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There are many more question structures in English, but in order to stay focused on our topic, this page will only discuss the structures above.

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The negative form of do is do not, and the negative form of does is does not. In speaking and in informal writing, these words are usually contracted as don't and doesn't. Here are some examples (Remember to listen and repeat):

You can answer these questions with the short affirmative responses "Yes, I do," "Yes, you do," "Yes, she does," and so on. The short negative responses are "No, I don't," "No, you don't," "No, she doesn't," and so on. (Keep reading if you want to learn more about negative forms!)

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Does is used with the third person singular subjects he, she, and it, and with subjects which refer to these pronouns ("Marcus (He) does his homework on Saturdays").

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"Doesn't she live there?" (This is the same as the pop music example before. I think she lives there, but I am not 100% sure, so I am verifying the information with someone.)

Where, when, and how can be used in negative questions with don't and doesn't, but it isn't very common. However, here are some examples to satisfy your curiosity:

I hope you feel more comfortable with using do and does in the present simple, and that you will recognize them more easily when you hear them in English contexts. To continue improving, practice repeating the examples on this page.

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Do and Does can be used as main verbs in affirmative sentences ("He does the dishes every day"), or as auxiliary verbs in questions ("Where do you work?").

For open questions that begin with the words who, what, where, when, why, and how, we use almost the same structure as above. Just add the question word in front. The structure is Wh- word + do/does + subject + infinitive/base verb. Here are six examples:

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Okay, now you see how to use do and does as the main verbs in present simple sentences, but do and does also serve another very important function: They act as auxiliary verbs in present simple questions.

Do is an irregular English verb. Do and does are the present simple forms of do. Here are some example sentences with these verbs.

In these sentences, do and does are used as the main verbs. They describe the main action in each sentence. You can do many things. For example, you can do exercise, do a test, do a good job, or even do nothing. Now, let's look at some more examples of do and does as the main verbs in a sentence, and let's learn when to use them.

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To form a closed "yes or no" question with do or does in the present simple, we use the form do/does + subject + infinitive/base verb. The use of do or does depends on the subject. Let's look at five examples (Don't forget to listen and repeat each example):

"Gerald and Becky always do their grocery shopping together." (In this sentence, "Gerald and Becky" can be replaced by the pronoun "they.")

Do is used with the subjects I, you, we, and they, and with subjects which refer to these pronouns ("Do Dan and Teresa (they) have a car?").

But wait! We have only practiced affirmative sentences. What about negative declarative sentences and negative questions? Let's look at them together.