Present Simple - Questions in English

Overview

Asking questions is one of the most important skills in any language. In the present simple, English uses the auxiliary verbs Do and Does to form questions. This is quite different from many other languages, where you can simply change the intonation or invert the subject and verb.

At the A1 (Beginner) level, you need to master two types of questions: yes/no questions (Do you like pizza?) and WH-questions (Where do you live?). Both follow the same basic pattern with do/does.

Just like with negatives, the main verb always stays in its base form after do/does. The auxiliary carries the third-person marking, so you say "Does she like" (not "Does she likes").

How It Works

Yes/No questions

Subject	Formation	Example
I / you / we / they	Do + subject + base verb?	Do you speak English?
he / she / it	Does + subject + base verb?	Does she like pizza?

Short answers:

• Yes, I do. / No, I don't.
• Yes, she does. / No, she doesn't.

WH-questions

Pattern: Question word + do/does + subject + base verb?

Question Word	Example
What	What do you do? (= What is your job?)
Where	Where does he live?
When	When do they arrive?
Why	Why does she work so late?
How	How do you get to work?
How often	How often do you exercise?

Exception: "to be"

"To be" does not use do/does. Simply invert the subject and verb:

• Are you tired? (not "Do you be tired?")
• Is she a student? (not "Does she be a student?")

Exception: "who/what" as subject

When "who" or "what" IS the subject, do not use do/does:

• Who lives here? (not "Who does live here?")
• What happens next? (not "What does happen next?")

Examples in Context

English	Note
Do you speak English?	Yes/no question with "you"
Does she like pizza?	Third person -- "does"
Where do they live?	WH-question with "they"
What time does the train leave?	WH-question with third person
Do you have any brothers?	Asking about possession
How often do you exercise?	Asking about frequency
Why does he always arrive late?	Asking for a reason
Do they work on weekends?	Asking about routines
What do you think?	Asking for an opinion
Who wants coffee?	"Who" as subject -- no "do" needed

Common Mistakes

Adding -s to the verb after "does"

• Wrong: Does she likes pizza?
• Right: Does she like pizza?
• Why: "Does" already shows the third person. The main verb stays in base form.

Using "do" with "to be"

• Wrong: Do you are a student?
• Right: Are you a student?
• Why: "To be" forms questions by inverting with the subject. It never uses "do/does."

Forgetting the auxiliary "do/does"

• Wrong: You like pizza?
• Right: Do you like pizza?
• Why: While rising intonation alone can signal a question in casual speech, standard English requires "do/does." The intonation-only form is very informal.

Using "do/does" when who/what is the subject

• Wrong: Who does live in this house?
• Right: Who lives in this house?
• Why: When the question word is the subject of the sentence, you do not need an auxiliary. The sentence already has normal word order.

Usage Notes

In casual spoken English, people sometimes ask questions using just intonation without "do/does": "You like coffee?" This is understood but considered informal. In writing and formal situations, always use the full question structure.

British and American English form present simple questions in exactly the same way.

Tag questions are a related pattern you will learn later: "You like pizza, don't you?" These are very common in British English.

Practice Tips

• Interview a partner: Prepare ten questions about daily life using "do/does" and practice asking them. "Do you like your job? What time do you wake up? Does your family live nearby?"
• Transform statements into questions: Take any present simple statement and turn it into a question. "She works in a hospital" becomes "Does she work in a hospital?" or "Where does she work?"
• Practice short answers: When someone asks you a yes/no question, respond with a short answer: "Do you like tea?" -- "Yes, I do" or "No, I don't." This reinforces the do/does pattern.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Present Simple -- you need to understand affirmative present simple before forming questions