German · Greetings & Essentials
"How?" in German: wie?
wie?
How in German is wie?. Say Wie geht's? and Wie heißt du?. Soft Wie bitte? asks for a repeat.
Greeting
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How to pronounce wie?
Say it
VEE
/viː/
VEE. Soft w as v, long ee. Rising question tone.
"How?" in German: quick reference
| German | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| wie? | how? Default question word. | Default question word. |
| Wie geht's? | how's it going? Greeting. | Greeting. |
| Wie bitte? | pardon? Didn't catch that. | Didn't catch that. |
| wie viel? | how much? Quantity (related). | Quantity (related). |
How to use wie? in real life
- 1Greeting
Wie geht es dir heute?
How are you today?
Wie geht.
- 2Recipe
Wie lange muss die Suppe kochen?
How long does the soup need to cook?
Wie lange.
- 3Method
Wie öffnet man diese Flasche?
How do you open this bottle?
Wie + verb.
Mistakes English speakers make with wie?
Incorrect: How geht's?
Correct: Wie geht's?
Use wie.
Incorrect: Wie du heißt?
Correct: Wie heißt du?
Verb stays in second position.
Good to know
Wie bitte? is the polite fix when you miss a word—softer than bare Was?. Soft small talk lives on Wie war dein Tag? all evening.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Learning a new coffee machine
ChatPal
Wie startet man das Gerät?
How do you start the machine?
You
Wie ich das sehe: Knopf links.
How I see it: button on the left.
ChatPal
Und wie stark soll der Kaffee sein?
And how strong should the coffee be?
You
Mittel. Wie du ihn magst.
Medium. How you like it.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"How?" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "How?" in German
How do you say how are you?
Wie geht's? / Wie geht es dir?
How do you say pardon?
Wie bitte?
How long?
Wie lange?
How much?
Wie viel?
Learn a word, then use it out loud
- Step 1: See it in context
- Step 2: Say it out loud
- Step 3: Get feedback
- Step 4: Use it in real scenarios
