Present Simple Questions in English

In Brief

For most present simple questions, put do or does before the subject (the person or thing that performs the action): Do you work here? Does Maya live nearby? Use does with he, she, it, and singular noun subjects; use do with I, you, we, they, and plural subjects. After do or does, use the base form of the main verb: Does she like it?, not Does she likes it?

Overview

Present simple questions ask about routines, habits, facts, preferences, and situations that are generally true. You use them in everyday conversations: Do you drink coffee? Where does your brother work? How often do the buses run? This is an A1 grammar point because it is essential for getting information and keeping a conversation going.

Most English verbs need the auxiliary verb do in a present simple question. An auxiliary verb is a helping verb used to build a grammatical structure. In Does Lina play tennis?, does builds the question, while play carries the main meaning. The subject comes between them.

The basic pattern is simple, but several details matter. You must choose between do and does, keep the main verb in its base form, and place a question word correctly when you need more than a yes-or-no answer. The verb be, subject questions, and questions with modal verbs follow different patterns; these are explained separately below.

How It Works

Yes-or-no questions

A yes-or-no question can normally be answered with yes or no. Use this pattern:

Do/Does + subject + base verb + rest of sentence?

Subject	Auxiliary	Example
I	do	Do I need a ticket?
you	do	Do you know Sam?
he / she / it	does	Does she work here?
singular noun	does	Does the shop open early?
we	do	Do we have enough time?
they	do	Do they live nearby?
plural noun	do	Do the trains stop here?

In an affirmative statement, a third-person singular verb usually ends in -s or -es: She works, Leo watches, the train leaves. In a question, that grammatical marking moves to does, so the main verb returns to its base form:

• She likes jazz. → Does she like jazz?
• Leo watches the news. → Does Leo watch the news?
• The train leaves at six. → Does the train leave at six?

The base form is the plain dictionary form of a verb, such as work, go, have, or study. This is why English uses Does he have ...?, not Does he has ...?, and Does it go ...?, not Does it goes ...?

Short answers

Do not usually answer a yes-or-no question with only Yes or No. A short answer with a subject and the correct auxiliary sounds more complete:

Question	Positive short answer	Negative short answer
Do you drive?	Yes, I do.	No, I don't.
Does Eva cook?	Yes, she does.	No, she doesn't.
Do the children walk to school?	Yes, they do.	No, they don't.
Does this key work?	Yes, it does.	No, it doesn't.

Use do/does in the answer rather than repeating the main verb. Does Eva cook? — Yes, she does is natural; Yes, she cooks is possible as a statement, but it is not the standard short-answer pattern.

The contractions don't and doesn't are normal in speech and informal writing. Full forms—do not and does not—can add emphasis or sound more formal.

Questions with a question word

Use a question word when you want specific information. These are often called WH-questions, although how also belongs to the group.

Question word + do/does + subject + base verb + rest?

Purpose	Question word or phrase	Example
a thing or action	what	What do you need?
a person	who	Who does she call every day?
a place	where	Where do they live?
a time	when / what time	What time does the film start?
a reason	why	Why does he walk to work?
a choice	which	Which bus do we take?
a method or condition	how	How does this machine work?
frequency	how often	How often do you travel?
quantity	how much / how many	How many languages does she speak?

The question word goes first, but the rest of the question keeps the normal do/does + subject + base verb order. Compare They live in Bristol with Where do they live? The unknown information, in Bristol, is replaced by where.

A preposition (a short relationship word such as to, with, or for) often stays at the end in ordinary English:

• Who do you work with?
• What does this button do?
• Which school do the children go to?

This word order is natural in conversation. More formal alternatives such as With whom do you work? exist, but beginners do not need them for everyday speech.

Subject questions: when there is no do or does

Sometimes who or what asks for the subject itself. In other words, the missing information is the person or thing performing the action. In that case, do not add do or does:

• Someone lives here. → Who lives here?
• Something makes that noise. → What makes that noise?
• A bus goes to the airport. → Which bus goes to the airport?

Compare these two questions:

Question	What is unknown?	Structure
Who calls Maya every day?	the caller (subject)	who + present verb
Who does Maya call every day?	the person receiving the call	who + does + Maya + call

In a subject question, who or what is normally treated as third-person singular, so the present verb often ends in -s: Who wants coffee? What happens next?

The verb be follows its own pattern

Present simple questions with be do not use do or does. Put the correct form of be before the subject:

• Are you ready?
• Is she at home?
• Where are the keys?
• Why is the office closed?

Use Am I ...?, Are you/we/they ...?, and Is he/she/it ...? The same exception applies when be describes identity, location, age, condition, or another state. Never say Do you be tired? when you mean Are you tired?

Examples in Context

The following examples show questions about habits, facts, preferences, schedules, and everyday situations.

English question	Meaning in plain English	Note
Do you speak English?	Can you communicate in English?	Do with you
Does she like pizza?	Is pizza something she enjoys?	Like, not likes, after does
Where do they live?	What is their home location?	Question word + do
What time does the train leave?	What is the train's scheduled departure time?	A schedule in the present simple
Do your parents work on Saturdays?	Is Saturday work part of their routine?	Plural subject: do
Does this café serve breakfast?	Is breakfast available at this café?	Singular subject: does
How often do you check your email?	What is the frequency of your email checks?	Habit or routine
Why does Amir take the bus?	What is Amir's reason for taking the bus?	Take, not takes
Which book do we need for the course?	What required book should we get?	Which asks for a choice
How many people does the room hold?	What is the room's capacity?	Fact about a place
Who teaches this class?	Which person is the teacher?	Subject question: no does
Who does Nina teach?	Which people are Nina's students?	Object question: does is required
Are your neighbors friendly?	Would you describe your neighbors as friendly?	Be question: no do
Does your phone have a good camera?	Is there a good camera on your phone?	Base form have after does

Common Mistakes

Adding -s to the main verb after does

• Wrong: Does she works from home?
• Right: Does she work from home?
• Why: Does already shows third-person singular. The main verb must be the base form.

Using does with a plural subject

• Wrong: Does your friends live nearby?
• Right: Do your friends live nearby?
• Why: Friends is plural, so use do. Use does with a singular subject: Does your friend live nearby?

Forgetting the auxiliary

• Wrong: Where you work?
• Right: Where do you work?
• Why: Most present simple questions need do or does before the subject. The shorter form may occur in special conversational contexts, but it is not the neutral standard question.

Putting the subject before do

• Wrong: What you do on weekends?
• Right: What do you do on weekends?
• Why: In a direct question, the auxiliary normally comes before the subject: what + do + you + do. The first do is the auxiliary; the second is the main verb meaning “perform an activity.”

Using do with the verb be

• Wrong: Do they are open today?
• Right: Are they open today?
• Why: Be moves before the subject by itself and does not take do/does in a standard present simple question.

Adding does to a subject question

• Wrong: Who does work here? (neutral question about the employee's identity)
• Right: Who works here?
• Why: Who is the subject, so use the present verb directly. Who does work here? is possible only with unusual emphasis, for example when correcting someone.

Usage Notes

Intonation and punctuation

In writing, direct questions end with a question mark. In speech, yes-or-no questions often have rising intonation, while information questions often fall at the end. Intonation varies with attitude and context, however, so grammar and word order are more reliable guides than pitch alone.

Questions can sound too direct

A grammatically correct question is not always the most polite request. Do you have a pen? is normally friendly and neutral, but Give me your pen is a command. In service or professional situations, speakers often soften questions with please, could, or a short introduction: Do you have a moment, please? or Could you tell me where the office is? Modals such as could belong to a different question pattern and do not combine with do.

Spoken reductions

In natural speech, do you and does she may be pronounced quickly, so the words are less distinct than they look on the page. Learners should still use the complete grammatical structure. Informal writing sometimes represents very casual speech with spellings such as d'you, but these are not suitable for most writing.

Negative questions

Negative questions often express surprise, expectation, or a request for confirmation:

• Don't you work on Fridays? (I thought you did.)
• Doesn't Maya live in Leeds? (Please confirm my memory.)
• Why don't we take a taxi? (a suggestion)

Because the speaker may expect a particular answer, negative questions are not always neutral requests for information. The answer Yes, I do confirms the positive fact; No, I don't confirms the negative fact.

Beyond the Basics

You do not need to master all of these patterns at A1, but you will meet them as your English develops.

Questions with modal verbs

Modal verbs such as can, should, will, and must act as auxiliaries. Put the modal before the subject and do not add do:

• Can you swim?
• Should we call first?
• Why must the door stay closed?

Compare Do you swim every week? (a routine) with Can you swim? (ability).

Indirect questions keep statement word order

A direct question uses question order: Where does Alex work? When that question is placed inside a longer, more polite sentence, the embedded part uses statement order:

• Could you tell me where Alex works?
• Do you know what time the shop opens?

Do not say Could you tell me where does Alex work? The opening phrase already marks the whole sentence as a question. Notice also that works and opens recover their third-person -s because there is no does inside the embedded clause (the part of the sentence containing its own subject and verb).

Emphatic do in unusual subject questions

Ordinary subject questions have no auxiliary: Who wants to come? An auxiliary can appear when a speaker strongly contrasts or corrects information: If Ben doesn't manage the account, who does manage it? This is emphatic do, not the normal beginner pattern.

Questions with have

In most modern everyday English, possession uses do/does: Do you have a car? Does she have time? British English also commonly uses have got: Have you got a car? Has she got time? The two systems should not be mixed: say Does she have ...? or Has she got ...?, not Does she have got ...?

Practice Tips

1. Transform statements in three steps. Start with Mina plays tennis. Choose does because Mina is singular, move it before the subject, and remove -s from the main verb: Does Mina play tennis? Repeat with both singular and plural subjects.
2. Build question-and-answer pairs. Write five questions about routines and answer each one aloud: Do you cook every day? — No, I don't. This practices the auxiliary twice and makes short answers automatic.
3. Contrast subject and object questions. Use pairs such as Who calls Leo? and Who does Leo call? Underline the person performing the action. If the question word performs it, do not use do/does.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Present Simple — review how the tense describes habits, facts, and schedules, including third-person -s in statements.