❓ Question Words — Question words are used to ask for specific information. The most common question words in English are Who, What, Where, When, Why, How, Which, Whose, and Whom. Learning how to use these words correctly will help you ask questions in any situation.
🔊 Click the Listen button next to each word to hear the pronunciation using Text-to-Speech.
💡 Key Rule: In English, question words usually come at the beginning of the sentence, followed by the auxiliary verb and the subject.
🔤 Main Question Words
The 7 essential question words in English with pronunciation.
| # | Question Word | Pronunciation (English) | تلفظ (Urdu) | What it asks | Example | ترجمہ (Urdu) | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Who | hoo | ہو | Asks about a person | Who is she? | وہ کون ہے؟ | |
| 2 | What | wut | واٹ | Asks about a thing or idea | What is this? | یہ کیا ہے؟ | |
| 3 | Where | wer | ویئر | Asks about a place or location | Where do you live? | آپ کہاں رہتے ہیں؟ | |
| 4 | When | wen | وین | Asks about a time | When is the meeting? | میٹنگ کب ہے؟ | |
| 5 | Why | wai | وائی | Asks about a reason or cause | Why are you late? | آپ کیوں دیر سے ہیں؟ | |
| 6 | How | hau | ہاؤ | Asks about manner or condition | How are you? | آپ کیسے ہیں؟ | |
| 7 | Which | wich | وچ | Asks about a choice between options | Which color do you like? | آپ کو کون سا رنگ پسند ہے؟ |
📌 Memory Aid — The 7 W's & H:
Who • What • Where • When • Why • Which • How
📝 Detailed Question Words
Each question word with its function, pronunciation, and more examples.
👤 Who — کون
| # | Question Word | Used For | Example | ترجمہ (Urdu) | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Who | People (subject) | Who is coming? | کون آ رہا ہے؟ | |
| 2 | Whom | People (object) | Whom did you meet? | آپ کس سے ملے؟ | |
| 3 | Whose | Possession | Whose book is this? | یہ کس کی کتاب ہے؟ |
🔍 What — کیا
| # | Question Word | Used For | Example | ترجمہ (Urdu) | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What | Things, ideas, actions | What are you doing? | آپ کیا کر رہے ہیں؟ | |
| 2 | What | Information | What is your name? | آپ کا نام کیا ہے؟ | |
| 3 | What | Choice | What do you want? | آپ کیا چاہتے ہیں؟ |
📍 Where — کہاں
| # | Question Word | Used For | Example | ترجمہ (Urdu) | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Where | Location | Where is the station? | اسٹیشن کہاں ہے؟ | |
| 2 | Where | Origin | Where are you from? | آپ کہاں سے ہیں؟ | |
| 3 | Where | Direction | Where are you going? | آپ کہاں جا رہے ہیں؟ |
⏰ When — کب
| # | Question Word | Used For | Example | ترجمہ (Urdu) | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | When | Time | When does the train leave? | ٹرین کب چلتی ہے؟ | |
| 2 | When | Date | When is your birthday? | آپ کی سالگرہ کب ہے؟ | |
| 3 | When | Event | When did you arrive? | آپ کب پہنچے؟ |
🤔 Why — کیوں
| # | Question Word | Used For | Example | ترجمہ (Urdu) | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Why | Reason | Why are you sad? | آپ کیوں اداس ہیں؟ | |
| 2 | Why | Cause | Why did you do that? | تم نے ایسا کیوں کیا؟ |
🔧 How — کیسے
| # | Question Word | Used For | Example | ترجمہ (Urdu) | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | How | Manner | How do you do it? | آپ یہ کیسے کرتے ہیں؟ | |
| 2 | How | Condition | How are you? | آپ کیسے ہیں؟ | |
| 3 | How | Quantity | How many do you have? | آپ کے پاس کتنے ہیں؟ |
📊 How + Adjective / Adverb
"How" can be combined with adjectives and adverbs to ask about degree, quantity, frequency, and more.
| # | Question | Pronunciation (English) | تلفظ (Urdu) | Meaning | Example Answer | ترجمہ (Urdu) | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | How much? | hau much | ہاؤ مچ | Asks about amount (uncountable) | It's $10. | یہ 10 ڈالر ہے۔ | |
| 2 | How many? | hau me-nee | ہاؤ مینی | Asks about number (countable) | There are five. | پانچ ہیں۔ | |
| 3 | How long? | hau long | ہاؤ لانگ | Asks about length / duration | It's 2 meters long. | یہ 2 میٹر لمبا ہے۔ | |
| 4 | How often? | hau of-en | ہاؤ آفن | Asks about frequency | I go every day. | میں ہر روز جاتا ہوں۔ | |
| 5 | How far? | hau far | ہاؤ فار | Asks about distance | It's 5 km from here. | یہاں سے 5 کلومیٹر ہے۔ | |
| 6 | How old? | hau old | ہاؤ اولڈ | Asks about age | I'm 25 years old. | میں 25 سال کا ہوں۔ | |
| 7 | How fast? | hau fast | ہاؤ فاسٹ | Asks about speed | It goes 60 km/h. | یہ 60 کلومیٹر فی گھنٹہ جاتی ہے۔ |
📍 Question Words + Prepositions
In formal English, prepositions can come before question words (especially "whom" and "which"). In informal English, prepositions often come at the end.
| # | Formal | Informal | Pronunciation | ترجمہ (Urdu) | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | With whom? | Who with? | with hoom / hoo with | کس کے ساتھ؟ | |
| 2 | To whom? | Who to? | too hoom / hoo too | کس کو؟ | |
| 3 | For whom? | Who for? | for hoom / hoo for | کس کے لیے؟ | |
| 4 | About what? | What about? | uh-bout wut / wut uh-bout | کس بارے میں؟ | |
| 5 | In which? | Which in? | in wich / wich in | کس میں؟ |
📌 Tip: In everyday conversation, it is more natural to put the preposition at the end of the sentence.
• Formal: With whom are you going?
• Informal: Who are you going with?
💬 Useful Phrases with Question Words
Common phrases using question words in everyday situations.
| # | English | Pronunciation (English) | تلفظ (Urdu) | ترجمہ (Urdu) | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What time is it? | wut time iz it | واٹ ٹائم از اِٹ | کیا وقت ہوا ہے؟ | |
| 2 | Where is the bathroom? | wer iz the bath-room | ویئر از ذے باتھ روم | باتھ روم کہاں ہے؟ | |
| 3 | How much does it cost? | hau much duz it cost | ہاؤ مچ ڈز اِٹ کوسٹ | اس کی کیا قیمت ہے؟ | |
| 4 | Why are you here? | wai ar you heer | وائی آر یو ہیئر | تم یہاں کیوں ہو؟ | |
| 5 | Who is that person? | hoo iz that per-son | ہو از ذٹ پرسن | وہ شخص کون ہے؟ | |
| 6 | When will you come? | wen wil you cum | وین ول یو کم | آپ کب آئیں گے؟ | |
| 7 | Which one do you want? | wich wun do you wont | وچ ون دو یو وانٹ | آپ کو کون سا چاہیے؟ |
📖 Important Rules
📐 Question Word Order
Who are you?
Rule: Question word + auxiliary verb + subject + main verb
• What are you doing?
• Where do you live?
• Why did he leave?
Exception: When the question word is the subject, no auxiliary is needed.
• Who came? (not "Who did come?")
سوالیہ جملوں کی ترتیب
• What are you doing?
• Where do you live?
• Why did he leave?
Exception: When the question word is the subject, no auxiliary is needed.
• Who came? (not "Who did come?")
سوالیہ جملوں کی ترتیب
👤 Who vs Whom
Who / Whom
Who — used as the subject of a sentence.
• "Who is coming?" (Who does the action)
Whom — used as the object of a sentence.
• "Whom did you see?" (You saw whom)
Tip: In informal English, "who" is often used for both.
Who (فاعل) اور Whom (مفعول)
• "Who is coming?" (Who does the action)
Whom — used as the object of a sentence.
• "Whom did you see?" (You saw whom)
Tip: In informal English, "who" is often used for both.
Who (فاعل) اور Whom (مفعول)
🔑 Whose
Whose book?
Whose asks about possession.
• "Whose car is this?" (Who owns this car?)
• "Whose phone is ringing?"
Note: "Whose" is the possessive form of "who."
It is NOT the same as "who's" (who is / who has).
Whose — ملکیت کے بارے میں پوچھتا ہے۔
• "Whose car is this?" (Who owns this car?)
• "Whose phone is ringing?"
Note: "Whose" is the possessive form of "who."
It is NOT the same as "who's" (who is / who has).
Whose — ملکیت کے بارے میں پوچھتا ہے۔
📍 Prepositions in Questions
Who with?
Formal: Preposition comes at the beginning.
• "With whom are you going?"
Informal: Preposition comes at the end.
• "Who are you going with?"
Tip: In everyday conversation, the informal structure is much more common.
سوالیہ جملوں میں حروفِ جار کی جگہ
• "With whom are you going?"
Informal: Preposition comes at the end.
• "Who are you going with?"
Tip: In everyday conversation, the informal structure is much more common.
سوالیہ جملوں میں حروفِ جار کی جگہ
📝 Practice Tips:
- Memorize the question words: Practice saying each question word and its meaning in Urdu.
- Practice word order: Create questions using the correct word order (Question Word + Auxiliary + Subject + Verb).
- Practice "how + adjective": Practice asking questions like "How much?", "How many?", "How often?" etc.
- Practice formal vs informal: Practice both formal and informal question structures.
- Listen and repeat: Use the audio buttons to hear each question and practice repeating it.
💡 Quick Reference — Question Words:
Who — کون (person)
What — کیا (thing)
Where — کہاں (place)
When — کب (time)
Why — کیوں (reason)
How — کیسے (manner)
Which — کون سا (choice)
Whose — کس کا (possession)