Question word 'wann' (when, time)

What it is. wann means when. You use it to ask about a time - a day, an hour, a moment.

Word order. wann opens the question, then the verb stays in position 2, then the subject:

• Wann beginnt der Film? - When does the film start?
• Wann kommst du nach Hause? - When are you coming home?
• Wann hast du Zeit? - When do you have time?

Useful pairings. Answers to wann often use time prepositions: um for clock times (um acht Uhr), am for days (am Montag), im for months (im Juni).

Common mistakes. Do not confuse the question word wann (when) with the conjunction wenn (if / whenever) - they sound similar but do different jobs; wann asks a question, wenn joins clauses. Keep the verb directly after wann: Wann der Film beginnt? is wrong; say Wann beginnt der Film?.

'wann' (when) asks about a time.

Use 'wann' to ask for a time; the verb follows directly.

'wann' fragt nach einer Zeit.