Day 11 45-60 minutes
Beginner Level

Question Words in English

Master WH Questions (What, Where, When, Why, Who, Which, How, Whose) with Telugu translations and practical examples.

Introduction to Question Words

Welcome to Day 11! Today we'll learn about Question Words - the essential tools for asking questions in English. These are also called "WH Questions" because most of them start with "WH". Mastering these will help you communicate effectively and get the information you need.

Learning Tip: Question words are used to ask for specific information. Each question word has a specific purpose and gets a different type of answer.
Information
What, Which
Place
Where
Time
When
Person
Who, Whom, Whose
Reason
Why
Method
How

The 8 Main Question Words

Learn each question word with Telugu translation and examples.

WHAT
ఏమి
What is your name?
మీ పేరు ఏమిటి?
Information Thing
WHERE
ఎక్కడ
Where do you live?
మీరు ఎక్కడ నివసిస్తున్నారు?
Place Location
WHEN
ఎప్పుడు
When is your birthday?
మీ పుట్టినరోజు ఎప్పుడు?
Time Date
WHY
ఎందుకు
Why are you late?
మీరు ఎందుకు ఆలస్యం అయ్యారు?
Reason Cause
WHO
ఎవరు
Who is your teacher?
మీ టీచర్ ఎవరు?
Person Identity
WHICH
ఏది
Which color do you like?
మీకు ఏ రంగు నచ్చింది?
Choice Selection
HOW
ఎలా
How are you?
మీరు ఎలా ఉన్నారు?
Manner Method
WHOSE
దీనిది
Whose book is this?
ఇది ఎవరి పుస్తకం?
Possession Ownership

Question Structure

Learn how to form correct questions using question words.

Basic Question Structure:
Question Word + Auxiliary Verb + Subject + Main Verb + Object/Complement
Question Word + Helping Verb + Subject + Main Verb + Rest of Sentence
Correct Pattern:
What do you like to eat?
మీకు ఏమి తినడం నచ్చుతుంది?
Incorrect Pattern:
What you like to eat?
❌ "Do" missing - wrong structure
Common Auxiliary Verbs:
Do/Does/Did
For most verbs
Do you work?
Does she study?
Is/Am/Are/Was/Were
For "to be" verb
Are you happy?
Is he here?
Have/Has/Had
For perfect tenses
Have you eaten?
Has he arrived?

Detailed Examples

See how each question word is used in different contexts.

Question Word Asks About Example Question Possible Answer
WHAT Things, information What is your profession? I am a teacher.
WHERE Places, locations Where is the bank? It's near the post office.
WHEN Time, dates When does the train arrive? At 3:30 PM.
WHY Reasons, causes Why are you learning English? To get a better job.
WHO People Who teaches you English? Mr. Rao teaches me.
WHICH Choices, options Which dress do you prefer? The blue one.
HOW Manner, method How do you go to work? By bus.
WHOSE Possession Whose phone is ringing? It's mine.
Important Rule:

When the question word is the subject of the sentence, we don't use "do/does/did".
Example: "Who teaches you?" (not "Who does teach you?") because "who" is the subject.

HOW + Adjectives/Adverbs

HOW can combine with adjectives and adverbs to ask about degree, quantity, or manner.

HOW OLD
ఎంత వయసు
How old are you?
మీ వయసు ఎంత?
Age
HOW MANY
ఎన్ని
How many books do you have?
మీ దగ్గర ఎన్ని పుస్తకాలు ఉన్నాయి?
Countable
HOW MUCH
ఎంత
How much does it cost?
ఇది ఎంత ఖరీదు అవుతుంది?
Uncountable Price
HOW FAR
ఎంత దూరం
How far is the station?
స్టేషన్ ఎంత దూరంలో ఉంది?
Distance
HOW LONG
ఎంత కాలం
How long have you been here?
మీరు ఇక్కడ ఎంత కాలంగా ఉన్నారు?
Duration
HOW OFTEN
ఎప్పుడు ఎప్పుడు
How often do you exercise?
మీరు ఎప్పుడు ఎప్పుడు వ్యాయామం చేస్తారు?
Frequency

Conversation Examples

See how question words are used in real conversations.

At a Party:
Ravi:
What is your name?
Priya:
My name is Priya. Where do you work?
Ravi:
I work at a software company. How do you know the host?
Priya:
We were classmates. Why did you move to this city?
Shopping Conversation:
Customer:
How much does this shirt cost?
Shopkeeper:
It's ₹500. Which color do you prefer?
Customer:
The blue one. When does your shop close?
Shopkeeper:
At 9 PM. How will you pay?

Practice Exercise

Choose the correct question word for each situation.

Question 1

You want to know someone's age. You ask:
"______ old are you?"

Question 2

You want to know the reason for being late. You ask:
"______ are you late?"

Question 3

You want to choose between two options. You ask:
"______ one do you like, red or blue?"

Question 4

You want to know the owner of a book. You ask:
"______ book is this?"

Question 5

You want to know the frequency of an action. You ask:
"______ often do you visit your parents?"

Question 6

You want to know the distance to a place. You ask:
"______ is the airport from here?"

Your Progress

Day 11 of 30 36% Complete

Key Takeaways

  • What: Asks about things or information (ఏమి)
  • Where: Asks about places or locations (ఎక్కడ)
  • When: Asks about time or dates (ఎప్పుడు)
  • Why: Asks about reasons or causes (ఎందుకు)
  • Who: Asks about people (ఎవరు)
  • Which: Asks about choices or options (ఏది)
  • How: Asks about manner or method (ఎలా)
  • Whose: Asks about possession (దీనిది)
  • Basic structure: Question Word + Auxiliary + Subject + Main Verb
  • HOW combines with adjectives/adverbs: How old, How many, How much, etc.
Practice Tip: Create flashcards with question words on one side and Telugu translations/examples on the other. Practice forming questions about your daily activities. For example: "What will I eat for breakfast? Where will I go today? When will I study?"
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