Question words: what, where, when, who, why, how
The English question words, what each one asks about, and the fixed word order that puts an auxiliary verb between the question word and the subject.
When you use it
Question words open a question that asks for information rather than for yes or no. What asks about a thing or an action, where about a place, when about a time, who about a person, why about a reason, how about a way or a degree. Ukrainian and Russian have the same set (що, де, коли, хто, чому, як; что, где, когда, кто, почему, как), so the meaning is rarely the problem. The problem is the word order. In a Slavic language the question word simply goes to the front and the sentence stays as it is. In English the question word is followed by a verb, and that verb comes before the subject.
How it is formed
| Question word | Asks about | Example |
|---|---|---|
| what | a thing, an action, a choice from an open set | What do you do? |
| where | a place | Where do you live? |
| when | a time | When does the film start? |
| who | a person | Who is that? |
| why | a reason | Why are you late? |
| how | a way, a manner | How do you go to work? |
| which | a choice from a small, known set | Which bus goes to the centre? |
| whose | an owner | Whose bag is this? |
| how + adjective or adverb | a degree or amount | How old are you? How much is it? How often do you swim? |
After the question word the order is the same as in a yes/no question: auxiliary first, then subject, then main verb.
| Question word | Auxiliary | Subject | Main verb | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where | do | you | live | ? |
| What | is | Anna | doing | ? |
| When | did | Tom | arrive | ? |
| Why | can't | they | come | ? |
With be as the main verb there is no auxiliary; be itself moves in front of the subject: Where is Tom? How old are you?
One case has no auxiliary at all. When who or what is the subject of the sentence, the word order is the same as in a statement, because there is nothing to move: Who called you?, What happened? Compare Who did you call?, where you is the subject and who is the object.
A preposition that belongs to the verb stays at the end in everyday English: Where are you from?, Who are you waiting for?, What are you looking at?
Which and what overlap. Use which when the choice is from a small set that both speakers know (Which colour, red or blue?) and what when the set is open (What colour is your car?). Whose, which and what can all stand directly in front of a noun: Whose keys are these?
Examples
- What do you usually have for breakfast?
- Where does Anna work now?
- When does the next bus leave?
- Who is the man in the grey coat?
- Why are you so tired today?
- How do you get to school?
- How old is your brother?
- Who called you last night?
Common mistakes
- ✗ Where you live?
✓ Where do you live?
Де ти живеш and где ты живёшь need nothing after the question word. English needs an auxiliary, and in the present simple that auxiliary is do or does. - ✗ What you are doing?
✓ What are you doing?
The verb are must move in front of the subject. Learners keep the statement order because Ukrainian and Russian show a question only by the question word and the intonation. - ✗ How is it called in English?
✓ What is it called in English?
Як це називається and как это называется use the word for how. English asks for a name with what: what is this called, what is your name. - ✗ How do you think?
✓ What do you think?
Як ти думаєш and как ты думаешь also use how. In English how do you think asks about the method of thinking, which is almost never what you mean. - ✗ Who did call you?
✓ Who called you?
When who is the subject, there is no inversion and no did. Learners who have just learned the do rule apply it everywhere; here the sentence already has its statement order.
Try it
- ___ do you live? In Kyiv.
- ___ does the shop open? At nine.
- ___ is that woman? She is Anna's mother.
- ___ (you / go) to work? By bus.
- ___ (Tom / be) late yesterday? Because he missed the train.