Verb to do

The verb "do" is one of the three most important auxiliary verbs in English (alongside be and have)—and one of the most frequently used words in the entire language. As an auxiliary verb, "do" appears in three key forms, following one core rule that never changes.

The Auxiliary Triangle: do / does / did

The one rule that never changes: After do / does / did, always use the base form of the main verb—never the -s form or the past form.

This A1–A2 lesson covers do and does exercises for the present simple, don't and doesn't exercises, and did and didn't exercises with answers. It also covers the most important distinction for mixed-level learners: when to use do/does versus is/are/am (do vs be). Printable verb to do exercises PDF worksheets are available for each set.

Note: "do" as a main verb vs an auxiliary verb

In sentences like What do you do? or I do my homework, "do" is a main verb expressing an action (= perform, carry out). This lesson focuses on "do" as an auxiliary verb — the helper used to form questions and negatives in the present and past simple.

Don't confuse "do" with:

• "be" (is/are/am/was/were) — Used for adjectives, nouns, states, and locations. The choice between do and be is the most important distinction in this lesson. See Verb to be.
• "make vs do" — Make and do are both main verbs and are sometimes confused with each other (e.g., make a mistake vs do homework). These are vocabulary-level differences, not grammatical ones.

do and does: Present Simple Questions & Short Answers

Use do and does to form present simple questions. The choice depends on the subject.

Subject Agreement

Key rule: Use does with he / she / it (and singular nouns like your father, the shop, this word). Use do with everyone else.

Yes/No Questions

Pattern: Do / Does + subject + base form + ?

After does, the main verb always takes the base form (no -s ending). The -s belongs to does, not to the main verb.

Wh-Questions

When a question word is used, it comes first:

Pattern: Question word + do/does + subject + base form?

• What do they usually eat for breakfast?
• Where does your father work?
• How often does he go to the gym?
• Why does she always arrive late?
• What does this word mean?

Short Answers

⚠️ Error Hot Zone: The Short Answer Trap

A very common mistake is repeating the main verb in a short answer, or using the wrong auxiliary:

The rule: The short answer always echoes the first auxiliary in the question. Do you...? → Yes, I do.

👉 Practice do / does exercises with answers →

don't and doesn't: Present Simple Negatives

Use don't and doesn't to make present simple sentences negative. The distribution is identical to do and does.

Negative Forms

For compound or group subjects:

• My parents (= they) → don't: My parents don't live in this city.
• Tom and Lisa (= they) → don't: Tom and Lisa don't agree with each other.
• The cat (= it) → doesn't: The cat doesn't eat vegetables.
• The baby (= it) → doesn't: The baby doesn't sleep well at night.

⚠️ Error Hot Zone: doesn't + base form

The most common mistake with negatives is using the -s form of the verb after doesn't:

Why? Does already carries the third-person -s marker. Adding -s again to the main verb would be doubling it. The rule: the -s ending appears only once — on the auxiliary (does / doesn't), never on the main verb.

don't / doesn't vs isn't / aren't

Don't confuse don't/doesn't with isn't/aren't. Use don't/doesn't with action verbs. Use isn't/aren't with adjectives and nouns:

For a deeper look at this distinction, see the section do/does vs is/are/am/was/were later in this lesson.

👉 Practice don't / doesn't exercises with answers →

did and didn't: Past Simple

Use did and didn't to form past simple questions and negatives. Unlike the present, there is only one past form for all subjects—no need to distinguish he/she/it from I/you/we/they.

One Form for All Subjects

This is simpler than the present: did works for every subject. No more choosing between do and does.

Forming Questions: did + base form

Pattern: Did + subject + base form + ?

After did, use the base form of the main verb — not the past form. The past meaning is already contained in did.

Forming Negatives: didn't + base form

Pattern: Subject + didn't + base form

Short Answers in the Past

⚠️ Error Hot Zone: did vs was/were

A very common mistake is using was/were instead of did to form questions about past actions:

When to use was/were in the past: Only when there is no action verb — for adjectives (She was happy), nouns (Were they doctors?), or location (Were you at the meeting?). See the next section and Verb to be.

Time Markers for did / didn't

These words signal that you need did or didn't:

• yesterday — Did you see her yesterday?
• last (night / week / year / summer) — What did you do last weekend?
• ago — Did they move here two years ago?
• at the weekend / on Monday (past reference) — Did he call you on Monday?

For more on using past simple tenses, see Past Simple.

👉 Practice did / didn't exercises with answers →

do/does vs is/are/am/was/were: The Auxiliary Choice

This is the most important section in the lesson, and the key to avoiding the most common mistakes at A1–A2 level. Choosing between do/does/did and is/are/am/was/were depends entirely on one question: is there an action verb?

The Core Rule

Side-by-Side Comparison

Common Errors: Mixing the Two Systems

Special Case: Emphatic do / does / did

"Do" can also appear in positive statements to add emphasis or insistence. This is called the emphatic do:

The emphatic do/does/did is always stressed in speech. It is common when responding to doubt or correcting a misunderstanding.

Special Case: "born" Always Uses be

A specific mistake to watch out for: the word "born" is always used with the verb be, not do:

"Born" is a past participle used as an adjective — it describes a state (where you were born), not an action you did.

👉 Practice mixed auxiliary exercises with answers →

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Quick Summary

The Auxiliary Triangle

The Base Form Rule

do/does vs is/are — At a Glance

Practice Tips

1. Learn do/does as a complete pattern Don't memorise "do" and "does" as separate words. Learn the full pattern as a unit: "Do I/you/we/they — Does he/she/it" and "Don't I/you/we/they — Doesn't he/she/it." Practise the whole row of the table aloud, not just individual cells.

2. The base form rule: say it before every exercise Before completing do/does/did exercises, remind yourself: "After do, does, or did — base form always." This single habit prevents the two most common mistakes (doesn't likes, didn't came) at the same time.

3. Action verb test for choosing do vs be When you're unsure whether to use do/does or is/are, ask: "Can I replace this word with a doing word?" If yes (e.g., like = a doing word), use do/does. If no (e.g., tired = a state, not something you do), use is/are.

4. Short answers: echo, don't repeat When writing short answers, always echo the auxiliary from the question — never repeat the main verb. "Does she work here?" → "Yes, she does" (not "Yes, she works"). Practise by covering the question and writing the short answer from memory.

5. Notice the past simplification One of the most reassuring things about did: it works for every subject. There's no distinction between "he" and "they" in the past. Once you move from present to past, you only need one word instead of two.

Practice All Exercises

Complete 80 do and does exercises with answers across 4 progressive sets. This includes do does questions exercises for the present simple, do does don't doesn't exercises, did didn't exercises, and do does vs verb to be exercises (is was do does exercises) online in multiple choice format. Also available as exercises with do and don't in printable verb to do exercises PDF worksheets for every set.

Total: 80 verb to do exercises with answers across 4 progressive sets, from beginner (A1) to elementary (A2) level. All do and does exercises for beginners are available online or as printable do does exercises PDF worksheets.

👉 Start with Set 1: do and does exercises →