womit
with what
Question word that asks about the means, tool, or object with which an action is carried out. It corresponds to the phrasing 'mit was?' (with what?).
EXAMPLE
Womit hast du die Flasche geöffnet?
What did you open the bottle with?
womit
with what / whereby
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
womit
with which / whereby
Introduces a relative clause and refers to a thing or situation in the main clause. It corresponds to the phrasing 'mit dem/der/das' (with which).
EXAMPLE
Das ist das Messer, womit ich das Brot geschnitten habe.
That is the knife with which I cut the bread.
Usage tips
Word structure
'Womit' (with what/with which) is a pronominal adverb made up of 'wo-' and the preposition 'mit' (with). It asks about a thing or a means and literally means 'with what'.
EXAMPLE
Womit sollen wir anfangen?
What should we start with?
Word order
As a question word, 'womit' (with what) comes at the beginning of the sentence, followed by the finite verb. As a relative adverb, it introduces a subordinate clause in which the finite verb comes at the end.
EXAMPLE
Womit schreibst du den Brief?
What are you writing the letter with?
Referring to a sentence
As a relative adverb, 'womit' (whereby/with which) can refer not only to a single noun, but to the content of the entire previous main clause. It then expresses a result or consequence.
EXAMPLE
Das Team hat das Projekt pünktlich abgeschlossen, womit alle zufrieden waren.
The team completed the project on time, which everyone was satisfied with.
Colloquial form
In spoken language, the phrase 'Mit was?' (with what?) is often used for questions instead of 'womit' (with what). In written texts and more formal contexts, 'womit' is more common.
EXAMPLE
Mit was hast du das bezahlt?
What did you pay for that with?
In real life
Loading video examples...