Question Words
Learn how to ask questions with who, what, where, when, why, and how.
What are question words?
We use question words to ask for specific information. They go at the beginning of questions.
The 7 Essential Question Words who, what, where...
Use: Ask about a person
"Who is that?"
"Who is your teacher?"
Use: Ask about a thing, action, or idea
"What is your name?"
"What do you want?"
Use: Ask about a place or location
"Where do you live?"
"Where is the library?"
Use: Ask about time
"When is your birthday?"
"When do you wake up?"
Use: Ask for a reason or explanation
"Why are you sad?"
"Why do you study English?"
Use: Ask about manner or way
"How are you?"
"How do you spell that?"
Use: Ask about possession
"Whose book is this?"
"Whose car is that?"
Use: Ask about a choice between options
"Which color do you like?"
"Which one is yours?"
How + Adjective Combinations measurements
How old
"How old are you?"
Age
How many
"How many books?"
Countable quantity
How much
"How much is it?"
Price / uncountable
How often
"How often do you exercise?"
Frequency
How far
"How far is the station?"
Distance
How long
"How long does it take?"
Duration / length
How tall
"How tall are you?"
Height
How come
"How come you're late?"
Informal "why"
Question Structure word order
With verb "to be"
Question Word + am/is/are + subject?
With other verbs
Question Word + do/does + subject + verb?
Question Words Summary
| Word | Pronunciation | Use | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who | /huː/ | Person | "Who is he?" | |
| What | /wɒt/ | Thing / action | "What is this?" | |
| Where | /weər/ | Place | "Where do you live?" | |
| When | /wen/ | Time | "When is the party?" | |
| Why | /waɪ/ | Reason | "Why are you happy?" | |
| How | /haʊ/ | Manner / way | "How does it work?" | |
| Whose | /huːz/ | Possession | "Whose phone is this?" | |
| Which | /wɪtʃ/ | Choice | "Which one do you want?" |
Question & Answer Practice
"What is your name?"
"My name is Sarah."
"Where do you live?"
"I live in New York."
"When is your birthday?"
"It's in July."
"Why do you study English?"
"Because I want to travel."
"How are you today?"
"I'm fine, thank you!"
Practice asking questions
20 questions · 10 minutes · All question words
💡 Question Words Tips:
- Question words always come first in the question
- With verb "to be": QW + am/is/are + subject? (Where are you?)
- With other verbs: QW + do/does + subject + verb? (What do you want?)
- For he/she/it, use "does" and the verb loses its 's' (Where does she live? NOT Where does she lives?)
- "How" can combine with adjectives: how old, how many, how much, how often