A2People And Relationships
Was für (ein) vs. Welch- — Fragen stellen
Topic: forming questions about category vs. specific choice; dating vocabulary
107 words in this lesson
Lesson: Was für (ein) vs. Welch- — Fragen stellen
Topic: forming questions about category vs. specific choice; dating vocabulary
Lernziele (Learning goals)
- Form questions with Was für (ein) and explain when to use it.
- Distinguish Was für from Welch- by what each one asks for.
1. The core distinction
Both Was für and Welch- are W-Fragen (wh-questions), but they ask different things.
| Question word | Asks for | Answer space |
|---|---|---|
| Was für (ein) …? | a general category | open — many possible answers |
| Welch- …? | a specific differentiation | closed — at least two choices, you pick one |
Quick test: if you could answer with any example from a large set, use Was für. If you're picking from a known set in front of you, use Welch-.
Compare:
| German | English | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Was für Blumen magst du? — Ich mag Rosen. | What kind of flowers do you like? — I like roses. | The asker doesn't have specific flowers in mind; you can answer with any flower |
| Welche Rosen magst du? — Ich mag die roten Rosen. | Which roses do you like? — I like the red ones. | The asker has specific roses to choose between (red ones, white ones, …) |
2. Was für — sentence position
Was für always sits at position 1 of the question. It asks about either the subject or an accusative object of the sentence.
Was für + accusative object
| Frage | Antwort |
|---|---|
| Was für Blumen magst du? (What kind of flowers do you like?) | Ich mag Rosen. (I like roses.) |
| Was für einen Wagen fährt sie? (What kind of car does she drive?) | Sie fährt einen Suzuki. (She drives a Suzuki.) |
| Was für Süßigkeiten isst du gerne? (What kind of sweets do you like to eat?) | Ich esse gerne Pralinen. (I like to eat chocolates.) |
Was für + subject
| Frage | Antwort |
|---|---|
| Was für eine Blume ist das? (What kind of flower is that?) | Das ist eine Rose. (That's a rose.) |
| Was für Kerzen sind das? (What kind of candles are those?) | Das sind weiße Kerzen. (Those are white candles.) |
3. The article rule — singular takes ein/eine, plural takes nothing
The "für" in Was für looks like a preposition but does not trigger a case here — the case comes from the verb of the sentence, not from für.
| Number | Article | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | ein / eine / einen (indefinite) | Was für ein Restaurant magst du? (m. nom.) |
| Singular | same, declined for case | Was für einen Wagen fährt sie? (m. acc.) |
| Plural | — (no article) | Was für Blumen magst du? |
| Uncountable | — (no article) | Was für Musik hörst du gern? (What kind of music do you like to listen to?) |
Trap: English "what kind of car" has no article, but German Was für einen Wagen has einen. Forgetting ein/eine/einen in singular is the most common A2 mistake.
4. Welch- — declines like dieser
Welch- behaves like a der-word (declines fully for gender, number, and case). It already specifies; no extra article needed.
| Case | m. | f. | n. | pl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. | welcher | welche | welches | welche |
| Akk. | welchen | welche | welches | welche |
| Dat. | welchem | welcher | welchem | welchen |
Examples:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Welches Restaurant findest du gut? — Das im Zentrum. | Which restaurant do you think is good? — The one in the centre. |
| Welche Rosen magst du? | Which roses do you like? |
| Mit welchem Wagen fährst du? | Which car are you taking? (dat. after mit) |
Mini-trick: welch- takes the same ending that the definite article would take (der → welcher, die → welche, das → welches, den → welchen). See declensions.
5. Side-by-side practice
Form both versions for each prompt.
| Topic | Was für (general) | Welch- (specific) |
|---|---|---|
| Music | Was für Musik hörst du gern? | Welche Lieder hörst du am liebsten? |
| Food | Was für Essen magst du? | Welches Restaurant findest du gut? |
| Clothes | Was für Kleidung trägst du gern? | Welche Jacke kaufst du? |
| Flowers | Was für Blumen magst du? | Welche Rosen magst du? |
6. Common mistakes
| ✗ Falsch | ✓ Richtig | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Was für Wagen fährt sie? (sg.) | Was für einen Wagen fährt sie? | Singular countable noun → needs einen (acc.) |
| Welche Restaurant magst du? | Welches Restaurant magst du? | Restaurant is neuter (das) → welches |
| Was für die Blumen magst du? | Was für Blumen magst du? | Plural drops the article entirely |
| Welche eine Rose ist das? | Welche Rose ist das? OR Was für eine Rose ist das? | Welch- never combines with ein |
7. Mini-dialogue (from the lesson)
Pierre: Ich möchte mit dir ausgehen. Was für ein Restaurant magst du?
(I'd like to go out with you. What kind of restaurant do you like?)
Karin: Ich liebe deutsche Küche!
(I love German cuisine!)
Pierre: Sehr gut! Es gibt drei gute Restaurants hier, die deutsches Essen servieren. Welches findest du gut?
(Great! There are three good restaurants here serving German food. Which one do you think is good?)
Karin: Das im Zentrum, bitte.
(The one in the centre, please.)
The pattern of the conversation is the rule in action: Was für opens the category (German cuisine, any of many options), Welch- narrows to a specific pick (one of three known restaurants).
Redewendung
Liebe geht durch den Magen. — (lit. Love goes through the stomach.) Good food intensifies love; the way to someone's heart is through their stomach.
Ich koche sehr gern für meine Frau, denn Liebe geht durch den Magen.
(I love cooking for my wife, because love goes through the stomach.)
Connections
- Friendships & Relationships — dating vocabulary, sich verabreden / sich treffen / ausgehen
- Declensions — welch- follows the der-word endings table
- Cases — the case of Was für (einen)… is set by the verb of the sentence, not by für
- Word Order — W-Fragen put the question word at position 1, verb at position 2