7/29/2019 Do vs

1/3

Do vs. DoesEnglish Grammar Rules

To make a question in English we normally use Do orDoes. It is normally put at thebeginning of the question.

Affirmative: You speak Spanish. Question: Do you speak Spanish?

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 orthey.

Affirmative: He speaks Spanish. Question: Does he speak Spanish?

When the subject is he, she orit, we add DOES at the beginning to make the affirmative

sentence a question. Notice that the letterS at the end of the verb in the affirmative

sentence (because it is in third person) disappears in the question. We will see the reasonwhy below.

We DON'T use Do orDoes in questions that have the verb To Be orModal 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

orDoes.

Do/Does Subject Verb* The Rest of the sentence

Do I / you / we / they have / buy

eat / like etc.cereal for breakfast?

Does he / she / it

*Verb: The verb that goes here is the base form of the infinitive = The infinitive withoutTO 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 speak English?

Does John speak French?

Do we have time for a quick drink?

Does it rain a lot in the South?

Do they want to come with me?

Does she like chocolate?

7/29/2019 Do vs

2/3

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 QuestionsShort Answer(Affirmative)

Short Answer(Negative)

Do you speak English? Yes, I do. No, I don't.

Do I need a dictionary? Yes, you do. No, you don't.

Do you both speak English? Yes, we do. No, we don't.

Do they speak English? Yes, they do. No, they don't.

Does he speak English? Yes, he does. No, he doesn't.

Does she speak English? Yes, she does. No, she doesn't.

Does it have four legs? Yes, it does. No, it doesn't.

However, if a question word such as who, when, where, why, which orhow is used in

the question, you can not use the short answers above to respond to the question.

Question Words with Do and Does

The order for making sentences with Questions words is the following:

Question Word Do/DoesSubjec

tVerb

What do you have for breakfast?

What does she have for breakfast?

Where do you live?

When do you study?

How do you spell your name?

English Exercises AnswersA) Fill in the gaps with either DO or DOES and write an answer to eachquestion.(Possible Answers Your short answers may be different)1. Do -- No, they dont 2. Does -- Yes, she does 3. Does -- Yes, he/she does

4. Does -- No, he doesnt 5. Do -- Yes, I do 6. Does -- Yes, he does7. Do -- No, they dont 8. Does -- No, he doesnt 9. Does -- Yes, he/shedoes 10. Do -- No, they dont 11. Does -- Yes, he does 12. Does -- No, shedoesnt 13. Do -- Yes, I do 14. Do -- Yes, they do 15. Do -- No, I dont

7/29/2019 Do vs

3/3

B) Write a question using DO or DOES for each of the answers below.(Possible Answers Your answers will probably be different)1. Do dogs like to go for walks? 2. Does she play the piano?3. Does the President have a lot of money? 4. Do I play golf?5. Do bands play music? 6. Does your brother speak Japanese?

7. Do your friends celebrate their birthdays?

C) Write a question and the answer for each of the pronouns below.(Possible Answers Your answers will probably be different)1. I: Do I have time?A: Yes, you do2. You: Do you want a drink?A: No, I dont

3. He: Does he want an ice cream?A: Yes, he does4. They: Do they like chocolate?A: Yes, they do5. She: Does she need a dictionary?A: No, she doesnt6. It: Does it rain a lot in the desert?A: No, it doesnt7. We: Do we want a test today?A: No, we dont