Yes / No Questions with “Do” and “Does”

1. When Do You Use “Do” and “Does”?

You use do and does to make yes / no questions with most verbs (like work, live, eat, like, and play).

Examples:

• like → “Do you like coffee?”
• work → “Does she work here?”

You do not use do / does with the verb be (am / is / are).

Example:

• Are you tired? not Do you are tired?

2. Basic Structure of Yes / No Questions

Structure:

Do / Does + subject + base verb?

• The verb is always in its base form (no -s, no -ed).

Examples

• You like tea.
  → “Do you like tea?”
• She lives here.
  → “Does she live here?”

3. When to Use “Do”

Use do with:

• I
• you
• we
• they

Examples:

• “Do I need a ticket?”
• “Do you work on weekends?”
• “Do they live in South Africa?”
• “Do we need a ticket?”

4. When to Use “Does” (Third Person Singular)

Use does with:

• he
• she
• it

(one person or one thing)

Examples:

• “Does he like pizza?”
• “Does she speak English?”
• “Does it work?”

Important rule: When you use does, the main verb loses the -s.

Example:

• She likes coffee.
• Does she like coffee? ✅
• Does she likes coffee? ❌

5. Short Answers with “Do” and “Does”

We usually answer yes / no questions with short answers.

Positive short answers

• Do you like coffee? → Yes, I do.
• Does he eat chocolate? → Yes, he does.

Negative short answers

• Do you watch TV every day? → No, I do not. / No, I don't.
• Does she play football? → No, she does not. / No, she doesn't.

Tip: In short answers, use do / does. Say Yes, I do, not Yes, I like.

6. Common Verbs Used with “Do / Does”

You often use do / does with verbs like:

• like
• want
• work
• live
• eat
• play

Examples:

• “Do you live here?”
• “Does he play football?”
• “Do they want coffee?”

7. Compare: “Be” vs “Do / Does”

Ask yourself: Is the main verb be? Then make the question with am, is, or are. If the main verb is another verb, make the question with do or does.

Here is the difference:

• “Are you happy?” → be
• “Is she at home?” → be
• “Do you like coffee?” → action verb
• “Does she work at home?” → action verb

8. Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Incorrect: Do you are tired?
• Correct: Are you tired?
• Incorrect: Does she likes tea?
• Correct: Does she like tea?
• Incorrect: Do he work here?
• Correct: Does he work here?

9. A Helpful Way to Remember

Think of do / does as a helper.

It helps you ask the question, but the main verb stays in the base form.

10. Remember:

• Use do with I, you, we, they
• Use does with he, she, it
• Use the base verb after do/does
• Do not use do/does with be
• Use short answers
  Pattern: Do/Does + subject + base verb? Short answers: Yes, I do. / No, she doesn’t.