wéi
How: Wéi
Wéi means how: Wéi geet et? (How are you?), Wéi al bass du? (How old are you?).
How It Works
Asking how
Put wéi first and the conjugated verb right after it:
- Wéi geet et? (How are you?) – see wéi geet et.
- Wéi heeschs du? (What is your name?) – see ech heeschen.
- Wéi ass d'Wieder haut? (What is the weather like today?)
Notice that English often says what where Luxembourgish says wéi: asking for a name, or what something is like.
Wéi + adjective
Wéi and an adjective or adverb stay together at the start, and the verb comes after both:
- Wéi al bass du? (How old are you?)
- Wéi laang bleift Dir? (How long are you staying?)
- Wéi dacks gees du schwammen? (How often do you go swimming?)
To ask how much or how many, use wéi vill.
Didn’t catch that?
Wéi? on its own, or the more polite Watgelift?, asks someone to repeat what they said.
Other jobs of wéi
Wéi also means than or as in comparisons (méi ... wéi, esou ... wéi) and when for a single past event (wéi (when in the past)). To ask which, use wéi een/wéi eng.
Examples (6)
- Wéi geet et?
How are you?
Word by Word: How goes it?
- Wéi al bass du?
How old are you?
Word by Word: How old are you?
Age is asked with sinn, not hunn.
- Wéi ass d'Wieder haut?
What is the weather like today?
Word by Word: How is the weather today?
English says what ... like, but Luxembourgish uses wéi.
- Wéi laang bleift Dir zu Lëtzebuerg?
How long are you staying in Luxembourg?
Word by Word: How long stay you in Luxembourg?
Wéi laang stays together in first place. Polite Dir takes the plural verb form bleift.
- Wéi dacks gees du schwammen?
How often do you go swimming?
Word by Word: How often go you swim?
- Wéi heescht dat op Lëtzebuergesch?
What is that called in Luxembourgish?
Word by Word: How is-called that in Luxembourgish?
A very useful question when you learn new words.
Common Mistakes
Asking for a name with wat instead of wéi.
Wat heeschs du?Wéi heeschs du?Heeschen (to be called) is asked about with wéi. Wat heescht ...? means what does ... mean: Wat heescht dat?
Asking about age with hunn.
Wéi al hues du?Wéi al bass du?Age is a quality you are, not a thing you have, so Luxembourgish uses sinn: Ech sinn zwanzeg Joer al.
Splitting wéi from its adjective.
Wéi bass du al?Wéi al bass du?Wéi and the adjective form one question phrase. They stay together in first place, and the verb comes after them.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Before How: Wéi, learn What and Who: Wat and Wien.
Related Patterns
- wéi villHow Much and How Many: Wéi Vill
Wéi vill is the wéi question for amounts: how much and how many.
Level 1 - Wéi geet et?How Are You? Wéi Geet Et?
Wéi geet et? is the most common wéi question.
Level 1 - ech heeschenSaying Your Name
Names are asked for with wéi: Wéi heeschs du?
Level 1 - wéi een / wéi engWhich: Wéi Een and Wéi Eng
Wéi een and wéi eng ask which, using the same wéi.
Level 1 - méi ... wéiComparing: Méi ... Wéi
In comparisons wéi means than.
Level 2 - wéi (When in the Past)When in the Past: Wéi
In a statement about the past, wéi can also mean when.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice wéi in Bubblegum
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