Spoken English · Guides · October 30, 2026 · 5 min read
Wh-questions in English: how to ask questions correctly, with conversation examples
Wh-questions are questions that start with a question word: what, where, when, why, who, which, whose and how. They are the engine of every conversation: you use them to meet people, ask for directions, get information at work and keep small talk going. Many learners know the words but get the word order wrong: Where you are going? instead of Where are you going? Below are all the question words with examples, the one word-order rule, subject questions, and ready questions for everyday conversation.
The question words
| Word | Asks about | Example |
|---|---|---|
| What | things, actions, information | What do you do? |
| Where | place | Where do you live? |
| When | time | When does the shop open? |
| Why | reason | Why are you learning English? |
| Who | person | Who is your manager? |
| Which | choice from a group | Which bus goes to the airport? |
| Whose | owner | Whose bag is this? |
| How | way, manner, condition | How do you get to work? |
How combines with other words:
| Phrase | Asks about | Example |
|---|---|---|
| How much | price, uncountable amount | How much is this? How much sugar do you take? |
| How many | countable number | How many people work there? |
| How long | duration | How long have you lived here? |
| How often | frequency | How often do you go to the gym? |
| How far | distance | How far is the station? |
| How old | age | How old is your daughter? |
The word order rule: QASI
Most wh-questions follow one pattern: Question word + Auxiliary + Subject + Infinitive (main verb).
| Question word | Auxiliary | Subject | Main verb | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where | do | you | work? | |
| What | are | you | doing | tonight? |
| When | did | she | arrive? | |
| How long | have | you | lived | here? |
| Why | is | he | late? | |
| What | will | you | do | next? |
The auxiliary depends on the tense: do/does (present simple), did (past simple), am/is/are (continuous, be), have/has (present perfect), will (future).
Subject questions: no do/does/did
When who or what is the subject (the one doing the action), there is no auxiliary and the word order stays like a statement:
- Who called you? (Someone called you.) — not Who did call you?
- What happened? — not What did happen?
- Who lives here?
Compare:
- Who did you call? (You called someone. Who is the object.)
- Who called you? (Someone called you. Who is the subject.)
Ready questions for everyday conversation
Meeting someone:
- What’s your name? / Where are you from? / What do you do?
- How long have you been here? / What brings you here?
Plans:
- What are you doing this weekend? / When are you free? / Where shall we meet?
Work and studies:
- What do you study? / Which company do you work for? / How do you like it?
Shopping and travel:
- How much does it cost? / Which platform is it? / How far is the hotel from here?
Opinions and stories:
- Why do you think so? / What happened next? / How was the trip?
Follow-up questions keep a conversation alive
The best conversations use wh-questions to go deeper into the other person’s answer.
Maya: What did you do last weekend?
Tunde: I went to a cooking class.
Maya: Oh, fun! What did you cook?
Tunde: Jollof rice and fried plantain.
Maya: How was it?
Tunde: Delicious, actually. Better than mine at home.
Maya: Where is the class? I’d love to try it.
More on this in small talk in English.
Indirect questions: more polite
In formal situations, put the question inside a polite phrase. After the phrase, the word order becomes a statement (no do/does/did):
- Where is the station? → Could you tell me where the station is?
- What time does the meeting start? → Do you know what time the meeting starts?
- Why did they cancel it? → I was wondering why they cancelled it.
See also polite requests in English.
Common mistakes
| Wrong | Correct |
|---|---|
| Where you are going? | Where are you going? |
| What you want? | What do you want? |
| Why you didn’t come? | Why didn’t you come? |
| Where does she lives? | Where does she live? |
| Who did call you? | Who called you? |
| How much people came? | How many people came? |
| Can you tell me where is the bank? | Can you tell me where the bank is? |
| What is your good name? | What’s your name? |
Many of these come from languages where a question is a statement with rising intonation. In English you need the auxiliary.
Practise asking questions
Asking questions is a reflex you build by doing it. The conversation below this article opens the Meeting people room on Nomto: Nomi plays a new acquaintance, you ask questions to get to know them, and after each reply you see a corrected version. You can also try English conversation topics for question ideas and common English mistakes for more word-order errors.
FAQ
What are the 10 wh-questions in English?
The main question words are what, where, when, why, who, whom, which, whose and how, plus combinations like how much, how many, how long and how often.
What is the word order in wh-questions?
Question word + auxiliary + subject + main verb: Where do you live? What are you doing?
Why is it “Who called you?” and not “Who did call you?”
Because who is the subject. In subject questions there is no do/does/did.
Is “What is your good name?” correct?
It is a polite phrase in Indian English, but outside India it sounds unusual. Say What’s your name? or May I have your name?
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