wer meaning and definition in german

what In colloquial German, wer and its forms may be used in reference to things. This is often done when asking about a noun whose gender one knows to be masculine or feminine. For example: Kannst du mir mal den Dings rübergeben? – Wen? (“Could you pass me the thingamabob?” – “Pass what?”) In this case, the interrogative mirrors the gender of the noun one asks about.
someone The colloquial wer meaning “someone” cannot usually be the first word in a sentence, because it could be misinterpreted as an interrogative in this position. The only exception is when it is followed by a nominalized adjective: Wer Neues ist in die Mannschaft gekommen. – “Someone new joined the team.”