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Wh Questions in English: What, Where, When, Who, Why, How
Wh questions ask for specific information and always go at the start of the question.
Written by Bryan López, Profesor de inglés · Updated
Wh questions are used to ask for specific information: what, where, when, who, why, and how. They always go at the start of the question, followed by an auxiliary.
The Wh questions and what they ask
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Practice Wh questions with real audio
Interactive exercises, real pronunciation, and the full lesson taught in English.
The correct sentence order
The structure is: Wh word + auxiliary (do/does/is/are/can) + subject + verb: "Where do you live?" You can't say "Where you live?", the auxiliary is always required when the main verb isn't to be.
Common mistakes learners make
Forgetting the do/does auxiliary in questions with regular verbs: saying "Where you live?" instead of "Where do you live?" In many languages, questions don't need an auxiliary like that, which leads to dropping it in English too.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the Wh questions in English?
What, where, when, who, why, and how, plus which and whose. They're used to ask for specific information.
How do you form a question with a Wh word?
Wh word + auxiliary + subject + verb: "What do you want?" "Where is she going?"
What does each Wh word ask about?
What (things), where (place), when (time), who (people), why (reason), how (manner), which (choice), whose (possession).
What are some examples of Wh questions?
"What time is it?" "Where are you from?" "Why did you leave early?"
Do you need an auxiliary after the Wh word?
Yes, in most cases: do/does with regular verbs, is/are with to be, can/will with modals. "Where do you work?" "What is your name?"
Why do learners forget the auxiliary in Wh questions?
Because in many languages questions don't need an auxiliary like do/does, so it's common to drop it in English out of habit.
Practice Wh questions with real audio
Interactive exercises, real pronunciation, and the full lesson taught in English.