was
/vas/
The English word "what" is translated into German as was. Wiktionary also lists waas.
Meaning: what? (interrogative pronoun) (pron)
Ways to say it
| German | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| was | /vas/ (standard) /vaːs/ |
|
| waas | Alemannic German |
While was means "what", do not confuse it with the English 'was' (past tense of to be). In German, the past tense of 'to be' is war.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Alemannic-German, you may encounter the form waas. In Bavaria, Wos is used instead of was.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
/vas/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Saying just Was? to ask someone to repeat themselves can sound blunt or even rude in German. It is better to use Wie bitte?
When do people say it?
Use Wie bitte? instead of Was? when you did not hear someone, as it is the standard polite way to ask for repetition.
Did you know?
- The polite alternative Wie bitte? literally translates to 'How please?', using the word for 'how' instead of 'what'.
- While was is the standard word for 'what', the phrase was gibt es? literally means 'what gives it?' but is used to ask 'what is going on?'
- The German word was is a direct linguistic relative of the English word 'what', both descending from the same ancient Proto-Indo-European root.
Examples in context
- Was hat er vor?What is he up to?This sentence shows the use of was to ask about an intention.Tatoeba #1256900 by Esperantostern, translation #294268 by CK
- Was hast du an?What are you wearing?This sentence shows the use of was to ask about clothing.Tatoeba #2109262 by Tamy, translation #1886806 by CK
- Was hast du da?What do you have there?This sentence shows the use of was to ask about an object someone is holding.Tatoeba #6625061 by Felixjp, translation #2645657 by CK
- Was hast du gestern Abend gemacht?What did you do last night?
- Was möchten Sie trinken?What would you like to drink?
- Was hast du gesagt?What did you say?
- Was geht ab?What's up?
- Was ist das?What is that?
- Was meinst du?What do you mean?
- 14817 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julian and Julia are in the kitchen.
- JulianWas machst du da?What are you doing there?
- JuliaIch koche nur Suppe.I am just cooking soup.
- JulianWas ist das für ein Geruch?What is that smell?
- JuliaDas ist die Zwiebel.That is the onion.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “what” translations and entries was, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries was, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
