Lesson 10 of 36 · beginner
Wh- Questions
Ask questions using what, where, when, who, why, and how.
The question words
what (thing), where (place), when (time), who (person), why (reason), how (manner).
- What is your name?
- Where do you live?
- When does the movie start?
Word order
Question word + auxiliary verb + subject + main verb.
- Where do you work?
- Why is she crying?
- How did you get here?
Answering naturally
Give a direct, natural answer without repeating the whole question.
- "Where do you live?" → "In London."
Which one vs what
Use 'which' when there is a limited, known set of choices, and 'what' for an open-ended question.
- Which color do you prefer, red or blue?
- What is your favorite color?
- Which train should I take?
More examples in context
Wh- questions are the backbone of everyday conversation.
- What time does the shop open?
- Where did you put my keys?
- Who is knocking on the door?
- Why didn't you call me back?
- How does this machine work?
- When will the results be announced?
Common mistakes to avoid
These are frequent wh-question errors, and how to correct them.
- ✗ Where you are going? → ✓ Where are you going? (invert subject and auxiliary)
- ✗ What means this word? → ✓ What does this word mean?
- ✗ Why you didn't call? → ✓ Why didn't you call?
- ✗ How much is cost this? → ✓ How much does this cost?
Quick practice
Choose the correct question word, then check your answer.
- ___ is the meeting? — "At 3 PM." (answer: When)
- ___ made this cake? — "My mom did." (answer: Who)
- ___ should I turn, left or right? (answer: Which)
- ___ are you feeling today? (answer: How)
- ___ is your office located? (answer: Where)