Do vs. Does

To make a question in English we normally use Do or Does. It is normally put at the beginning of the question (before the subject).

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 or they.

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

When the subject is he, she or it, we add DOES at the beginning to make the affirmative sentence a question. Notice that the letter S at the end of the verb in the affirmative sentence (because it is in third person) disappears in the question. We will see the reason why below.

We DON'T use Do or Does in questions that have the verb To Be or Modal Verbs (can, must, might, should 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?

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 Questions	Short 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 or how 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/Does	Subject	Verb
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?

Practice Exercises