Present simple: questions and negatives

When you use it

You use these forms whenever you deny a habit or a fact (I don't like cold coffee) or ask about one (Do you play tennis?, Where does Tom work?). The affirmative present simple is explained in the present simple lesson. Negatives and questions add one new piece: the helper verb do. Once you see how the helper works here, you will recognise the same pattern in the past simple with did.

How it is formed

English does not put not directly on an ordinary verb, and it does not simply change the word order to ask a question. Instead it brings in a helper, do or does, which carries the tense and the person. The main verb then goes back to its base form, without -s.

The rule to remember: one sentence, one marker of the third person. If does is there, the main verb has no -s. Does she work?, not does she works?

A question with a question word (where, what, when, why, how, what time) keeps exactly the same order and puts the question word in front.

There is one exception. When who or what is the subject of the question, there is nothing to move, so there is no helper and the verb keeps its -s: Who lives here?, What happens next? Compare Who does Tom live with?, where Tom is the subject and who is not.

Short answers use the helper alone: Yes, I do, No, she doesn't. Do not repeat the main verb; Yes, I do like is not a short answer.

None of this applies to be or to modal verbs such as can. They make their own negatives and questions without do: she isn't, is she?, he can't, can he?

Examples

• I don't like cold coffee.
• Anna doesn't eat meat.
• Do you play tennis? Yes, I do.
• Does Tom work on Saturdays? No, he doesn't.
• Where do you live?
• What time does the shop open?
• We don't have a garden.
• Why doesn't she answer the phone?

Common mistakes

• ✗ You like coffee? She works here?
  ✓ Do you like coffee? Does she work here?
  Ukrainian and Russian make a yes/no question with intonation alone, or with a particle (Ukrainian чи in front, Russian ли after the verb): Ти любиш каву? / Ты любишь кофе? The word order does not change. English speakers do sometimes use intonation alone in casual talk, but in normal speech and in all writing the helper at the front is required.
• ✗ Does she works here? Does Tom likes football?
  ✓ Does she work here? Does Tom like football?
  The -s has moved onto does. The main verb goes back to the dictionary form. Two markers in one sentence is the single most common error in present simple questions.
• ✗ I not like it. She no speak French. I don't likes it.
  ✓ I don't like it. She doesn't speak French. I don't like it.
  In Ukrainian and Russian не stands directly in front of the verb: Я не люблю. English needs do or does to carry the not. And as in questions, once doesn't is there, the main verb has no -s.
• ✗ Where you live? What means this word? How much costs it?
  ✓ Where do you live? What does this word mean? How much does it cost?
  Question words do not replace the helper. Що означає це слово? / Что значит это слово? puts the verb straight after the question word, so What means this word? feels natural, but English still needs does, and then the subject, and then the base verb.
• ✗ Who does live here? What does happen next?
  ✓ Who lives here? What happens next?
  When the question word is the subject, there is no helper. The verb keeps -s because its subject (who, what) is treated as third person singular.

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