The short answer
“What all”, “where all”, and “who all” add all after a question word to ask for a complete list rather than one answer — a construction carried directly from Indian languages. Standard English has no equivalent pattern, so it can confuse listeners who expect either a plain question (“What did you buy?”) or an explicit request for a list (“What are all the things you bought?”).
The Whole Family
| Indian English | Standard English |
|---|---|
| What all did you buy? | What did you buy? / What are all the things you bought? |
| Where all have you traveled? | Where have you traveled? / What are all the places you've been to? |
| Who all is coming to the party? | Who is coming to the party? / Who are all the people coming? |
| Which all colours do you have? | Which colours do you have? |
| When all are you free this week? | When are you free this week? |
The pattern works with every wh-word — what, where, who, which, when, how — always with the same meaning: “tell me everything”, not “tell me one thing”.
Why Do People Say It?
This is a calque — a word-for-word translation of a real grammatical pattern in Hindi and several other Indian languages, where a word meaning “all” attaches directly to a question word to ask for a complete list. Because the underlying logic is genuinely useful — English has no single word that does the same job — the construction was carried straight into Indian English and became a fixed habit, even among fluent, educated speakers.
Outside India, this pattern doesn’t exist at all, so a listener unfamiliar with Indian English may either misunderstand the question or simply find it unusual.
Exam tip
In IELTS Writing and Speaking, and in any formal SSC descriptive answer, avoid the “wh-word + all” pattern entirely. If you need to ask for a full list, spell it out: “Please list everything you need” or “What are all the documents required?” — both are fully standard and unambiguous.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'what all' grammatically wrong?+
It is not exactly ungrammatical, but it is a non-standard construction unique to Indian English. Standard British and American English do not add 'all' after question words like what, where, who, which, and when. In formal writing and competitive exams, it is treated as an error.
Why do Indians say 'what all', 'where all', 'who all'?+
This is a calque — a direct, word-for-word translation — from Indian languages like Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil, where a word meaning 'all' attaches to question words to ask for a complete list rather than a single answer. Speakers carried this exact pattern into English.
What should I say instead of 'what all' in formal English or exams?+
Use the plain question word alone ('what', 'where', 'who') if a general answer is fine, or explicitly ask for a list: 'What are all the things you need?', 'Can you list everywhere you've travelled?'. Both are fully standard and carry the same meaning.
Read Next
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