The question words wer, wen, wem and wessen in German

Understanding grammar is key to understanding a language.
Learn how to use The question words wer, wen, wem and wessen in German and many other tips and tricks with Wunderbla.
Test your German level for free today.

TEST YOUR GERMAN Free trial and no commitment to buy
4,7 on App Store, Play Store and Trustpilot More than 8 million learners worldwide

The question words wer, wen, wem and wessen

To ask about a person in German, we use one of the following words: wer, wen, wem or wessen.

These correspond to the different grammatical cases.

Nominativ Akkusativ Dativ Genitiv
wer? wen? wem? wessen?
  • We use wer (who) to ask about the subject of the verb.

-Wer ist das? -Das ist Anna.

‑Who is that? ‑That's Anna. 

  • We use wen (whom) to ask about the object of the verb.

-Wen rufst du an? -Ich rufe Magda an.

‑Whom are you calling? ‑I'm calling Magda.

  • We use wem (whom, to whom) to ask about the indirect object of the verb, or the object in the dative case.

-Wem schenkst du ein Fahrrad? -Ich schenke meiner Tante ein Fahrrad.

‑Whom are you giving a bike to? ‑I'm giving my aunt a bike.

-Mit wem sprichst du? -Mit dem Mann.

-Who are you talking to (literally: With whom are you speaking)? -My husband (literally: With my husband).

  • We use wessen (whose, whom) to ask about the object of the verb in the genitive case, or about possession.

-Wessen Auto ist das? -Das ist Tims Auto.

‑Whose car is that? ‑It's Tim's car.

Note: wem can also be used to ask about an inanimate object, but it's very rare.

-Mit wem spricht Caroline? -Mit dem Kühlschrank.

-Whom is Caroline speaking to? -To the refrigerator.

Still facing difficulties with 'The question words wer, wen, wem and wessen'? Learn and enhance your German grammar through our online German course. Start with a free test and improve today!

TEST YOUR GERMAN

What our users say:

Pleasure

         

I enjoy doing my online German lessons. Only ten minutes daily are enough...Thank you!

Innovative

         

I love your innovative method which allows me to learn a new language and have fun at the same time!

Unique

         

Your method is unique! Your courses have helped me to progress and gain confidence during my travels.

Progress

         

Gymglish has allowed me to improve my German. A daily routine I wouldn't miss for anything in the world!

More testimonials.

Improve your German further and test Wunderbla, online German lessons.