welcher, welche, welches: Which One to Use
Welcher Tag ist heute? Welches Handy hast du gekauft? In English you only need which, but in German welch- changes its ending. In this lesson, YourGermanTeacher explains when, how and why, with examples for every case and four bonus tips.
The Endings at a Glance
Welch- is a question word that behaves like an article. That is why it gets exactly the same endings as the definite articles der, die, das. If you know the articles, you know the endings.
| Nominative | Accusative | Dative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | welcher (der) | welchen (den) | welchem (dem) |
| Neuter | welches (das) | welches (das) | welchem (dem) |
| Feminine | welche (die) | welche (die) | welcher (der) |
| Plural | welche (die) | welche (die) | welchen (den) |
Nominative: the Subject
| Gender | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | Welcher Tisch ist schöner? | Which table is more beautiful? |
| Neuter | Welches Datum ist heute? | What date is today? |
| Feminine | Welche Tasche gehört dir? | Which bag is yours? |
| Plural | Welche Farben gefallen dir? | Which colours do you like? |
In the last two examples the thing is the subject and you are the object, because gehören and gefallen are dative verbs.
Accusative: the Object
| Gender | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | Welchen Laptop hast du gekauft? | Which laptop did you buy? |
| Neuter | Welches Buch liest du gerade? | Which book are you reading at the moment? |
| Feminine | Welche Fernsehserie siehst du oft? | Which TV series do you watch often? |
| Plural | Welche Filme magst du? | Which films do you like? |
Only the masculine changes in the accusative (welchen). The other forms look like the nominative.
Dative: After Prepositions and Dative Verbs
| Gender | Example | Why dative? |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | An welchem Tag hast du Geburtstag? | an + dative |
| Neuter | Mit welchem Buch lernst du Deutsch? | mit is always dative |
| Feminine | Von welcher Reise trÀumst du? | von + dative |
| Plural | Welchen Politikern glaubst du? | glauben is a dative verb |
Bonus Tip 1: Welch- as a Pronoun
You can drop the noun. Hier sind zwei Bilder. Welches gefÀllt dir besser? Here welches replaces welches Bild, so it acts as a pronoun.
Bonus Tip 2: welch- or was fĂŒr ein?
Welchen Film möchtest du schauen? asks for one specific film out of a group. Was fĂŒr einen Film möchtest du schauen? asks for a type of film: a documentary, a comedy, and so on.
Bonus Tip 3: Welch + Adjective for Exclamations
Welch schöner Tag! means What a beautiful day! Welch guter Arzt! means What a good doctor! Here welch- usually has no ending, but you must decline the adjective: schöner, guter. You can also say Was fĂŒr ein schöner Tag! with the same meaning.
Bonus Tip 4: Welch- as a Relative Pronoun
Das ist mein Handy, das ich gestern gekauft habe. You can also say Das ist mein Handy, welches ich gestern gekauft habe. The meaning is the same, but das is much more common. You may still see welches in older texts.
What to Learn Next
The next step is the answer to a welch- question: dieser, diese, dieses: German Demonstratives. For welch- after prepositions, see German questions with Prepositions and welch-, and for the dative verbs in the examples, read Gehören, Gefallen, Schmecken and Passen.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do I use welcher, welche or welches in German?
Use welch- to ask which one. The ending depends on the case and the gender of the noun, and it is the same as the ending of the definite article.
How can I remember the endings of welch-?
Take the definite articles der, die, das, die. Welch- has the same endings in the nominative: welcher, welche, welches, welche. The same works in the accusative and dative.
What is the difference between welch- and was fĂŒr ein?
Welch- asks for one specific thing from a group. Was fĂŒr ein asks for the kind or type of something.
What does Welch schöner Tag mean?
It means What a beautiful day. Welch- has no ending here, but the adjective must be declined: Welch schöner Tag, welch guter Arzt.
Can I use welches without a noun?
Yes. Welch- can replace the noun as a pronoun: Hier sind zwei Bilder. Welches gefÀllt dir besser?
Want to use question words and cases without hesitation? Practise them step by step in our A2 German course with clear explanations.
