Key learning points

1. Open questions start with a question word (e.g., 'wo', 'wie', 'warum') and use verb-subject word order.
2. It’s important to be very confident with question words to understand information and ask questions.
3. German sentences can start with any other element (other than the subject) to emphasise it and then the verb second.
4. Present tense verbs plus the adverb 'gern' (gladly) say what we like doing. As all adverbs, it can start a sentence.

Keywords

• Open question - question starting with a wh- word that has more information in the answer than yes/no

• Word order two (WO2) - inverts the subject and verb in a sentence; any element can appear at the start of a German sentence to trigger this inversion

• Gern - adverb meaning 'gladly', 'like to'

Common misconception