Questions and Answers with Prepositions in German
📦 Quick Reference Box
When forming questions with prepositions in German, everything comes down to what you’re asking about:
If the answer refers to a thing, place, idea, or situation → use wo(r) + preposition
Examples: woran, wofür, worauf, worüber…If you are asking about a person → use preposition + wen/wem
Examples: auf wen, für wen, mit wem…
Examples:
Worauf wartest du? — Ich warte auf den Bus.
Auf wen wartest du? — Ich warte auf Lisa.
Types of Prepositional Questions in German
German distinguishes between prepositional questions about things and prepositional questions about people because of how the language handles prepositional complements – structures where certain verbs must be followed by specific prepositions (warten auf, denken an, sich interessieren für, etc.).
Many German verbs are commonly used with specific prepositions, so it’s important to memorize them.
💡Asking About Things, Ideas or Situations
When the complement refers to a thing or abstract concept, German uses pronominal adverbs formed with wo(r) + preposition.
These adverb-like forms allow German to avoid using a generic "what + preposition" structure.
For example:
Woran denskt du? - What are you thinking about?
🧩 The -r- insertion rule
When the preposition begins with a vowel, German inserts an -r- between wo and the preposition so the compound is pronounceable.
wo + an → woran
wo + in → worin
wo + über → worüber
wo + aus → woraus
Without the -r- the words would crash together awkwardly, so German adds the consonant buffer.
Complete List of Common wo- Compounds
The table below lists the most frequent wo(r)-compounds, their basic meaning and a short example sentence.
Form | Meaning (English) | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
woran | what…on / what…about | Woran denkst du? – "What are you thinking about?" |
worauf | what…on / what…onto / what for | Worauf wartest du? – "What are you waiting for?" |
woraus | out of what / made of what | Woraus besteht das? – "What is it made of?" |
wofür | for what / what for | Wofür interessierst du dich? – "What are you interested in?" |
wogegen | against what | Wogegen kämpfst du? – "What are you fighting against?" |
womit | with what / using what | Womit schreibst du? – "What are you writing with?" |
wonach | after what / according to what | Wonach suchst du? – "What are you looking for?" |
woneben | next to what | Woneben soll ich das stellen? – "Next to what should I put this?" |
wovon | of what / from what | Wovon träumst du? – "What are you dreaming of?" |
wovor | of what / what…from | Wovor hast du Angst? – "What are you afraid of?" |
wozu | what for / to what end | Wozu dient das? – "What is this used for?" |
worüber | about what / over what | Worüber lacht ihr? – "What are you laughing about?" |
worin | in what | Worin liegt das Problem? – "What is the problem in?" |
🧑💼 Asking About People
But when the complement refers to a person, German needs to preserve case marking (Accusative with wen, Dative with wem).
Using the form preposition + wen/wem keeps that morphological information clear.
For example:
An wen denkst du? - Who are you thinking of?
This split is also tied to verb subcategorisation – each verb "expects" a particular preposition, and German adapts its question forms depending on whether the missing complement is a person or a thing.
Preposition + wen/wem
When the missing information refers to a person, German does not use wo- forms.
Instead, it switches to:
preposition + wen → when the verb requires Accusative
preposition + wem → when the verb requires Dative
How to choose Accusative (wen) vs Dative (wem)?
Look at the verb + preposition combination:
warten auf → takes Accusative → auf wen
sprechen mit → takes Dative → mit wem
Contrast Examples
Asking about a thing | Asking about a person | Case note |
|---|---|---|
Worauf wartest du? — “What are you waiting for?” | Auf wen wartest du? — “Who are you waiting for?” | warten auf → Accusative |
— | Mit wem sprichst du? — “Who are you talking with?” | sprechen mit → Dative |
Question Formation Rules
Step 1 – Identify whether the missing information is a person or thing/idea/place.
Step 2 – Identify the preposition required by the verb (e.g., auf, an, mit, über).
Step 3 – Apply the correct question pattern.
Which structure to use?
Intent | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
Asking about a person | preposition + wen/wem | Mit wem sprichst du? |
Asking about a thing/place/idea | wo(r) + preposition | Worüber spricht er? |
Asking about direction/time/agent (still a thing) | wo(r) + preposition or fixed combinations | Wohin gehst du? / Woran liegt das? |
✅ Pronouns in Answers – Forms & Pronominal Adverbs
Once you can ask questions with wo- forms, the next step is answering them naturally. German speakers usually don’t repeat the whole prepositional phrase if it’s already clear from context.
Short, natural answers
Instead of repeating the full phrase:
Q: Worauf wartest du?
A: Auf den Bus.
German answers typically keep just the preposition + noun/pronoun.
Pronominal Adverbs: da-/dar- + preposition
German has a powerful tool called pronominal adverbs – structures that begin with da- (or dar- before vowels) followed by a preposition:
darauf – on it / for it
daran – on it / to it
dafür – for it
damit – with it
darüber – about it
darauf sein / daran denken – to be excited about it / to think about it
These words replace an entire prepositional phrase referring to a thing or idea.
Why "da-/dar-"?
In English, we say "on it", "about it", "with it".
German uses one compact word instead of two.
Compare:
Worauf wartest du? — Darauf.
But: Auf wen wartest du? — Auf Lisa. (never darauf)
Common Pronominal Adverbs:
Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
darauf | on it / for it | Ich freue mich darauf. – "I’m looking forward to it". |
daran | on it / to it | Ich arbeite daran. – "I’m working on it". |
dafür | for it | Ich bin nicht dafür. – "I’m not in favor of it". |
dagegen | against it | Sie ist dagegen. – "She’s against it". |
damit | with it / using it | Was soll ich damit tun? – "What should I do with it?" |
darin | in it | Das Problem liegt darin. – "The problem lies in it". |
darüber | about it / over it | Wir reden ständig darüber. – "We talk about it constantly". |
woran → daran | (question → answer) | Woran denkst du? – Daran. "What are you thinking about?" – "About that". |
wonach → danach | (question → answer) | Wonach fragst du? – Danach. "What are you asking about?" – "About that". |
da + an → daran, da + in → darin, da + aus → daraus, da + über → darüber.
Mini-Exercise
Convert each question to its "person" or "thing" equivalent.
A. Convert wo- questions to person questions (preposition + wen/wem)
Woran denkst du? →
Worüber redet ihr? →
Womit spielt das Kind? →
Wofür interessiert sie sich? →
B. Convert person questions to wo- questions (for things)
An wen erinnerst du dich? →
Mit wem reist er? →
Über wen schreibt sie? →
Für wen arbeitest du? →
Answers
A. wo- → person
An wen denkst du?
Über wen redet ihr?
Mit wem spielt das Kind?
Für wen interessiert sie sich?
B. person → wo-
Woran erinnerst du dich?
Womit reist er?
Worüber schreibt sie?
Wofür arbeitest du?
Sophia is a certified German language expert (Goethe & telc) with over eight years of experience helping learners master German. She specializes in creating high-quality digital learning materials and writing informative articles, while teaching German and preparing students for exams – bringing practical, real-world language skills to every lesson.