How to Ask ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ Questions
To ask a question that can be answered with ‘yes’ or ‘no’ in the present simple, we need a special word at the beginning.
We use do oppure does to start the question. The main verb always stays in its base form.
- Use do with: I, you, we, they (and plural nouns like students, cats).
- Use does with: he, she, it (and singular nouns like my friend, the dog).
The basic structure is: Do/Does + Subject + Base Form of Verb + …?
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How to Give Short Answers
When someone asks a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question, you can give a short answer. This is polite and common in English.
The short answer uses do oppure does again, not the main verb.
- For ‘Yes’ answers: Yes, + Subject + do/does.
- For ‘No’ answers: No, + Subject + don’t/doesn’t. (don’t is do not; doesn’t is does not).
Questions with ‘Wh-‘ Words (Information Questions)
Sometimes you want more information, not just ‘yes’ or ‘no’. For these questions, we use ‘Wh-‘ words like what, where, when, why, who.
The ‘Wh-‘ word comes first, then do oppure does, then the subject, and then the base form of the verb.
The structure is: Wh- word + do/does + Subject + Base Form of Verb + …?
| Subject | Question | Yes, Short Answer | No, Short Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Do I work? | Yes, I do. | No, I don’t. |
| You | Do you work? | Yes, you do. | No, you don’t. |
| He | Does he work? | Yes, he does. | No, he doesn’t. |
| She | Does she work? | Yes, she does. | No, she doesn’t. |
| It | Does it work? | Yes, it does. | No, it doesn’t. |
| We | Do we work? | Yes, we do. | No, we don’t. |
| They | Do they work? | Yes, they do. | No, they don’t. |
Esempi
- Do you live in Madrid?
- Does she like coffee?
- Do they play football?
- Does he work on Saturdays?
- Do we have class today?
- What do you do?
- Where does she live?
- When do they eat dinner?
Esercitazione
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Chatta con un consulente su WhatsAppErrori comuni per chi parla spagnolo
Chi parla spagnolo a volte commette questi errori:
- Forgetting do oppure does: In Spanish, you often just change your voice to ask a question. In English, you must use do oppure does.
- You like coffee? (Incorrect)
- Do you like coffee? (Correct)
- Using is instead of do/does: Remember, is is for the verb ‘to be’. Do/does is for other actions.
- Is you like coffee? (Incorrect)
- Do you like coffee? (Correct)
- Adding -s to the main verb with does: When you use does, the main verb is always in its base form.
- Does he likes pizza? (Incorrect)
- Does he like pizza? (Correct)
Domande frequenti
Why do we use ‘do’ and ‘does’ for questions?
In inglese, do e does are ‘helping verbs’ that show it’s a question in the present simple. They don’t have a special meaning here; they just help form the question.
When do I use ‘do’ and when do I use ‘does’?
You use do for I, you, we, they and plural nouns. You use does for he, she, it and singular nouns.
Can I say ‘Yes, I like’ instead of ‘Yes, I do’?
It’s better to use the short answer Yes, I do. oppure No, I don’t. This is the natural and most common way to answer ‘yes/no’ questions in English.
Does the main verb change when I use ‘do’ or ‘does’?
No, the main verb always stays in its base form (the infinitive without ‘to’) when you use do oppure does in a question or a negative sentence. For example, Does she like…? non Does she likes…?
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