English Yes/No Questions
In English, there are two basic types of questions: yes/no questions and wh- questions.
Yes/no questions are asked using be, have, do, or a modal verb. Yes/no questions always begin with one of these verbs and can be answered with a simple yes or no, or with the question repeated as a statement. Note: It's impossible to ask a yes/no question without one of these auxiliary verbs.
| He want a car ? | Does he want a car? |
| You going to eat with us? | Are you going to eat with us? |
BE
Use the verb be to ask about identity, description, location, and present or past activities and situations.
Identity / Description
You can use be plus a noun or adjective to ask about the identity or description of a person, place, or thing.
| Am I your best friend? | Yes (you are). |
| Is this interesting? | No (it is not). |
| Are these islands part of Greece? | Yes (they are). |
| Was his idea good? | No (it wasn't). |
| Were they happy? | Yes (they were). |
Location
Be plus a prepositional phrase asks about present or past location.
| Am I near your house? | No (you aren't). |
| Is he in Panamá? | Yes (he is). |
| Are we at the border yet? | No (we're not). |
| Was his apartment above a bakery? | Yes (it was). |
| Were the demonstrations downtown? | No (they weren't). |
Current activity / situation
To ask about a current activity or situation, use the present progressive: present tense of be + present participle (verb+ing).
| Am I going with you and Tom? | Yes (you are). |
| Is England adopting the euro? | No (it isn't). |
| Are we seeing a play tonight? | Yes (we are). |
| Is she working today? | No (she isn't). |
Past activity / situation
To ask about a past activity or situation, use the past progressive: past tense of be + present participle.
| Was it raining? | Yes (it was). |
| Was Anna cooking? | No (she wasn't). |
| Were the prisoners rebelling? | Yes (they were). |
| Were they singing? | No (they weren't). |
Past event
To ask about something that happened to someone or something, use the passive voice: past tense of be + past participle (verb + ed or en):
| Was he given a reward? | Yes (he was). |
| Was I chosen? | No (you weren't). |
| Were you driven home in a taxi? | Yes (we were). |
| Were dinosaurs killed by meteors? | No (they weren't). |
HAVE
Use the verb have to ask if some action has taken place or whether somebody has done something.
Notice that the auxiliary verb have is in the present tense* and the main verb is always a past participle.
| Has your brother left? | No (he hasn't). |
| Have you flown before? | Yes (I have). |
| Has the party started? | Yes (it has). |
| Have the guests eaten? | No (they haven't). |
*It is possible to ask a yes/no question with had, but this is done in very specific situations and will be explained in a future lesson.
DO
Use the verb do to obtain facts about people, places, or things.
Do is always followed by the subject and then a verb in the infinitive without to.
| Do they smoke? | No (they don't). |
| Does Bogotá get cold? | Yes (it does). |
| Did it work? | No (it didn't). |
| Do flying fish really fly? | No (they don't). |
| Does running hurt your knees? | Yes (it does). |
| Did teaching challenge you? | Yes (it did). |
MODALS
Use modal verbs to obtain more information about possibilities or uncertainties. Modals are always followed by verbs in the infinitive without to.
| Can we stay? | Yes (we can stay). |
| Could this be true? | Yes (it could be true). |
| Should they stop? | No (they shouldn't). |
| May I help you? | Yes (you may). |
| Will it rain? | No (it won't rain). |
| Would you go with me? | Yes (I would). |
Remember: When asking a question with do or a modal verb, the main verb remains in the infinitive without to.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| Do you to drink coffee? | Do you drink coffee? |
| Does she to work here? | Does she work here? |
| Can I to go with you? | Can I go with you? |
| Should we to email her? | Should we email her? |
However, if there are two verbs in the infinitive after do, the second infinitive must use to.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| Do you want drink coffee? | Do you want to drink coffee? |
| Does she like work here? | Does she like to work here? |
| Did you need go home? | Did you need to go home? |
Remember: It's impossible to ask a yes/no question without an auxiliary verb.
| He know your phone number? | Does he know your phone number? |
| They returning today? | Are they returning today? |
Note that there are several ways to answer yes/no questions, especially with contractions.
| Is he busy? | No. |
| No, he isn't. |
| No, he's not. |
| No, he is not. |
| No, he isn't busy. |
| No, he's not busy. |
| No, he is not busy. |