A2 Pronouns 17 min read 쉬움

독일어 의문사: '무엇' (Was)

독일어 질문할 때, 사물이나 행동에 대해 물어볼 땐 걱정 없이 항상 was를 쓰면 돼요. 정말 쉽고 변하지 않는 마법 같은 질문 단어예요!

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

The word 'was' is the German equivalent of 'what' and is used to ask about things, actions, or abstract concepts.

  • Use 'was' to ask about objects: 'Was ist das?' (What is that?)
  • Use 'was' for general actions: 'Was machst du?' (What are you doing?)
  • Always place 'was' at the start of a question: 'Was hast du gesagt?' (What did you say?)
Was + Verb + Subject + ...?

Overview

### Overview
독일어 학습을 시작한 여러분, 환영합니다! 오늘 우리가 배울 주제는 독일어의 핵심 의문사 중 하나인 was입니다. 한국어에서 «무엇» 혹은 «뭐»에 해당하는 이 단어는 일상 대화에서 정말 자주 쓰이죠. 카페에서 친구가 무언가를 먹고 있을 때 «뭐 먹어?»라고 묻거나, 수업 시간에 모르는 단어가 나왔을 때 «이게 뭐야?»라고 물을 때 바로 was를 사용합니다.
한국어 문법과 비교해 볼까요? 한국어에서는 «무엇을 먹어요?»처럼 목적어 뒤에 조사 '-을/를'을 붙여 문장 성분을 명확히 합니다. 반면 독일어의 was는 아주 독특하고 편리한 특징이 있습니다.
바로 '격 변화'를 하지 않는다는 점입니다. 한국어는 주어, 목적어에 따라 조사가 바뀌지만, was는 주어 자리에 오든 목적어 자리에 오든 항상 was라는 형태를 유지합니다. 이는 독일어의 다른 대명사들이 성(Gender)과 격(Case)에 따라 복잡하게 변하는 것과 비교하면 정말 고마운 규칙이죠.
다만, 주의할 점은 독일어는 사람(who)과 사물(what)을 철저히 구분한다는 것입니다. 한국어에서는 «누구»와 «무엇»을 구분하지만, 독일어에서는 이 구분이 문장의 격 변화와 연결되어 훨씬 엄격하게 작동합니다. 이번 장에서는 was를 어떻게 정확하게 활용하는지, 그리고 한국어와 어떤 점이 다른지 아주 상세히 알아보겠습니다.
### How This Grammar Works
was는 사람을 제외한 사물, 행동, 추상적인 개념을 물을 때 사용하는 의문 대명사입니다. 가장 중요한 특징은 '불변성'입니다. 독일어는 보통 관사나 대명사가 격에 따라 der, den, dem, des처럼 변하는데, was는 주격(Nominative)과 대격(Accusative)에서 형태가 전혀 변하지 않습니다.
한국어와 비교해 보면 이해가 빠릅니다. 한국어는 «무엇이(주어) 문제야?»와 «무엇을(목적어) 원해?»에서 '무엇'이라는 단어는 그대로 두고 조사만 바꿉니다. 독일어는 조사 대신 단어 자체가 변하는 경우가 많지만, was만큼은 예외적으로 한국어의 '무엇'처럼 고정되어 있습니다.
| 격(Case) | 사람(Who) | 사물(What) |
|---|---|---|
| 주격(Nominative) | wer | was |
| 대격(Accusative) | wen | was |
이 표를 보면 wer(누구)는 격에 따라 wen으로 변하지만, was는 변하지 않죠? 정말 쉽죠? 하지만 주의할 점이 하나 있습니다.
바로 전치사와 함께 쓸 때입니다. 한국어에서는 «무엇에 대해 이야기해?»라고 할 때 «무엇» 뒤에 바로 «-에 대해»라는 전치사적 표현을 붙입니다. 하지만 독일어에서는 전치사 뒤에 직접 was를 쓰지 않습니다.
대신 wo-를 붙인 합성어를 사용합니다. 예를 들어, Mit was라고 하면 틀린 문장이 됩니다. 대신 Womit이라고 해야 합니다.
이는 한국어에는 없는 독특한 규칙이라 처음엔 어색할 수 있습니다. 전치사가 모음으로 시작하면 r을 넣어 wor- 형태로 만듭니다(예: worüber, woran).
### Formation Pattern
독일어 문장의 핵심인 '동사 2위 법칙(V2)'을 기억하세요. 의문사 was는 항상 문장의 첫 번째 자리에 옵니다. 그 뒤에 바로 동사가 따라옵니다. 한국어는 서술어가 항상 맨 뒤에 오지만, 독일어는 의문문에서 동사의 위치가 매우 중요합니다.
| 1위(의문사) | 2위(동사) | 3위(주어) | 나머지 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Was | ist | das | - |
| Was | machst | du | heute |
| Was | hast | du | gesehen |
보시다시피 Was 뒤에 동사가 바로 붙습니다. 만약 조동사(können, wollen 등)가 있다면, 조동사가 2위로 오고 본동사는 문장 맨 끝으로 갑니다.
또 하나 유용한 패턴은 was für ein입니다. 이는 «어떤 종류의~»라는 뜻으로, 뒤에 오는 명사의 성과 격에 따라 ein 부분이 변합니다.
| 격 | 남성(der) | 여성(die) | 중성(das) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 주격 | was für ein | was für eine | was für ein |
| 대격 | was für einen | was für eine | was für ein |
### When To Use It
was는 아주 광범위하게 쓰입니다.
  1. 1단순 사물 식별: Was ist das? (이게 뭐야?) - 가장 기본입니다.
  2. 2행동 질문: Was machst du? (뭐 해?) - 일상에서 가장 많이 쓰는 표현이죠.
  3. 3상태 질문: Was ist los? (무슨 일이야? / 무슨 문제 있어?) - 친구가 걱정될 때 꼭 써보세요.
  4. 4의견 묻기: Was denkst du? (어떻게 생각해?) - 회의나 대화 중에 의견을 물을 때 필수입니다.
  5. 5간접 의문문: Ich weiß nicht, was das ist. (나는 그게 뭔지 몰라.) - 여기서 was는 문장을 연결하는 접속사 역할을 하며, 동사가 문장 맨 뒤로 이동하는 것, 잊지 마세요!
한국어의 «뭐»와 거의 1:1로 대응하지만, 전치사가 포함된 질문(무엇으로, 무엇에 대해)에서는 반드시 wo- 합성어를 써야 한다는 점만 기억하면 됩니다.
### Common Mistakes
  1. 1전치사 + was 사용: 한국어 습관 때문에 Mit was라고 말하는 경우가 많습니다. 한국어는 «무엇으로»라고 하면 «무엇» + «으로»로 붙여 쓰니까요. 하지만 독일어는 반드시 Womit으로 합쳐야 합니다. 이는 독일어의 구조적 특성입니다.
  2. 2어순 오류: 한국어는 주어가 맨 앞에 오지만, 독일어 의문문은 Was 뒤에 바로 동사가 와야 합니다. Was du machst?라고 하면 틀립니다. Was machst du?가 맞습니다.
  3. 3사람과 사물 혼동: was는 오직 사물에만 씁니다. 사람을 물을 때는 wer를 써야 합니다. 한국어에서는 «이거 누구야?»와 «이거 뭐야?»를 구분하지만, 학습 초기에는 의문사를 섞어서 쓰는 실수를 자주 합니다.
### Contrast With Similar Patterns
was와 혼동하기 쉬운 표현들을 비교해 보겠습니다.
| 표현 | 의미 | 차이점 |
|---|---|---|
| was | 무엇 | 일반적인 사물/행동 질문 |
| welcher | 어떤 것 | 선택지가 있을 때(Which) |
| wer | 누구 | 사람을 물을 때 |
welcher는 한국어의 «어떤 것»처럼 여러 개 중 하나를 고를 때 사용합니다. was는 범위가 정해지지 않은 막연한 무엇을 물을 때 씁니다. 한국어의 «뭐»와 «어떤 거»의 차이와 비슷하다고 생각하면 쉽습니다.
### Quick FAQ
Q1: Was는 항상 변하지 않나요?
A: 네, 주격과 대격에서는 항상 was입니다. 다른 격(여격, 속격)에서는 거의 쓰이지 않거나 전치사와 결합한 형태(womit, wovon)로 나타나므로, 초보 단계에서는 was의 불변성을 믿고 사용하셔도 좋습니다.
Q2: Was für ein에서 ein은 왜 변하나요?
A: was für ein 구조에서 ein은 뒤에 오는 명사의 관사 역할을 하기 때문입니다. 즉, 명사의 성과 격을 따라가는 독일어 관사 규칙을 그대로 따르는 것입니다.
Q3: Was 뒤에 항상 동사가 와야 하나요?
A: 네, 의문사로 문장을 시작할 때는 항상 동사가 2위입니다. 이것은 독일어 문장 구조의 철칙입니다. 한국어는 서술어 위치가 자유롭지만, 독일어는 이 규칙을 지켜야 자연스러운 독일어가 됩니다.

3. Question Structure with 'Was'

Position 1 Position 2 (Verb) Position 3 (Subject) Rest of Sentence
Was
ist
das
?
Was
machst
du
heute?
Was
hast
er
gesagt?
Was
möchtest
ihr
essen?
Was
kann
ich
tun?
Was
sind
deine
Hobbys?

Common Spoken Contractions

Full Form Spoken Form
Was ist
Was's
Was hast du
Was hast'n

Meanings

The interrogative pronoun 'was' is used to inquire about things, activities, or situations.

1

Direct Object

Asking about an object or action.

“Was kaufst du?”

“Was liest du?”

2

Indefinite Pronoun

Used as 'something' in specific contexts.

“Ich habe was für dich.”

“Da ist was im Busch.”

Reference Table

Reference table for 독일어 의문사: '무엇' (Was)
기능 예시 한국어 번역
주격
주어 (무엇이...?)
Was ist das?
이것은 무엇인가요?
목적격
목적어 (무엇을...?)
Was kaufst du?
무엇을 사나요?
구어체
'etwas'의 줄임말
Ich habe was für dich.
너를 위한 것이 있어.
관용 표현
어떤 종류의...
Was für ein Auto ist das?
이것은 어떤 종류의 차인가요?
숙어
무슨 일이야?
Was geht?
무슨 일이야? / 어떻게 지내?
명확화
다시 말해주세요
Was? (비격식)
뭐라고요? / 죄송합니다?

격식 수준 스펙트럼

격식체
Was tun Sie gerade?

Was tun Sie gerade? (Asking about current activity)

중립
Was machst du gerade?

Was machst du gerade? (Asking about current activity)

비격식체
Was machst'n?

Was machst'n? (Asking about current activity)

속어
Was geht?

Was geht? (Asking about current activity)

'Was'의 힘

Was

사물

  • {das|n} Handy phone
  • {das|n} Essen food

행동

  • machen to do
  • kaufen to buy

추상적인 것

  • {die|f} Idee idea
  • {der|m} Plan plan

Was vs. Wer

Was (사물)
Was ist das? What is that?
Was kaufst du? What are you buying?
Wer (사람)
Wer ist das? Who is that?
Wen siehst du? Who(m) do you see?

어떤 'W-단어'를 사용해야 할까요?

1

사람에 대해 묻고 있나요?

YES
'Wer'를 사용하세요.
NO
다음 단계로 이동하세요.
2

사물이나 행동에 대해 묻고 있나요?

YES
'Was'를 사용하세요.
NO ↓

흔히 쓰는 'Was' 표현

일상생활

  • Was machst du?
  • Was ist das?
  • Was gibt's?
🛒

쇼핑

  • Was kostet das?
  • Was kaufst du?
  • Was für ein Modell?
📖

언어

  • Was bedeutet das?
  • Was hast du gesagt?
  • Wie bitte?

수준별 예문

1

Was ist das?

What is that?

2

Was machst du?

What are you doing?

3

Was ist dein Name?

What is your name?

4

Was kostet das?

What does that cost?

1

Was möchtest du trinken?

What would you like to drink?

2

Was hast du gestern gemacht?

What did you do yesterday?

3

Was ist dein Lieblingsessen?

What is your favorite food?

4

Was passiert hier?

What is happening here?

1

Ich weiß nicht, was er meint.

I don't know what he means.

2

Was auch immer du sagst, ich bleibe dabei.

Whatever you say, I'm sticking to it.

3

Was hast du dir dabei gedacht?

What were you thinking?

4

Was für ein schönes Auto!

What a beautiful car!

1

Er kam zu spät, was mich sehr geärgert hat.

He arrived late, which annoyed me a lot.

2

Was die Zukunft bringt, weiß niemand.

What the future brings, nobody knows.

3

Was mich betrifft, so bin ich einverstanden.

As far as I am concerned, I agree.

4

Was gibt es Neues?

What's new?

1

Was immer er auch versucht, es gelingt ihm nicht.

Whatever he tries, he doesn't succeed.

2

Was das betrifft, sind wir uns einig.

Regarding that, we are in agreement.

3

Was man nicht weiß, macht einen nicht heiß.

What you don't know won't hurt you.

4

Was soll das heißen?

What is that supposed to mean?

1

Was auch immer geschehen mag, wir bleiben standhaft.

Whatever may happen, we remain steadfast.

2

Was für ein Mensch er auch sein mag, er hat geholfen.

Whatever kind of person he may be, he helped.

3

Was ist das für eine Art?

What kind of behavior is that?

4

Was man auch anstellt, es ist nie genug.

Whatever one does, it is never enough.

혼동하기 쉬운

German Question Word: 'What' (Was) Was vs. Wer

Learners mix up 'what' and 'who'.

German Question Word: 'What' (Was) Was vs. Welcher

Learners use 'was' when they should use 'which'.

German Question Word: 'What' (Was) Was vs. Etwas

Learners use 'was' in formal writing where 'etwas' is required.

자주 하는 실수

Was du machst?

Was machst du?

Verb must be in the second position.

Was ist das Auto?

Welches Auto ist das?

Use 'welches' for specific choices.

Was ist dein Lieblingsessen?

Was ist dein Lieblingsessen?

This is correct, but learners often forget the verb.

Was macht er?

Was macht er?

Correct, but learners often confuse 'was' with 'wer'.

Was möchtest du essen?

Was möchtest du essen?

Correct, but learners often put the infinitive in the wrong spot.

Was hast du gesehen?

Was hast du gesehen?

Correct, but learners often forget the participle.

Was ist das für ein?

Was ist das für ein Auto?

Needs a noun after 'ein'.

Ich weiß, was macht er.

Ich weiß, was er macht.

Subordinate clause verb goes to the end.

Was auch immer du sagst.

Was auch immer du sagst.

Correct, but learners struggle with the comma.

Was mich betrifft, ich bin bereit.

Was mich betrifft, so bin ich bereit.

Needs 'so' in the main clause.

Was für ein Mensch er ist, er ist nett.

Was für ein Mensch er auch sein mag, er ist nett.

Needs subjunctive/concessive structure.

Was man nicht weiß, tut nicht weh.

Was man nicht weiß, macht einen nicht heiß.

Idiom correction.

Was soll das?

Was soll das?

Correct, but learners often use it too aggressively.

문장 패턴

Was ___ du ___?

Was ist ___?

Ich weiß nicht, was ___ ___.

Was auch immer du ___, ___.

Real World Usage

Social Media constant

Was machst du gerade?

Texting very common

Was geht?

Job Interview common

Was sind Ihre Stärken?

Travel common

Was kostet das Ticket?

Food Delivery occasional

Was ist in der Pizza?

Classroom constant

Was bedeutet dieses Wort?

🎯

'Etwas' 줄임말

독일 친구가
Möchtest du was essen?
(뭐 좀 먹을래?)라고 말하는 걸 들었다면, 그건 'etwas'를 줄여서 편하게 말하는 거예요. 우리도 원어민처럼 이렇게 쓸 수 있답니다!
⚠️

'Was' vs. 'Wie' 함정

Was ist dein Name?
(네 이름이 뭐야?)라고 묻지 않도록 조심해요. 영어의 영향으로 그렇게 말하는 경우도 있지만, 올바른 독일어 표현은
Wie ist dein Name?
(네 이름은 뭐니?) 또는
Wie heißt du?
(네 이름은 무엇이니?) 예요.
💬

정중함이 중요해요

친구와 대화하다가 못 들었을 때 Was?라고 묻는 건 괜찮지만, 선생님이나 직장 상사에게는 항상 Wie bitte? (다시 말씀해 주시겠어요?)라고 말해서 정중함을 지켜주세요.

Smart Tips

If you have a choice, use 'welcher'.

Was Buch ist deins? Welches Buch ist deins?

Use 'wer' instead of 'was'.

Was ist das? Wer ist das?

Put the main verb at the end.

Was willst du essen? Was willst du essen?

Use 'etwas' instead of 'was' for 'something'.

Ich habe was zu sagen. Ich habe etwas zu sagen.

발음

/vas/

Vowel length

The 'a' in 'was' is short.

/vaz/

Final 's'

The 's' is voiced like a 'z' in German.

Question intonation

Was machst du ↑?

Rising intonation at the end for questions.

암기하기

기억법

Was is for 'What', it's the start of the chat!

시각적 연상

Imagine a giant 'WAS' written on a question mark shaped balloon floating in the sky.

Rhyme

When you want to know the plot, just use 'was' for 'what'!

Story

A detective walks into a room. He points at a mysterious box and asks 'Was ist das?'. He then points at a person and asks 'Was machst du?'. Finally, he looks at the evidence and says 'Was ist passiert?'.

Word Web

WasWas ist dasWas machst duWas bedeutetWas passiertWas auch immer

챌린지

Ask 5 questions using 'Was' to your German-speaking friends or in your journal today.

문화 노트

Germans are direct. 'Was?' is common but can sound blunt if not softened.

Austrians often use 'Was' followed by 'denn' to soften the question.

Swiss German speakers often use 'Was' in specific dialectal constructions.

Derived from Old High German 'hwaz', related to English 'what'.

대화 시작하기

Was ist dein Lieblingsessen?

Was hast du am Wochenende gemacht?

Was bedeutet dieser Satz für dich?

Was hältst du von der aktuellen Situation?

일기 주제

Describe your day using 'Was' questions.
Write about a mystery object you found.
Reflect on a decision you made.
Discuss a complex social issue.

자주 하는 실수

Incorrect

정답


Incorrect

정답


Incorrect

정답


Incorrect

정답

Test Yourself

알맞은 의문사를 채워 넣으세요.

___ machst du gerade auf deinem Handy?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Was
행동이나 활동(휴대폰 사용)에 대해 물어볼 때는 'Was'를 사용해요.
사람에 대해 질문하는 올바른 문장을 고르세요. 객관식

Select the right question:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Wer ist dein Bruder?
사람에 대해 물어볼 때는 'Was' (무엇)가 아니라 'Wer' (누구)를 사용해야 해요.
문장에서 틀린 부분을 찾아 고치세요. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Was Pizza magst du am liebsten?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Welche Pizza magst du am liebsten?
특정 종류나 항목 중에서 선택을 물을 때는 'Was' 대신 'Welche' (어떤)가 더 자연스러워요.

Score: /3

연습 문제

8 exercises
Fill in the blank.

___ machst du?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Was
We are asking about an activity.
Choose the correct question. 객관식

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Was machst du?
V2 rule.
Correct the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Was ist das Auto?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Welches Auto ist das?
Use 'welches' for specific items.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

du / machst / was / ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Was machst du?
Standard V2 order.
Translate to German. 번역

What is your name?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Wie ist dein Name?
Wait, 'Wie' is for name, 'Was' is for things. This is a trick question!
Match the question to the answer. Match Pairs

Was ist das?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Das ist ein Buch.
Matches object to object.
Build a question. Sentence Building

möchten / was / du / essen / ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Was möchtest du essen?
Correct conjugation and order.
Conjugate the verb. Conjugation Drill

Was ___ (machen) du?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: machst
Second person singular.

Score: /8

Practice Bank

10 exercises
질문을 완성하세요. 빈칸 채우기

___ ist dein Lieblingslied?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Was
단어들을 올바른 순서로 배열하세요. Sentence Reorder

du / Was / heute / isst / ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Was isst du heute?
독일어로 번역하세요. 번역

What are you buying?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Was kaufst du?
질문과 답변을 연결하세요. Match Pairs

1. Was ist das? | 2. Wer ist das? | 3. Was machst du?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 1-A (Ein Apfel), 2-B (Mein Freund), 3-C (Ich schlafe)
구어체 실수를 고치세요. Error Correction

Ich habe etwas für dich. (Shorten 'etwas')

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ich habe was für dich.
가격을 묻는 올바른 질문을 선택하세요. 객관식

How much does the app cost?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Was kostet die App?
빈칸을 채우세요. 빈칸 채우기

___ hast du gestern auf Netflix geschaut?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Was
재배열: 'ist / Was / los / ?' Sentence Reorder

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Was ist los?
번역: 'What did you say?' 번역

What did you say?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Was hast du gesagt?
더 정중한 표현은 무엇인가요? 객관식

Asking someone to repeat what they said:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Wie bitte?

Score: /10

자주 묻는 질문 (8)

No, use 'wer' for people.

German questions follow V2 word order.

It is neutral and used in all registers.

Use 'was' for general, 'welcher' for specific.

Yes, as an indefinite pronoun.

In direct questions, yes.

Use 'Was für ein...'.

Yes, dialects may use 'was' differently.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

In Other Languages

Spanish high

qué

Spanish has 'qué' and 'cuál', while German has 'was' and 'welcher'.

French moderate

quoi

French requires 'qu'est-ce que' for standard questions.

Japanese low

nani

Japanese is SOV, German is V2.

Arabic moderate

madha

Arabic has different forms for formal and informal speech.

Chinese low

shenme

Chinese does not change word order for questions.

English high

what

English uses 'do-support' for questions, German does not.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

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