Questions in the Simple Present Tense
To make a question in English we normally use Do or Does. It has no translation in Spanish though it is essential to show we are making a question. It is normally put at the beginning of the question.
- Affirmative: You speak English.
Question: Do you speak English?
You will see that we add DO at the beginning of the affirmative sentence to make it a question. We use Do when the subject is I, you, we or they.
- Affirmative: He speaks French.
Question: Does he speak French?
When the subject is he, she or it, we add DOES at the beginning to make the affirmative sentence a question. Notice that the letter S at the end of the verb in the affirmative sentence (because it is in third person) disappears in the question. We will see the reason why below.
We DON'T use Do or Does in questions that have the verb To Be or Modal Verbs (can, must, might, should etc.)
Word Order of Questions with Do and Does
The following is the word order to construct a basic question in English using Do or Does.
| Do/Does | Subject | Verb* | The Rest of the sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do | I / you / we / they | have / need want etc. | a new bike? |
| Does | he / she / it |
*Verb: The verb that goes here is the base form of the infinitive = The infinitive without TO before the verb. Instead of the infinitive To have it is just the have part.
Remember that the infinitive is the verb before it is conjugated (changed) and it begins with TO. For example: to have, to eat, to go, to live, to speak etc.
Examples of Questions with Do and Does:
- Do you need a dictionary?
- Does Mary need a dictionary?
- Do we have a meeting now?
- Does it rain a lot in winter?
- Do they want to go to the party?
Short Answers with Do and Does
In questions that use do/does it is possible to give short answers to direct questions as follows:
Sample Questions Short Answer
(Affirmative)Short Answer
(Negative)Do you like chocolate? Yes, I do. No, I don't. Do I need a pencil? Yes, you do. No, you don't. Do you both like chocolate? Yes, we do. No, we don't. Do they like chocolate? Yes, they do. No, they don't. Does he like chocolate? Yes, he does. No, he doesn't. Does she like chocolate? Yes, she does. No, she doesn't. Does it have four wheels? Yes, it does. No, it doesn't. However, if a question word such as who, when, where, why, which or how is used in the question, you can not use the short answers above to respond to the question.
Does he like pizza?
