W-cleft sentences - German

W-Splitting with Compound Verbs in German

In German, many verbs are formed by adding a prefix to a base verb, creating a compound verb, for example: abfahren (to depart), anrufen (to call), or aufstehen (to get up). When forming questions with question words (wer, was, wo, wann, wie, warum), the prefix is split off and placed at the end of the sentence. This is called "W-Spaltung" (W-splitting).

Typical Word Order

1. Start with the question word (Wann, Was, Wie, etc.).
2. Next comes the conjugated verb (the base verb part).
3. Then the subject.
4. Followed by any other sentence elements (object, time, manner).
5. The separated prefix goes at the very end.

Example Sentences

• Wann fährst du ab? (When are you leaving?)
• Wen rufst du an? (Whom are you calling?)
• Was füllt er aus? (What is he filling in?)
• Warum hört ihr auf? (Why are you stopping?)
• Wann räumst du auf? (When do you tidy up?)
• Wann fängt der Film an? (When does the movie start?)
• Wo gehst du aus? (Where do you go out?)
• Wen holt sie ab? (Who is she picking up?)
• Wann stehst du auf? (When do you get up?)
• Was machst du auf? (What are you opening?)
• Wo kaufst du ein? (Where do you shop?)
• Was bringst du mit? (What are you bringing?)
• Kommst du mit? (Are you coming along?)
• Wen nimmst du mit? (Who are you taking along?)
• Wen stellst du vor? (Who are you introducing?)
• Wohin gehst du weg? (Where are you going away to?)

The key point: In questions with a question word and a separable verb, always send the prefix to the very end.