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A woman balances a book on her head while thinking about how to use the phrase 'was für ein' correctly in German questions.

When to Use ‘Was für ein’ in German? 🤔🇩🇪

Hallo zusammen! 👋

Let’s answer a very common question together: When to use the phrase was für ein in German?

This blog will help you understand how to use this phrase correctly to ask for specific information. 📚📝

Explanation:

Was für ein is a common phrase in German.

It translates to the English phrase ‘what kind of’.

We usually use it in German questions to seek specific information or to get more details.

For example:
Was für ein Buch liest du? (What kind of book are you reading?)

If we want to know what type of car someone has, we also use the phrase Was für ein.

For example:
Was für ein Auto hast du? (What kind of car do you have?)

We can also use it to ask about the genre of music someone enjoys.

For example:
Was für eine Musik hörst du gern? (What kind of music do you like to listen to?)

And we can use it to ask about the type of movie someone likes.

For example:
Was für einen Film magst du? (What kind of movie do you like?)

In all our examples, we used Was für ein to seek specific information or to get more details about something.

Summary:

To use was für ein correctly:
  • Use it to ask questions that seek specific information or to get more details.
  • It translates to what kind of in English and can be applied to various contexts, like books, cars, music, or movies.

Extra Examples:

Here are some extra examples to help you practice:
  1. Was für ein Hund hast du?
    (What kind of dog do you have?) – Asking for specific details about the dog.
  2. Was für eine Farbe magst du?
    (What kind of color do you like?) – Asking for specific details about the color preference.
  3. Was für ein Restaurant suchst du?
    (What kind of restaurant are you looking for?) – Asking for specific details about the restaurant.

To reinforce what you’ve just read, check out our engaging video below! 🎥👇

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