Using wo (where) with prepositions in German
Understanding grammar is key to understanding a language.
German grammar tips with
Wunderbla, online German lessons.
Free with no obligation to buy.
Using wo (where) with prepositions
Wo (where) is often combined with prepositions such as zu (to), bei (with), für (for), gegen (against), vor (before) or mit (with) to form a “what” question word.
-Wobei störe ich dich? -Beim Essen. (stören + bei)
-What am I interrupting? -Dinner. (Literally: “-During what am I interrupting you? -During dinner” - stören + bei = to interrupt + during.)
-Wofür brauchst du das? -Für den Urlaub. (brauchen + für)
-What do you need that for? -For the vacation (brauchen + für = to need + for)
-Womit bezahlen wir? -Mit deinem Geld. (bezahlen + mit)
-What do we pay with? -With your money (bezahlen + mit = to pay + with)
We insert an -r- if the preposition begins with a vowel: auf (on), aus (off), in (in), an (at), über (above) or um (around).
-Worauf warten wir? -Auf das Taxi. (warten + auf)
-What are we waiting for? -For the taxi. (warten + auf = to wait + for)
-Worin ist Magda gut? -In Mathematik. (gut sein + in)
-What is Magda good at? -At mathematics. (gut sein + in = to be good + at)
-Worüber habt ihr gesprochen? -Über Fußball. (sprechen + über)
-What did you talk about? -About football. (sprechen + über = to talk + about)
Notes:
- These combined words often appear in questions, but they do have other uses too.
Ich weiß nicht, wovor er Angst hat.
I don't know what he is afraid of.
Sag mir, worauf du Lust hast.
Tell me what you feel like doing.
- In everyday spoken German, people often use was (what) instead of wo (where).
-Womit können wir das befestigen? → Mit was können wir das befestigen?
What can we attach it with?
-Woran hast du dich verschluckt? → An was hast du dich verschluckt?
What did you choke on?
Still facing difficulties with 'Using wo (where) with prepositions'? Improve your German with Wunderbla - try our German lessons for free now and receive a free level assessment!
What our users say:
Improve your German further and test Wunderbla, online German lessons.