wat fir en

What Kind of: Wat Fir En

Level 2

Wat fir en and wat fir eng mean what kind of or which: Wat fir en Auto hues du? (What kind of car do you have?)

How It Works

Choosing the article
The article is the same one you use for a, see en/eng:

  • masculine and neuter: wat fir en Auto, wat fir e Film, wat fir e Buch
  • feminine: wat fir eng Musek, wat fir eng Aarbecht
  • plural: wat fir Filmer, also wat fir eng Leit

By the n-rule, en becomes e before most consonants: wat fir e Film, but wat fir en Auto.

Fir does not choose the case here
In this phrase fir does not mean for, and it does not decide the case. The article takes the case the noun has in the sentence. After a dative preposition it is engem or enger: Mat wat fir engem Bus fiers du? See dem/der/den (dative).

Word order
The whole phrase comes first and the verb follows: Wat fir eng Musek lauschters du gär? Inside a longer sentence the verb goes to the end, as in any indirect question.

Wat fir or wéi een?
Wat fir asks about the kind of thing, and in everyday speech it is also used for which. wéi een/wéi eng asks which one out of a known group: Wéi een Auto fiers du?

Exclamations
Wat or wat fir with an article can also express surprise: Wat en Duercherneen! (What a mess!)

Examples (6)

  1. Wat fir en Auto hues du?

    What kind of car do you have?

    Word by Word: What for a car have you?

    Auto is masculine and starts with a vowel, so en keeps its n.

  2. Wat fir eng Musek lauschters du gär?

    What kind of music do you like to listen to?

    Word by Word: What for a music listen you gladly?

    Musek is feminine, so the article is eng.

  3. Wat fir e Wee hëls du?

    Which way are you taking?

    Word by Word: What for a way take you?

    Wee is masculine. En becomes e before the W by the n-rule.

  4. Wat fir e Buch hues de an der Vakanz gelies?

    What book did you read on holiday?

    Word by Word: What for a book have you in the holiday read?

    Buch is neuter, so it takes e. De is the short form of du.

  5. Wat fir Filmer lafen am Ament am Kino?

    What films are showing at the cinema at the moment?

    Word by Word: What for films run at the moment in the cinema?

    With a plural noun there is usually no article after wat fir.

  6. Mat wat fir engem Bus fiers du op d'Aarbecht?

    Which bus do you take to work?

    Word by Word: With what for a bus drive you to the work?

    Mat needs the dative, so the article becomes engem.

Common Mistakes

  • Using en with a feminine noun.

    Wat fir en Aarbecht hues du?
    Wat fir eng Aarbecht hues du?

    Aarbecht is feminine, so it needs eng, just like eng Aarbecht (a job).

  • Keeping the n of en before a consonant.

    Wat fir en Film hues du gesinn?
    Wat fir e Film hues du gesinn?

    By the n-rule, en becomes e before F and most other consonants. It keeps its n before a vowel and before d, h, n, t and z.

  • Keeping the nominative article after a dative preposition.

    Mat wat fir en Auto bass du komm?
    Mat wat fir engem Auto bass du komm?

    Fir does not decide the case in this phrase. Mat needs the dative, so en becomes engem.

How It Connects

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wat fir enLevel 2What Kind of: Wat Fir En

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Before What Kind of: Wat fir en, learn Which: Wéi een and Wéi eng.

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