wie

See also wîe

Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch wie, from Proto-Germanic *hwaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ʋi/

• audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -i

Pronoun

wie

1. (interrogative and relative) who

Derived terms

• wiens
• wier

Anagrams

• wei

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German

Etymology

From Old High German wio, hwio, whence also Yiddish ווי (vi).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /viː/

• audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iː

Adverb

wie

1. how

   Wie groß bist du?

   How tall are you?

   Ich weiß nicht, wie die Katze hereingekommen ist.

   I don't know how the cat got in.

2. (nonstandard) than

   Der Junge ist größer wie sein Vater.

   The boy is taller than his father.

3. (nonstandard) when (in the past tense)

   Ich habe ihn gesehen, wie ich in Köln war.

   I saw him when I was in Cologne.

Usage notes

The meanings "than" and "when" are nonstandard, i.e. they violate the grammar of the language used in formal and official writing and television; the standard language uses als instead.

Related terms

• wieso
• wie dem auch sei
• wie geht es

Preposition

wie

1. like

   Freunde sind wie Sterne in der Nacht; auch wenn sie manchmal nicht zu sehen sind, weißt Du trotzdem, dass sie da sind!

   Friends are like stars in the night; even at times when they can't be seen, you know anyway, that they are there!

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Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch wie, from earlier wē, *hwē, from Proto-Germanic *hwaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /wiə/, /wi/

Pronoun

wie

1. who

Descendants

• Dutch: wie

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Old Dutch

Alternative forms

• uuie
• wē

Etymology

From earlier wē, *hwē, from Proto-Germanic *hwaz.

Pronoun

wie

1. who

Descendants

• Middle Dutch: wie
  • Dutch: wie

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Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA: [vʲjɛ]

Verb

wie

1. third-person singular present of wiedzieć