Question words — Foreign languages, 7–10 years
Use question words to find the missing piece of information instead of guessing. Foreign languages, 7–10 years.
The word that points to the gap
A question word tells you what kind of answer is missing. Who asks about a person, where asks about a place, when asks about a time and why asks for a reason. The question word is like a sign pointing to the empty part of the answer.
Why ask this way?
When you do not understand a word or situation, guessing can send the conversation in the wrong direction. Question words let you ask for exactly the missing detail, so the other person can help. Languages arrange these words differently, but the problem they solve is the same.
Building one question
Suppose you hear that a class trip is tomorrow, but you do not know the place. Choose the question word for a place: where. Add the known information: Where is the class trip? The answer might be At the science museum, which fills the missing place.
Who is not where
Learners often mix up who, where and when because all three can appear at the start of a question. That is reasonable: the important word may sound small, while the rest of the sentence carries the exciting details. Pause and ask yourself whether you need a person, place or time.
Where it helps
Question words help when you read a timetable, find a lost object, follow instructions or talk to someone new. They are useful in a classroom, on holiday and in online games. Asking a clear question is often faster and kinder than pretending you already understand.
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