German, welcher is frequently used to mean 'some' or 'any' when the noun is omitted: 'Brauchst du Geld? Ich habe noch welches.' (Do you need money? I still have some).

4. Other Functions
Beyond questions, it can serve as a relative pronoun in formal writing. However, welcher is never used as a relative pronoun in the genitive case; instead, you must use dessen or deren. It can also be an exclamation: 'Welch eine Überraschung!' (What a surprise!).

Examples (6)

  1. Welcher Tag ist heute?

    Which day is today?

    Word by Word: Which day is today?

    Here, 'Tag' is masculine nominative, so we use the ending -er.

  2. Welchen Wein möchten Sie trinken?

    Which wine would you like to drink?

    Word by Word: Which wine would like you to drink?

    The wine is the direct object (Accusative), and since 'Wein' is masculine, the ending changes to -en.

  3. Welches Buch liest du gerade?

    Which book are you reading right now?

    Word by Word: Which book read you currently?

    'Buch' is neuter. In the accusative case, the neuter ending is -es.

  4. In welchem Hotel übernachten wir?

    In which hotel are we staying?

    Word by Word: In which hotel stay we?

    The preposition 'in' here triggers the dative case for location. 'Hotel' is neuter, so we use the -em ending.

  5. Welche Farben magst du?

    Which colors do you like?

    Word by Word: Which colors like you?

    'Farben' is plural. The plural ending for 'welcher' in the accusative is -e.

  6. Hast du Brot? Ja, ich habe noch welches.

    Do you have bread? Yes, I still have some.

    Word by Word: Have you bread? Yes, I have still some.

    In spoken German, 'welcher' is often used as an indefinite pronoun meaning 'some' or 'any'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'Was' instead of 'Welcher' before a noun.

    Was Bus nimmst du?
    Welchen Bus nimmst du?

    In English, we can say 'What bus...'. In German, you cannot put 'was' directly before a noun. You must use 'welcher' (which) or 'was für ein' (what kind of).

  • Forgetting to change the ending for the Accusative case.

    Welcher Film hast du gesehen?
    Welchen Film hast du gesehen?

    Since 'Film' is the direct object of the verb 'sehen', it must be in the accusative case. For masculine nouns, the ending must be -en.

How It Connects

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welcher/welche/welchesLevel 1Which

Learn This First

To learn 'welcher', you need to understand that German nouns have genders and that adjectives or interrogatives must change their endings to match both the gender and the grammatical case of the noun they describe.

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welcherwelcher