Interrogative and exclamatory adjectives in German
Sign up for free to get all information about private lessons and our available group courses (A1, A2, B2, B2, C1, C2)
Sign up for freeWe offer both private lessons and organized group courses
Sign up for free to get all available courses or contact one of our teachers yourself!
Petra H.
29.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Theresa S.
18.50 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Elisabeth M.
35.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Our offer
Lesson outline
Hide- 1.Definition of interrogative and exclamatory adjectives in German
- 2.The adjective ‘welch-’
- 2.1.'Welch-' as an interrogative adjective
- 2.1.1.Declension of interrogative adjective 'welch-'
- 2.2.'Welch' as an exclamatory adjective
- 3.The adjective 'was für (ein-)'
- 3.1.'Was für (ein-)' as an interrogative adjective
- 3.1.1.Declension of interrogative adjective 'was für (ein-)'
- 3.2.'Was für (ein-)' as an exclamatory adjective
- 4.Difference between interrogative and exclamatory adjectives and pronouns
- 5.Exercises
- 5.1.Exercise on German interrogative and exclamatory adjectives
- 5.2.Multiple choice: which is the right adjective to use?
Definition of interrogative and exclamatory adjectives in German
The interrogative and exclamatory adjectives are used in combination with a noun, either to ask something specific about the noun, or to emphasize it.
There are two different constructions of it: 'welch' and 'was für'. These adjectives stand right before the noun.
For example:
- Welches T-Shirt findest du am schönsten? (Which t-shirt do you like the most?)
- Was für Hausaufgaben hast du bekommen? (What kind of homework did you get?)
Have a question?
Take online language lessons with a professional teacher
- Native & verified teachers
- Free trial lesson
- Learning materials included
Carolin S.
25.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Lika B. 
29.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Astrid M. 
40.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Karina S.
25.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Theresa S.
18.50 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Liudmyla K. 
13.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Tina K.
25.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Luisa H.
30.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Ilaria M.
18.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
Silvia B.
16.00 €/h
Free trial lesson!
Group lessons!
The adjective ‘welch-’
The special form of 'welch-' is very often used in the expression 'welch ein' (what a) and sometimes stand before attributive adjectives.
The adjective 'welch-' can be used as an interrogative or exclamatory adjective.
'Welch-' as an interrogative adjective
To use 'welch-' as an interrogative adjective, it needs to be declined in order to fit to noun. The interrogatives are often used to ask question and to get special information about the noun.
For example:
- Welcher Mantel gehört Paul? (Which coat is Pauls?)
- Welchen Kuchen wollen wir backen? (Which cake do we want to bake?)
- Welche CD hört Anna gerade? (Which CD is Anna listening to?)
Declension of interrogative adjective 'welch-'
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | welcher | welche | welches | welche |
| Accusative | welchen | welche | welches | welche |
| Dative | welchem | welcher | welchem | welchen |
| Genitive | welches | welcher | welches | welcher |
'Welch' as an exclamatory adjective
By using an exclamatory adjective you don't need to decline anything. Just use the word stem on his own.
In the following table you can see two different ways to use sentences, while the right one uses the exclamatory 'welch'.
| Without 'welch' | With 'welch' |
|---|---|
| Wie schön diese Reise ist! (How wonderful this journey is!) | Welch eine schöne Reise! (What a wonderful journey!) |
| Er ist so ein kluger Mann! (He is such an intelligent guy!) | Welch kluger Mann er ist! (What an intelligent guy he is!) |
| Das war eine unterwartete Überraschung! (This was an unexpected surprise!) | Welch unerwartete Überraschung! (What an unexpected surprise!) |
As you can see, the exclamatory sentences using the 'welch' construction are very short and emphasize the adjective even more.
The adjective 'was für (ein-)'
The interrogative adjective 'was für' is even more used than the construction of 'welch'. In the singular, the sentence is used with the indefinite article 'ein' that takes adjective endings, depending on the grammatical use of the noun in the sentence. In plural, the indefinite article 'ein' is omitted and the construction therefore is only 'was für'.
'Was für (ein-)' as an interrogative adjective
The construction is often use to ask questions about certain persons, objects or processes.
For example:
Was für einen Kaffee hättest Du gerne? (What kind of coffee would you like to have?)
Was für Autos fahrt ihr? (What kind of cars do you drive?)
Declension of interrogative adjective 'was für (ein-)'
Is it also possible to use this adjective to ask a question. To do so, the constructions have to take adjective endigs.
| Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | was für ein(er) | was für eine | was für ein(es) | was für |
| Accusative | was für einen | was für eine | was für ein(es) | was für |
| Dative | was für einem | was für einer | was für ein(em) | was für |
| Genitive | was für eines | was für einer | was für eines | was für |
'Was für (ein-)' as an exclamatory adjective
Of course, the construction 'was für (ein-)' can also be used as an exclamatory adjective. This is used to emphasize the noun and its characteristics.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| Was für ein schönes Haus! (What a beatiful house!) | Was für schöne Häuser! (What beatiful houses!) |
| Was für eine tolle Überraschung! (What a nice surprise!) | Was für tolle Überraschungen! (What nice surprises!) |
| Was für ein leckerer Keks! (What a tasty cookie!) | Was für leckere Kekse! (What tasty cookies!) |
Keep in mind, that the indirect article 'ein' has to be declined in order to fit to the related noun. In plural cases the 'ein-' is omitted.
Difference between interrogative and exclamatory adjectives and pronouns
The difference between interrogative and exclamatory adjectives and pronouns is simple. The interrogative adjective is always used in combination with a noun and is emphasizing it or asking for something we don't know. The pronoun on the other side can stand alone.
| Sentence with adjective | Sentence with pronoun |
|---|---|
| Welche Lunch-Box ist deine? (Which lunch-box is yours?) | Welche ist deine? (Which one is yours?) |
| Welche Farbe sieht besser aus? (Which colour looks better?) | Was könnte ich dir zum Geburtstag schenken? (What should I buy you for your birthday?) |
In the second example, 'welche' is an interrogative adjective, because it refers to the noun 'Farbe'. In the other sentence 'was' is an interrogative pronoun, because it stands without a noun.
To get a deeper understanding of words used as interrogative pronouns, have a look at the chapter about it.
Exercises
- Exercise on German interrogative and exclamatory adjectives
- Multiple choice: which is the right adjective to use?
Exercise on German interrogative and exclamatory adjectives
Multiple choice: which is the right adjective to use?
Exercises
- Exercise on German interrogative and exclamatory adjectives
- Multiple choice: which is the right adjective to use?
Exercise on German interrogative and exclamatory adjectives
Multiple choice: which is the right adjective to use?
What our students say
Unlike in other platforms, all our teachers are manually verified by our professional team. Trust in the experiences of our students.
Hello!
My name is Tahereh and I'm a resident of Spain. I have a degree in Hispanic Philology and I am also accredited in DELE C2. I have a Master's degree in Latin American Studies and I am currently finishing a PhD in Cultural Studies at the University of Santiago de Compostela.
I am an accredited DELE examiner at levels A1 and A2; B1 and B2; C1 and C2 by the Instituto Cervantes. I have taken teacher training courses in ELE (Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language) given by the Instituto Cervantes and other Spanish academic institutions and I hold the title of certified teacher of Spanish as a Foreign Language.
I specialise in EFE (Teaching Spanish for Specific Purposes) and I am a certified teacher by the Instituto Cervantes as well as other Spanish universities.
I have more than 7 years of experience as a Spanish teacher both at university and in language schools.
I use modern learning methodologies based on a previous analysis of my students' needs. I make use of all kinds of interactive, didactic materials with a cultural component, making the class dynamic as well as fun and above all adapted to the interests and needs of the student.
My mother tongue is Persian (Farsi) and I also speak English (B2), Portuguese (A2), Galician (B1) and Arabic (A1).
I invite you to a free 30-minute trial lesson.
I hope to meet you soon and to help you improve your language skills.
A. S.
Tahereh is a Spanish teacher who is ready to take you to the next level. She has good quality learning materials, great certifications and lots of experience with all kinds of audiences.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
Tahereh A.
Thanks to many years of experience, I offer you professional language instruction via Skype.
I am a native speaker (bilingual German and English) and have been working with Skype for over 9 years. The courses are optimally tailored to your language level and job description. Arrange a trial lesson.
Proficient handling of everyday German, leading to various certificates (Goethe Certificates, DaF etc.), specific courses for the professional field (hotel, tourism, law, medicine - FACHSPRACHENPRÜFUNG MEDIZIN, technology, business.....).
B. J.
Belinda is an excellent teacher. The learning materials are great and I'm learning lots speaking to a native German speaker. 100% would recommend!
Belinda W.
Hello,
my name is Nina, I'm from Austria and I also lived for one year and a half in Canada. I worked there as a German Teacher for adults, so I speak German, English and French.
I also teach English for beginners and advanced beginners.
My teaching methodes are totally based on the level of my student. If somebody is already advanced, I focus on communication and pronunciation. We will arrange on a topic and talk and discuss in the lesson about it.
If my student is a beginner, I'm gonna start with the basics of the German language. (the articles, the verb "to be", the pronouns...)
The learning material is all made by myself, because I'm a German teacher, so that means, I already got lots of working sheets for many topics. I send these to my student via e-mail or put it directly on the coLanguage homepage.
I'm available from Monday to Thursday between 5pm and 08:00 pm. For the weekend it's the best to just send me a request.
Of course is a free trial lesson (it's about 20 minutes) possible.
I'm happy to teach you :-)
See you soon! Nina
R. G.
Today Nina helped me to fill out a couple of papers. Thank you Nina for your help and patience :)
Nina V.
My name is Christina and I provide German & French language lesson for children and adult beginners or intermediate who want to strengthen their language skills, improve the grammar knowledge, enrich the vocabulary and get into the German culture! I can teach in English or French!
I had experince in teaching German, English and French to foreign people so I do have a lot of useful learning material I can provide you to make it easier!
D. .
Teacher also pleasant to professionals who knows how to suggest themes adapted to the interests of the child during lessons! I can only recommend Christina ...
Christina F.
My name is Christina and I provide German & French language lesson for children and adult beginners or intermediate who want to strengthen their language skills, improve the grammar knowledge, enrich the vocabulary and get into the German culture! I can teach in English or French!
I had experince in teaching German, English and French to foreign people so I do have a lot of useful learning material I can provide you to make it easier!
B. S.
My daughter is really happy with Christina and I can already see she is improving her German after 6 lessons! Many thanks Christina!
Thank you very much !
I have been an online teacher since 2012 in economics, logistics, and international trade. In 2020 I started teaching Portuguese and Spanish as well. I have also been doing translations of these languages since 2003, and in 2013 I started doing proofreading too.
I love sharing my language and my culture.
I have lived in several countries (Chile, Mexico, Malta, Angola, Bulgaria, and Spain) so I also love to share with people from other cultures.
I have an ELE course and a SIELE trainer.
I am currently doing the International Master for Teachers of Spanish Language and Culture.
I am Portuguese and Chilean (naturalized).
A. S.
Luz is a Portuguese teacher with a lot of experience in different platforms. She counts with learning materials that fit different purposes and can speak various languages!
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
Luz G.
Hallo :) I'm a German language teacher with a Bachelor and Master degree in German and with many years of teaching experience.
I was born and lived in Switzerland for many years and grew up in a bilingual family, because of that I speak German, Swiss German, Croatian and English :)
- ABOUT THE CLASS -
I offer German language lessons for A1, A2, B1, B2 level and they include everything you need: grammar, speaking, listening audio, reading, writing and for some fun: games and role plays :)
This is ideal for students who want actively participate and speak more, learn new words and exercise the grammar.
All learning materials and exercises are included and will be provided during the lesson.
The learning material is from various books: Schritte International, Menschen, Sicher im Alltag und Beruf, Begegnungen, ....
If you wish to have only conversational lessons, I can arrange this also for you (only available for B1 and B2 level).
* IMPORTANT: coLanguage shows only my general availability, if you want to book a lesson, please sent me a message with your availability and language level, and I will contact you as soon as possible with more informations :)
M. C.
Mihaela is very professional, punctual and well organised. She plans the lessons well with relevant materials based on the student interests and level. She is very flexible about rescheduling classes and always available for any doubts or requests.
Mihaela S.
Thank you very much Marilena :)
DEUG (bac +2)
V. F.
Maria is a very experienced teacher. She really loves teaching and transmit this passion to her students. Excellent teacher.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
María Francia M.
Hello everyone and a big warm welcome to all the fellow language learners,
My name is Katerina, I’m a native Russian speaker and a foreign language teacher from St Petersburg, Russia. I’ve always been addicted to learning foreign languages, be it English, German, Spanish, Turkish or Arabic, so turning my passion into my job was just a matter of time. I have a Master’s degree in linguistics which taught me to understand the way the mechanism of a language works and thus to help my students see the logics behind the grammar rules. Being a constant language learner enables me to see the process from both sides and to predict the difficulties my students might face. The fact that I’m not a native speaker of English or German means I’ve been through exactly the same language-learning journey you’re about to take, and thanks to my personal experience as a student, I can make this road smooth for you.
I've had students of all ages, from pre-school kids to senior generation, and I feel comfortable working with both beginners and those who are eager to take their learning process to a new level. In my classes I encourage you to talk in the language we’re studying as much as possible, putting every single bit of knowledge into practice right away. If you’re a Russian-learner, I’d be glad to prove it to you that you can absolutely nail my mother-tongue - and yes, you’ll be able to make a small talk in Russian by the end of the first class even if you’re an absolute beginner! We’ll be focusing on the topics that are most relevant to your goals, while discovering the language and getting to know more about the culture of people who speak it.
I offer a short free trial class, for us to give each other a smile and discuss our teaching pattern, in order to ajust it to your goals and make our lessons the bee's knees :) See you soon!
M. G.
Katja is a great teacher! She really pushes her students to speak in as much German as they can and the materials she provides are perfectly suited for her students learning goals! I enjoy working with her very much and look forward to our weekly lessons! She has helped me learn many German phrases and vocabulary that I can use immediately.
Ekaterina V.
Hello =)
My name is Karolin and since the beginning of 2017, while I was still living in Chile, I've been giving online classes. I really enjoy my work and it gives me the privilage to get to know people from all around the world, which is amazing.
Both in English and in German, I teach classes for beginners and advanced students. I speak Spanish fluently, but as I lived in Chile for around 5 years, both my pronounciation and my choice of words are influenced by that. I learned and teach the european Spanish but only for beginners (A1/A2). But if you don't mind the chilenean influence, I do teach to a higher level as well.
If you'd like to get to know me and my teaching methods, just contact me and we will do a free trial lesson (please do NOT by a lesson before the trial lesson, not every teacher is good for every student).
See you soon!
G. B.
Karolin has been an awesome teacher. She has been very flexible with our scheduling, while the lessons have been a great combination of being structured and fun. I would highly recommend Karolin to anyone looking to learn a new language or improve their language ability. Thanks again Karolin.
Karolin G.
German lesson
C. T.
Micaela is an excellent teacher, prepared and above all organized and awake. My lerning experience has been more than positive!
Micaela C.
I am a German native speaker who loves languages and am passionate about teaching others. I work as language teacher in a school, teach adults at the German Culture Center and prepare my students for all types of official language exams. I love my job and always seek to make it as much fun as possible.
P. M.
My experience with Melanie has been very positive, Melanie is a very qualified teacher and you can tell that from the beginning: very professional, very good methodology, diversity in material, etc. A real one on one experience as she focused together with learning of language in identification and correction of student weaknesses. My kid is engaged with her classes as he says are useful and fun, his progress in learning German has been noticed by all. I also like her flexibility to have classes during the weekends, that is a great emergency door. I am happy !! Highly recommended!!!
Melanie A.
Hello everyone and a big warm welcome to all the fellow language learners,
My name is Katerina, I’m a native Russian speaker and a foreign language teacher from St Petersburg, Russia. I’ve always been addicted to learning foreign languages, be it English, German, Spanish, Turkish or Arabic, so turning my passion into my job was just a matter of time. I have a Master’s degree in linguistics which taught me to understand the way the mechanism of a language works and thus to help my students see the logics behind the grammar rules. Being a constant language learner enables me to see the process from both sides and to predict the difficulties my students might face. The fact that I’m not a native speaker of English or German means I’ve been through exactly the same language-learning journey you’re about to take, and thanks to my personal experience as a student, I can make this road smooth for you.
I've had students of all ages, from pre-school kids to senior generation, and I feel comfortable working with both beginners and those who are eager to take their learning process to a new level. In my classes I encourage you to talk in the language we’re studying as much as possible, putting every single bit of knowledge into practice right away. If you’re a Russian-learner, I’d be glad to prove it to you that you can absolutely nail my mother-tongue - and yes, you’ll be able to make a small talk in Russian by the end of the first class even if you’re an absolute beginner! We’ll be focusing on the topics that are most relevant to your goals, while discovering the language and getting to know more about the culture of people who speak it.
I offer a short free trial class, for us to give each other a smile and discuss our teaching pattern, in order to ajust it to your goals and make our lessons the bee's knees :) See you soon!
S. B.
Ekaterina writes new words and sentences learnt during the lesson. She has got a very nice attitude and great accent! A pleasure to work with... yes, even in German!!!!!
Dear Silvia, thank you very much for your feedback! It's a real pleasure to have classes with you, and I hope you find them useful!
The language collector
G. B.
Bianka is friendly and very patient. She is from Germany so I can learn the German pronunciations very well with her. I recommend Bianka if you are looking for a German teacher.
Bianka B.