Yes or No Questions
Put the conjugated verb first and the subject right after it: Du hues Zäit becomes Hues du Zäit?
How It Works
Verb first. Move the conjugated verb to the front and put the subject right after it:
- Du hues Zäit. → Hues du Zäit? (Do you have time?)
- Dir schwätzt Lëtzebuergesch. → Schwätzt Dir Lëtzebuergesch? (Do you speak Luxembourgish?)
- De Bus ass schonn do. → Ass de Bus schonn do? (Is the bus already here?)
The rest stays in place. An infinitive or a past participle still goes to the end: Kanns du mir hëllefen? (modal verb and infinitive)
Answers. Say jo (yes) or nee (no) (jo and nee). To contradict a negative question, answer dach: Hues du keen Honger? – Dach! (Are you not hungry? – Yes, I am!)
In everyday speech du after the verb is often shortened to de: Hues de Zäit? (short unstressed pronouns). People also ask by rising intonation alone, or add gell? or oder? to check something (question tags).
Questions with a question word, such as wat or wou, put the question word first and the verb second (wat and wien).
Examples (6)
- Hues du Zäit?
Do you have time?
Word by Word: Have you time?
The verb hues comes first and du follows it.
- Kënns du muer?
Are you coming tomorrow?
Word by Word: Come you tomorrow?
Luxembourgish needs no helper word like do or are.
- Schwätzt Dir Lëtzebuergesch?
Do you speak Luxembourgish?
Word by Word: Speak you Luxembourgish?
Polite Dir takes the -t form of the verb.
- Ass de Bus schonn do?
Is the bus already here?
Word by Word: Is the bus already there?
The subject de Bus follows the verb.
- Kanns du mir hëllefen?
Can you help me?
Word by Word: Can you me help?
The infinitive hëllefen stays at the end.
- Hues du keen Honger? – Dach!
Are you not hungry? – Yes, I am!
Word by Word: Have you no hunger? – Yes!
Dach says yes to a negative question.
Common Mistakes
Using the -en ending with Dir.
Schwätzen Dir Lëtzebuergesch?Schwätzt Dir Lëtzebuergesch?Polite Dir takes the dir form, which ends in -t. The -en ending is for ech, mir and si.
Moving the infinitive forward with the verb.
Kanns du hëllefe mir?Kanns du mir hëllefen?Only the conjugated verb moves to the front. The infinitive stays at the end.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Before Yes or No Questions, learn The Verb Comes Second and Present Tense Endings.
Related Patterns
- jo / neeYes and No: Jo and Nee
The answer words for yes or no questions.
Level 1 - wat / wienWhat and Who: Wat and Wien
Questions with a question word put that word first.
Level 1 - Modal Verb and Infinitive
The infinitive stays at the end of the question.
Level 1 - Question Tags: gell? and oder?Checking Questions: Gell? and Oder?
Gell? and oder? turn a statement into a question.
Level 3 - Short Unstressed Pronouns
Explains the short form de in Hues de Zäit?
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Yes or No Questions in Bubblegum
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