wer/was
Who/What
Wer = Who (People)
Was = What (Things/Actions)
How It Works
1. People vs. Things
Use wer for humans and often for pets or animals treated as individuals (e.g., 'Wer ist ein guter Hund?'). For objects, general animals, ideas, or activities, use was.
2. The Four Cases
Both words change based on their role in the sentence. Note that they share the same possessive form:
- Nominative (Subject): Wer? / Was? (Who? / What?)
- Accusative (Direct Object): Wen? / Was? (Whom? / What?)
- Dative (Indirect Object): Wem? / — (To whom?)
- Genitive (Possessive): Wessen? (Whose? / Of what?)
3. Verb Agreement
Usually, the question word takes a singular verb (e.g., 'Wer kommt heute?'). However, the verb sein is an exception: it must agree with the plural noun that follows it. For example: 'Wer sind diese Leute?' (Who are these people?) or 'Was sind das für Dinge?' (What are those things?)
4. Special Uses of Was
You also use was as a relative pronoun after indefinite words like alles (alles) or etwas (etwas), such as in 'alles, was ich brauche' (everything that I need).
5. Prepositions
In formal German, instead of saying 'mit was' (with what), you use wo-compounds like 'womit'.
Examples (5)
- Wer hat den Kuchen gegessen?
Who ate the cake?
Word by Word: Who has the cake eaten?
'Wer' is the subject (Nominative) asking about a person.
- Was ist das in deiner Tasche?
What is that in your bag?
Word by Word: What is that in your bag?
'Was' is used to ask about an object.
- Wen suchst du?
Whom are you looking for?
Word by Word: Whom search you?
'Wen' is the Accusative form because the person is the direct object of the search.
- Wem gehört dieses Auto?
To whom does this car belong?
Word by Word: To-whom belongs this car?
'Wem' is the Dative form required by the verb 'gehören'.
- Wessen Buch ist das?
Whose book is that?
Word by Word: Whose book is that?
'Wessen' is the Genitive form used to show possession.
Common Mistakes
Using 'wer' for all 'who' questions regardless of case.
Wer liebst du?Wen liebst du?Since 'you' (du) is the subject, the person being loved is the direct object and must be in the Accusative case (wen).
Using 'was' directly before a noun.
Was Buch liest du?Welches Buch liest du?'Was' cannot be used as an adjective. To ask 'which book', use 'welcher' or 'was für ein'.
Confusing 'wer' (who) with 'wo' (where).
Wer ist die Toilette?Wo ist die Toilette?English speakers often mix these up because they sound similar. Remember: Wer = Who, Wo = Where.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use 'wer' and 'was' effectively, learners should first be familiar with the verb 'sein' (to be) for identification and the basic rules of German word order for forming simple questions.
- seinTo Be (Sein)
The interrogative pronouns 'wer' and 'was' are most commonly used with the verb 'sein' to identify people and things in basic questions.
Level 1 - Basic Word Order
Learners need to understand basic sentence structure to correctly place the interrogative pronoun and the verb in a question.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- The Four Cases
Understanding cases is essential to knowing when to use wer, wen, or wem.
Level 1 - wo/wohin/woherWhere/To Where/From Where
Other common interrogatives used to ask about locations.
Level 1 - welcher/welche/welchesWhich
Used instead of 'was' when choosing from a specific group of items.
Level 1 - wo(r)- + PrepositionWo-Compounds
The standard way to combine 'was' with a preposition (e.g., wofür, womit).
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice wer/was in Bubblegum
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