wie
/viː/
The English word "how" is translated into German as wie.
wie is the most common and versatile way to say "how" in German. Beyond questions, wie is also used to mean "as" or "like" when making comparisons, such as in the phrase wie ein Profi (like a professional).
Meaning: in what manner (adv)
Which one should you use?
While wie is the standard for "how", you might use the phrase Auf welche Weise to mean "in what way" when working in more formal or written contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
When wie is used to introduce an indirect question, such as "I don't know how he did that," it introduces a subordinate clause. In these cases, the conjugated verb moves to the end of the clause.
How do you pronounce it?
/viː/
Did you know?
- While wie asks about manner, Germans often use wie to ask about identity, such as Wie heißen Sie? for 'What is your name?'
- The word wie is a distant relative of the English 'why', both sharing a common ancestor related to the concept of 'what'.
- The word wie is used in the common German phrase Wie bitte?, which functions as a polite way to say 'Pardon?' or 'What did you say?'
Examples in context
- Wie alt er ist!How old he is!This sentence shows how to use wie in an exclamation regarding age.Tatoeba #1037330 by Sudajaengi, translation #292313 by prajdzisvet
- Wie kam er her?How did he come here?This sentence demonstrates using wie to ask about the manner of arrival.Tatoeba #1735150 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #38345 by CK
- Wie alt war er?How old was he?This sentence shows wie being used to ask a question about age in the past.Tatoeba #7015331 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2900571 by Hybrid
- Wie geht es Ihnen?How are you?
- Wie kann ich das machen?How can I do that?
- Auf welche Weise können Sie mir helfen?In what way can you help me?
- Hallo, wie geht es dir?Hello, how is it going for you?
- 11944 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking on the phone about a recent party.
- SarahWie war die Party gestern?How was the party yesterday?
- JulianSie war wirklich toll!It was really great!
- SarahWie hast du die Musik gefunden?How did you find the music?
- JulianSie war sehr laut, aber gut.It was very loud, but good.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “how” translations and entries wie, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries wie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
