Questions: yes/no & wh-
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In short
To ask a question, put the auxiliary verb (or be) before the subject. For most present and past simple questions, you add do / does / did. A wh- word (what, where, when…) goes at the very front.
The rule
There are two main types of question.
1. Yes/No questions expect the answer yes or no. You invert (swap) the subject and the auxiliary verb or be.
| Statement | Yes/No question |
|---|---|
| You are ready. | Are you ready? |
| She can swim. | Can she swim? |
| You have finished. | Have you finished? |
| They live here. | Do they live here? |
2. Wh- questions ask for information. The pattern is: wh-word + auxiliary + subject + main verb.
| Wh- word | Auxiliary | Subject | Main verb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | do | you | live? |
| What | is | she | doing? |
| When | did | they | arrive? |
do-support: You only add do / does / did in the present simple and past simple. Other tenses already have an auxiliary (be, have, can, will…), so you just move it to the front - you do not add do.
Subject questions: When the wh-word is the subject (the thing you are asking about does the action), use no do and keep normal word order: wh-word + verb.
| Subject question | Object question |
|---|---|
| Who broke the window? | Who did you see? |
| What happened? | What did you do? |
| Which bus goes there? | Which bus did you take? |
Forms & patterns
Short answers repeat the auxiliary or be (never the main verb).
| Question | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Are you ready? | Yes, I am. | No, I’m not. |
| Does he work here? | Yes, he does. | No, he doesn’t. |
| Can she drive? | Yes, she can. | No, she can’t. |
| Did they win? | Yes, they did. | No, they didn’t. |
Negative questions join n’t to the auxiliary and move the pair to the front together: Aren’t you ready?, Didn’t you see the sign?, Why hasn’t he replied? Keep the two joined - not Did not you see the sign?
Question words
| Word | Asks about |
|---|---|
| what | thing / action |
| who | person |
| where | place |
| when | time |
| why | reason |
| which | choice from a set |
| whose | owner |
| how | way / manner |
how + word
| Phrase | Asks about | Example |
|---|---|---|
| how much | uncountable amount / price | How much is it? |
| how many | countable number | How many brothers do you have? |
| how long | length of time | How long does it take? |
| how often | frequency | How often do you train? |
| how old | age | How old are you? |
| how far | distance | How far is the station? |
Questions with a preposition: When the wh-word stands for the object of a preposition, the preposition stays where it was in the statement - it does not travel to the front with the wh-word.
| Statement | Question |
|---|---|
| You paid for the tickets. | What did you pay for? |
| She works with Tom. | Who does she work with? |
| He arrived on the late train. | Which train did he arrive on? |
Fronting the preposition instead (To whom did you speak?) is correct but very formal.
Examples
| English | Note |
|---|---|
| Are you a student? | Yes/No with be: move are before the subject. |
| Do they live near here? | Present simple needs do + base verb. |
| Does she speak French? | Third person uses does; the main verb stays base (speak). |
| Can you help me, please? | Modal can simply goes before the subject. |
| Where do you work? | Wh-word + do + subject + base verb. |
| What is he reading? | Present continuous already has is - no do needed. |
| Who wants some tea? | Subject question: who is the subject, so no do, normal order. |
| How many people did you invite? | how many + object question, so past did + base verb. |
Common mistakes
- Where you live? -> Where do you live? - present simple needs do; don’t drop the auxiliary.
- Does she works here? -> Does she work here? - after does/did, the main verb is the base form, not -s.
- What you are doing? -> What are you doing? - invert subject and be after the wh-word.
- Who did break the window? -> Who broke the window? - in a subject question, use no do and the normal verb.
- Did you went home? -> Did you go home? - after did, use the base verb, not the past form.
Tips
- One auxiliary rule: if the sentence already has be / have / can / will, just move it to the front. If it doesn’t, add do / does / did.
- After do / does / did, the main verb is always the base form (go, not goes or went). The tense is shown by the auxiliary.
- For subject questions, ask yourself “Is the wh-word doing the action?” If yes, keep normal order and drop do.
- Wh-words go first, but yes/no questions have no wh-word - they start with the auxiliary or be.