How to ask questions in English: do, does, and wh- questions

The basic rule for questions in English is to put the helping verb before the subject. “You are tired.” becomes “Are you tired?” If the sentence has no helping verb, add “do”, “does”, or “did”: “You like coffee.” → “Do you like coffee?”

Be, can, and other helping verbs

“Am/is/are”, “was/were”, “can”, “will”, and “have” (in the present perfect) swap places with the subject: “Is she at home?”, “Can you swim?”, “Will they come?”, “Have you finished?” Short answers repeat the same helping verb: “Yes, she is.”, “No, I can't.”

Do, does, did

In the present simple, use “do” with I/you/we/they and “does” with he/she/it; in the past, use “did” for everyone. The main verb goes back to its base form: “Does he work here?” (not “Does he works”), “Did you see it?” (not “Did you saw”). The “-s” and the past ending move to the helping verb, so the main verb doesn't repeat them.

Wh- questions

In questions starting with what, where, when, who, why, which, and how, the question word goes first and the normal question order follows: “Where do you live?”, “What time does the class start?”, “Why did you leave?” When “who” asks about the subject itself, no “do” is added: “Who called you?”

A short exercise

Write five questions to ask someone you have just met: two yes/no questions (“Do you…?”, “Are you…?”) and three wh- questions (“Where…?”, “What…?”, “How long…?”). Then say each question aloud and answer it yourself in a full sentence.

To keep going, see Present simple or present continuous? The difference and Can, could, and should in English: ability, requests, and advice.

Frequently asked questions

Can I ask a question with intonation only? Questions like “You're coming?” are heard in casual speech, but while learning, putting the helping verb first is the safest way.

What is the difference between “what” and “which”? Use “which” when the choices are limited and known, and “what” for open questions: “Which colour, red or blue?”