Vocabulary
wo
/voː/· adverb
where
To ask where someone lives or where a person or place is: „Wo wohnen Sie?“ — at the Bürgeramt, in class, on the phone. For where someone comes from, ask woher.
CEFR A1Frequency ●●●●●
Your memory
New
Learning
Familiar
Strong
Mastered
Forms
- the w-family
- wo (where) · woher (where from) · wohin (where to)
- the verb comes next
- Wo wohnst du? · Wo wohnen Sie? · Wo ist …?
One word, many lives
Tap a meaning. Real German isn't a dictionary translation.
wo
where (where someone lives or is)
Wo wohnst du? — In Hamburg.
Where do you live? — In Hamburg.
Common combinations
- Wo wohnen Sie?Where do you live? (polite)
- Wo wohnst du?Where do you live? (to a friend)
- Wo ist Anna?Where is Anna?
Common learner mistakes
- Wo kommst du?Woher kommst du?wo asks where someone is or lives now. For where someone comes from, ask woher — and answer with aus. In speech you will also hear „Wo kommst du her?“ — that is correct too.
- Wo du wohnst?Wo wohnst du?In a question the verb comes straight after the question word: Wo wohnst du? Wo wohnen Sie?
- wo with an English w (pronunciation)wo [voː]German w is the English v sound, and the o is long and pure: „vo“, with no glide to „wou“.
Real examples
- Wo wohnen Sie?Where do you live?
- Wo wohnst du? — In Köln.Where do you live? — In Cologne.
- Wo wohnt Omar? — In Bonn.Where does Omar live? — In Bonn.
- Wo ist Graz? — In Österreich.Where is Graz? — In Austria.
