The 6 Essential Question Words
Question words (also called Wh- words) let you ask for specific information — not just yes/no answers. Learn these 6 and you can ask almost anything.
WHO
Person / people
Who is your teacher?
WHAT
Thing / idea / action
What is your name?
WHERE
Place / location
Where do you live?
WHEN
Time / date
When is your birthday?
WHY
Reason / cause
Why are you late?
HOW
Manner / way / condition
How are you?
Formula
Question structure
Wh- word+auxiliary (do/does/is/are)+subject+verb?
Exception: Who/What as subject → no auxiliary needed: “Who lives here?” (not “Who does live here?”)
Examples
Who is that woman?
Asking about a person
What do you do? (job)
Asking about profession
Where does she work?
Asking about place
When does the class start?
Asking about time
Why do you study English?
Asking about reason
How do you get to work?
Asking about method
How + adjectives (bonus)
How old?
How old are you? — I’m 25.
How much?
How much is it? — £5.
How many?
How many brothers? — Two.
How far?
How far is it? — 2 km.
How long?
How long does it take? — 20 min.
How often?
How often do you go? — Every week.
💡 Memory Hack
The journalist trick
Good journalists always ask: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? These 6 questions cover every possible piece of information. If you can ask all 6 about any topic, you already have a full conversation.