German · Real conversations
How to say “What brings you here?” in German
Ask why someone is attending a gathering or visiting a place.
Was führt dich hierher?
What brings you here?
The intended question is about purpose, rather than the means of transport.
Use it in three situations
At a gathering
Was führt dich hierher?
What brings you here?
At a community event
Was führt dich zu dieser Veranstaltung?
What brings you to this event?
During a local visit
Was führt dich in dieses Viertel?
What brings you to this neighborhood?
What to watch for
A literal translation of 'brings' can sound as if you are asking who transported them.
Read the whole expression before replacing a detail. The natural wording may use a different order or construction from the English sentence.
Your turn
Imagine meeting people. Say this in German: What brings you to this event?
Reveal a sample reply
Was führt dich zu dieser Veranstaltung?
What brings you to this event?
Build a useful exchange
Start a friendly exchange and find a connection.
This expression in other languages
A note on speaking German
Use Sie for formal address and du with people you address informally. Könnten Sie …? is a useful polite request. Keep noun capitals and the verb position shown in each complete sentence.
The examples preserve German accents and ß. Read a full sentence before replacing a detail: a subordinate clause can move the verb to the end, and case can change an article or pronoun.
