Question Words (WH‑words) — What, Where, When, Why, Who, How
Who is this for?
- Absolute beginners to lower‑intermediate learners
- Indian learners (with simple Hindi meanings)
- Goal: Make clear questions using WH‑words in daily life
Quick Rules
- WH‑word + helping verb + subject + main verb + rest
- What do you eat for lunch?
- Where does he live?
- When do they study?
- Why are you late?
- Who is your teacher?
- How do I get there?
- Be verbs (am/is/are) come before the subject
- Where are you from?
- Who is she?
- Do/Does/Did with action verbs
- What do you want?
- Where does she work?
- When did you arrive?
Core Table — WH‑Words with Meanings and Patterns
Table: WH‑Words Basics
| WH‑word | Hindi Meaning | Common Pattern | Example Question | Easy Hindi Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What | Kya | What + do/does/did + S + V | What do you do? | Aap kya karte hain? |
| Where | Kahan | Where + do/does/did + S + V | Where do you live? | Aap kahan rehte hain? |
| When | Kab | When + do/does/did + S + V | When do they meet? | Ve kab milte hain? |
| Why | Kyon | Why + do/does/did + S + V | Why does he run? | Vo kyon daudta hai? |
| Who | Kaun | Who + is/was OR Who + V(s) | Who is your teacher? | Aapke teacher kaun hain? |
| How | Kaise | How + do/does/did + S + V | How do I pay? | Main kaise pay karun? |
| How much | Kitna (uncount.) | How much + noun | How much sugar do you want? | Aapko kitni cheeni chahiye? |
| How many | Kitne (count.) | How many + plural noun | How many students are there? | Wahan kitne students hain? |
| Which | Kaunsa | Which + noun + do/does | Which bus do I take? | Main kaunsi bus loon? |
| Whose | Kiska | Whose + noun + is/are | Whose bag is this? | Ye bag kiska hai? |
Examples by WH‑word (Beginner‑friendly)
1) What
- What is your name? — Aapka naam kya hai?
- What do you do? — Aap kya karte hain?
- What time is it? — Kitne baje hue hain?
- What do you want to eat? — Aap kya khana chahte hain?
2) Where
- Where are you from? — Aap kahan se hain?
- Where do you live? — Aap kahan rehte hain?
- Where is the station? — Station kahan hai?
- Where does she work? — Vo kahan kaam karti hai?
3) When
- When is your class? — Aapki class kab hai?
- When do you wake up? — Aap kab uthte hain?
- When does the bus arrive? — Bus kab aati hai?
- When did you call me? — Aapne mujhe kab call kiya?
4) Why
- Why are you late? — Aap der se kyon hain?
- Why do they laugh? — Ve kyon hanste hain?
- Why does he study at night? — Vo raat ko kyon padhta hai?
- Why did she leave early? — Vo jaldi kyon gayi?
5) Who
- Who is your best friend? — Aapka sabse achha dost kaun hai?
- Who teaches English? — English kaun padhata/padhati hai?
- Who called you? — Aapko kisne call kiya?
- Who lives here? — Yahan kaun rehta hai?
6) How
- How are you? — Aap kaise hain?
- How do I get to the market? — Market kaise jaun?
- How much is this? — Ye kitne ka hai?
- How many brothers do you have? — Aapke kitne bhai hain?
Patterns You Can Copy
Table: Quick Patterns
| Type | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| With “be” | WH + am/is/are + S | Where are you from? |
| Present simple | WH + do/does + S + V | What do you eat? |
| Past simple | WH + did + S + V | When did you arrive? |
| Subject question (who) | Who + V(s) + … | Who knows the answer? |
| Quantity (uncount.) | How much + noun | How much milk do we need? |
| Quantity (count.) | How many + plural noun | How many questions are left? |
| Choice | Which + noun + do/does + S + V | Which route do we take? |
Mini Dialogue (Practice)
A: Where do you live? — Aap kahan rehte hain?
B: I live in Indore. — Main Indore me rehta/rehti hoon.
A: What do you do? — Aap kya karte hain?
B: I work in a bank. — Main bank me kaam karta/karti hoon.
A: When do you start work? — Aap kaam kab shuru karte hain?
B: I start at 10 AM. — Main 10 baje shuru karta/karti hoon.
10 Quick Practice Questions (Write your answers)
- What do you eat for breakfast?
- Where do you study?
- When do you sleep?
- Why do you learn English?
- Who helps you at home?
- How do you go to office?
- How many hours do you study?
- How much water do you drink daily?
- Which app do you use for music?
- Whose pen is this?
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Don’t forget helping verb: What you do? → What do you do?
- He/She/It with does: Where does he live? (not “do he live”)
- Subject questions with who: Who calls you? (not “Who does call you?” in simple cases)
- Be verb order: Why are you late? (not “Why you are late?”)
3‑Minute Drill
- Read the table aloud once (1 min)
- Make 6 new questions from your life (2 min)
- What time do you wake up?
- Where do you go on Sunday?
- Who helps you at work?
- How do you practice English?
- Why do you like music?
- Which food do you cook often?
Want a printable PDF + answer key?
- Tell me your level (A1/A2) and I’ll format this post into a one‑page worksheet with sample answers.
