What Are Wh- Questions?

Wh- questions are questions that begin with question words: what, when, where, who, whom, which, whose, why, and how. All of these, except how, start with “wh-”, which is why they are called wh- questions. In Polish, these are called detailed or open-ended questions.

Wh- Word	Meaning
what	things, general information
when	time
where	place, location
who	person, subject of a sentence
whom	person, object of a sentence
which	choice, selection
whose	possession, belonging
why	reason, cause
how	manner, method

Types of Questions in English

1️⃣ Yes/No Questions (Closed Questions)

These questions require a “yes” or “no” answer.

– Are you hungry?
– Yes, I am. / No, I’m not.

– Did she call you?
– Yes, she did. / No, she didn’t.

– Do you like pizza?
– Yes, I do. / No, I don’t.

– Can you swim?
– Yes, I can. / No, I can’t.

Closed questions

Closed questions can be answered with one word or a short answer.

A positive short answer is formed using Yes, the subject, and the auxiliary verb from the question.

– Did you lose your keys?
– Yes, I did.

(This question was asked using the auxiliary verb “did” in the past tense, so the short answer is also formed with “did.”)

Similarly, a negative short answer is formed using No, the subject, the same auxiliary verb, and not.

– Did you lose your keys?
– No, I did not.
– No, I didn’t.

2️⃣ Wh- Questions (Open Questions)

These questions require more information in the answer.

– Why are you hungry?
– Because I haven’t eaten yet.

– Where do you live?
– I live in Paris.

– What did she say?
– She said she’ll call later.

How to Form Wh- Questions?

Wh- Questions with Inversion

We form inverted questions using an auxiliary verb (do, have, will, etc.), the verb “to be,” or a modal verb. In an inverted question, the verb comes before the subject.

She is tired. → Is she tired?

Have you seen this movie?
Do you like coffee?
Can he swim?
Is she coming today?

Wh- question structure:

Wh- + auxiliary/modal verb/to be + subject + main verb + rest of the question

Where have you been?
Who do you trust?
What can she do?
Why is he upset?

Wh- Questions in Different Tenses

Tense	Example Question
Present Simple	Where do they live?
Present Continuous	Where are they living?
Present Perfect	Where have they lived?
Present Perfect Continuous	Where have they been living?
Past Simple	Where did they live?
Past Continuous	Where were they living?
Past Perfect	Where had they lived?
Past Perfect Continuous	Where had they been living?
Future Simple	Where will they live?
Future Continuous	Where will they be living?
Future Perfect	Where will they have lived?
Future Perfect Continuous	Where will they have been living?

Whose and Which

Unlike other wh- words, whose and which can come before a noun or a verb.

Before a Noun	Before a Verb
Whose book is this?	Whose is this book?
Which jacket do you prefer?	Which do you prefer, the blue or the black?

Subject Questions (No Inversion)

When we ask about the subject of a sentence, we do not use inversion.

Who called you? → Emma called me.

Who won the match?
What caused the noise?

Structure:

Wh- + main verb + rest of the question

Who found the keys?
Who knows the answer?
What made her upset?

Indirect Questions

Indirect questions are used to sound more polite.

Direct question:

Where can I buy a train ticket?

Indirect question:

Do you know where I can buy a train ticket?

When to Use Each Wh- Word?

Wh- Questions: What

We use what to ask for information about something. It can refer to both things and people.

What have you done?
(What actions have you taken?)

What is this movie about?
(What is the topic of this movie?)

We also use what to ask for repetition or confirmation.

What? I couldn’t hear you.
(Can you repeat? I didn’t hear you.)

What can also be used to ask why something was done. In this case, we use the structure what + for.

What did you go there for?
(Why did you go there?)

Common Questions with “What”

What’s your name?
(What is your name?)

What does he look like?
(Describe his appearance.)

What is she like?
(Describe her personality.)

What time is it?
(What is the current time?)

Wh- Questions: When

We use when to ask about time or the date of an event.

When will we meet again?
(At what time will we meet again?)

When did you finish school?
(What year did you finish school?)

When is she going to Canada?
(What date is she leaving for Canada?)

Wh- Questions: Who

We use who when we expect the answer to be a person. It is often used to ask about the subject of a sentence.

Who is she?
(Who is this person?)

Who is your favorite actress?
(Which actress do you like the most?)

Who told you that?
(Which person gave you that information?)

Wh- Questions: Whom

Like who, we use whom to ask about people. However, whom is used when asking about the object of a sentence.

Whom did she see this morning?
(Who was the person she saw?)

With whom did you go to school?
(Who did you attend school with?)

In everyday English, “whom” is often replaced by “who”.

Whom does she like? → Who does she like?

To learn more about the difference between subject and object questions, see the article “Subject and Object Questions”.

Wh- Questions: Where

We use where to ask about places.

Where is my tea?
(Where can I find my tea?)

Where are we going?
(What is our destination?)

Where is your school?
(What is the location of your school?)

Useful questions related to origin and residence:

Where are you from?
(What is your country of origin?)

Where do you live?
(What is your place of residence?)

Wh- Questions: Which

We use which to ask someone to choose or to ask about preferences.

Which shoes look better?
(Which pair of shoes looks nicer?)

Which one do you like more? Ice cream or lollipops?
(Which do you prefer: ice cream or lollipops?)

Which way should we go?
(What is the correct direction?)

Wh- Questions: Why

We use why to ask about the reason for something.

Why do you want to work here?
(What is your reason for wanting this job?)

Why were you late?
(What caused your delay?)

Why did she marry him?
(What was her reason for marrying him?)

We can also use why don’t to make a suggestion.

Why don’t we take a taxi to the airport?
(How about taking a taxi to the airport?)

Wh- Questions: Whose

We use whose to ask about possession—to find out who something belongs to.

Whose fault was that?
(Who is responsible for that?)

Whose car do we take to the restaurant?
(Which person’s car will we use?)

Whose pen is this?
(Who does this pen belong to?)

Whose vs. Who’s

Whose and who’s are homophones — words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings.

Whose is a question word that shows possession.

Who’s is a contraction of who is or who has.

Whose friend is this?
(Who does this friend belong to?)

Who’s this friend?
(Who is this friend?)

Wh- Questions: How

We use how to ask about the way something is done or how something happened. We can also use how to ask about state or quality.

How is he doing?
(How is his condition?)

How was the weather?
(What was the weather like?)

How was the trip?
(How did the trip go?)

How are you?
(How do you feel?)

By adding an adjective or adverb after how, we can ask for specific details about a degree or extent.

Common Questions with “How”

How long is this road?
(What is the length of this road?)

How far from here is Boston?
(What is the distance to Boston?)

“How long” can also refer to time duration.

How long did you wait?
(What was the length of your wait?)

“How old” is used to ask about age.

How old are you?
(What is your age?)

“How often” is used to ask about frequency.

How often do you go to the gym?
(How many times do you go to the gym?)

“How much” and “How many” are used to ask about quantity.

How much is this?
(What is the price of this?)

How many students do you have?
(What is the number of students?)

Question	Example Answer
What is your favorite hobby?	I love painting.
When does the train arrive?	At 7:30 p.m.
Where are they from?	They are from Canada.
Who is your best friend?	My best friend is Lisa.
Whom did she call?	She called her boss.
Which movie do you recommend?	I recommend “Inception.”
Whose phone is ringing?	It’s mine.
Why are you sad?	Because I lost my wallet.
How do you get to work?	I take the bus.

Summary of Key Differences

Use “What” for:

✔ General information (What is your name?)
✔ Asking for repetition (What? I didn’t hear you.)
✔ Asking about purpose (What did you do that for?)

Use “When” for:

✔ Dates or time (When is your birthday?)

Use “Where” for:

✔ Places and locations (Where do you live?)

Use “Who” for:

✔ People (subject of sentence) (Who made this cake?)

Use “Whom” for:

✔ People (object of sentence, formal) (Whom did she meet?)

Use “Which” for:

✔ Choices between options (Which color do you prefer?)

Use “Whose” for:

✔ Possession (Whose jacket is this?)

Use “Why” for:

✔ Reasons (Why are you crying?)

Use “How” for:

✔ Manner or method (How do you bake a cake?)

Wh-questions