Yes/No Questions

Yes/no questions are the most basic question type in English — they ask for a simple "yes" or "no" answer. To form one, you move an auxiliary verb before the subject — a process called subject-auxiliary inversion. The challenge in question formation is choosing the right auxiliary.

Every yes/no question follows one formula:

Auxiliary + Subject + Main Verb / Complement?

The key decision is which auxiliary to use. There are 3 auxiliary families:

Yes/no questions vs Wh- questions: Yes/no questions expect "yes" or "no" as an answer. Wh- questions use a question word (what, where, when…) and ask for specific information. Both use subject-auxiliary inversion, but yes/no questions have no question word at the front.

Questions with Be & Do/Does

This is where most learners make their first mistakes. The rule is simple, but you must make one decision every time: Is the main word a verb (action) or not?

The Be vs Do Decision

⚠️ The #1 Mistake — Mixing Be and Do:

• Does she a nurse? ❌ → Is she a nurse? ✅ (noun = be)
• Are you like Italian food? ❌ → Do you like Italian food? ✅ (verb = do)

Quick test: Can you replace the key word with an adjective? (She is happy/tall/tired.) If yes → use be. Does the word describe an action someone performs? (You eat/run/study.) If yes → use do/does.

Do vs Does

With action verbs, choose between do and does based on the subject:

Important: After does, the main verb stays in the base form — no -s ending:

• Does she speaks French? ❌ → Does she speak French? ✅

Am / Is / Are

With be, match the subject:

Short Answers with Be & Do/Does

In English, we rarely answer with just "yes" or "no" — we add a short answer that repeats the auxiliary:

⚠️ Don't repeat the main verb in short answers:

• Do you have a pet? → Yes, I have. ❌ → Yes, I do. ✅
• Does she speak English? → Yes, she speaks. ❌ → Yes, she does. ✅

👉 Practice Questions with Be & Do/Does →

Past & Present Perfect Questions

At A2, you need to form yes/no questions in more tenses. The same rule applies — choose the right auxiliary — but now the auxiliary also signals the tense.

Past Simple: Did & Was/Were

After "did", always use the base form — not the past tense:

• Did you saw the film? ❌ → Did you see the film? ✅

Present Perfect: Have/Has

Use have/has + past participle to ask about experiences, recent events, or results:

Signal words that point to present perfect: ever, never, already, yet, just, so far, since, recently.

⚠️ "Have" as auxiliary vs "have" as main verb — this catches many learners:

• Have you been to Paris? → "have" is the auxiliary (present perfect)
• Do you have a car? → "have" is the main verb (possession) — needs do-support

Test: If "have" is followed by a past participle (been, eaten, finished), it's the auxiliary. If "have" means "own/possess", it's a main verb and needs do/does/did.

Short Answers in Past & Present Perfect

👉 Practice Past & Present Perfect Questions →

Modal & Future Questions

Modal verbs are the simplest auxiliaries to use in questions — they move directly before the subject with no changes:

Modal + Subject + Base Verb?

Common Modals in Questions

Shall vs Will

Both refer to the future, but they serve different purposes in questions:

Be Going To

Questions with be going to use be as the auxiliary — not will or do:

• Are they going to move next month? ✅
• Will they going to move? ❌
• Do they going to move? ❌

Have To — Not a Modal!

Although "have to" expresses obligation like "must", it is not a modal verb. It needs do-support:

• Do I have to bring my passport? ✅ (do-support)
• Have I to bring my passport? ❌
• Must I bring my passport? ✅ (must is a true modal)

Short Answers with Modals

Match the modal in the answer:

Special case — Could you…? → Yes, I can. When someone asks "Could you…?" as a polite request, the reply uses can (present willingness), not could:

• Could you lend me your notes? → Of course I can. ✅ (not: Of course I could.)

👉 Practice Modal & Future Questions →

Negative Yes/No Questions

Negative yes/no questions add n't to the auxiliary. They look like regular questions with a negative twist, but they carry special meanings that regular questions don't.

Formation

Auxiliary + n't + Subject + Main Verb?

Three Meanings of Negative Questions

Negative questions are not just "questions with not." They express the speaker's attitude:

Don't confuse with tag questions. Both can express expectation, but the structure is different:

• Negative question: Isn't he tired? (full question at the front)
• Tag question: He's tired, isn't he? (statement + short tag at the end)

⚠️ Answering Negative Questions

This is one of the trickiest points in English. The rule: Yes always means positive. No always means negative — regardless of how the question is phrased.

Why this is confusing: In many languages, "yes" to a negative question confirms the negative. In English, "yes" always confirms the positive action. Think of it this way: ignore the negative in the question and answer as if the question were positive.

👉 Practice Negative Yes/No Questions →

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Quick Summary

Statement → Yes/No Question in 4 Steps

1. Find the auxiliary in the statement (She is happy. / They can swim. / He has finished.)
2. Move the auxiliary before the subject (Is she happy? / Can they swim? / Has he finished?)
3. No auxiliary? Add do/does/did (You like tea. → There's no auxiliary → Do you like tea?)
4. Keep the base form after do/does/did (Does she likes → Does she like)

Auxiliary Quick-Reference

Short Answer Rules

1. Repeat the auxiliary from the question — never the main verb
2. Match the subject — switch you → I, your → my, etc.
3. For negative questions, "yes" = positive, "no" = negative (ignore the n't in the question)

Practice Tips

1. Master the Be vs Do decision first. Before forming any question, ask: "Is the key word an adjective/noun (be) or an action verb (do/does)?" Getting this right eliminates the most common errors at A1 level.
2. Practise short answers out loud. Many learners know the rule but still say "Yes, I have" instead of "Yes, I do." Drilling short answers as fixed chunks — Yes, I do / No, she doesn't / Yes, they were — builds automatic responses.
3. For negative questions, always think about the speaker's attitude. Ask yourself: "Is the speaker surprised, expecting confirmation, or making a suggestion?" This helps you understand the real meaning behind the question.
4. Use the "base form" rule as a safety check. After writing any question with do/does/did, check: is the main verb in its base form? If you see Does she speaks or Did he went, you've found an error.

Practice All Exercises

Ready to practise yes/no questions online with answers? These yes/no questions exercises cover question formation with be (am, is, are), do/does questions, did (past simple), have/has (present perfect), modal verbs (can, could, will, should, must), and negative questions — with short answers practice throughout. Multiple choice exercises from A1 to B1, each with detailed explanations. Printable PDF worksheets are also available:

Now try the exercises to practice what you've learned!