Question Forms
English has two main types of question: yes/no questions and wh- questions. Both require the auxiliary verb to move before the subject — a process called inversion.
The two main types of question
Yes/No questions
Answered with yes or no. Begin with an auxiliary verb.
Do you speak French? Is she working? Have they left?
Wh- questions
Ask for specific information. Begin with a question word.
Where do you live? What time is it? Who called?
The key rule: subject-auxiliary inversion
In English statements, the subject comes before the verb. In questions, the auxiliary verb moves in front of the subject. This is called inversion.
| Statement | Question (inverted) |
|---|---|
| She is working. | Is she working? |
| They have finished. | Have they finished? |
| He will come. | Will he come? |
| You can help. | Can you help? |
Using "do/does/did" when there is no auxiliary
In the present simple and past simple, there is no auxiliary verb in positive statements. To form a question, you must add do, does, or did.
| Tense | Statement | Question |
|---|---|---|
| Present simple | She works here. | Does she work here? |
| Present simple | They live nearby. | Do they live nearby? |
| Past simple | He called last night. | Did he call last night? |
Questions with "be" as the main verb
When be is the main verb (not a helping verb), it inverts directly — no do/does/did is needed.
She is a teacher. → Is she a teacher?
They were late. → Were they late?
He is happy. → Is he happy?
Question formation across tenses
| Tense | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present simple | Do/Does + subject + base verb? | Does she speak Spanish? |
| Present continuous | Am/Is/Are + subject + verb-ing? | Is he studying? |
| Past simple | Did + subject + base verb? | Did they arrive on time? |
| Present perfect | Have/Has + subject + past participle? | Has she seen the film? |
| Future simple | Will + subject + base verb? | Will you come? |
| Going to | Am/Is/Are + subject + going to + base verb? | Are they going to move? |
| Modal | Modal + subject + base verb? | Can she drive? Should we leave? |
Don't use the -s ending or past form after do/does/did: Does she works? ✗ → Does she work? ✓ Did he went? ✗ → Did he go? ✓. The auxiliary carries the tense — the main verb always stays in base form.
Tip: To check if your question is correctly formed, try converting it back to a statement. If you can, the structure is likely right. Does she work here? → She works here. ✓