"Yes/No Questions" en Inglés usando "do"

The ability to formulate questions in English is a fundamental skill for any student of the language. Mastering the structure of simple questions will allow you to interact with confidence in everyday conversations, from asking about preferences to inquiring about daily activities. In this content, we will explore how to transform affirmative sentences into questions and how to answer them correctly, an essential step in improving your English fluency.

How to formulate simple questions in English?

To transform an affirmative sentence into a simple question in English, we need to follow a specific structure. Let's take the sentence "I speak Spanish" as an example. To turn it into a question, we must:

1. Add the auxiliary "do" at the beginning of the sentence.
2. Keep the subject after the auxiliary.
3. Keep the verb in its base form (unchanged).
4. Place the question mark at the end.
5. Raise the intonation at the end of the question.

Thus, "I speak Spanish" becomes "Do I speak Spanish?".

Let's look at more examples:

• "You speak Spanish" → "Do you speak Spanish?"
• "We speak Spanish" → "Do we speak Spanish?"
• "They speak Spanish" → "Do they speak Spanish?"

It is important to note that the main verb does not change in the transformation. The difference lies in the addition of the auxiliary "do", the question mark and the rising intonation at the end.

What is the general structure of simple questions?

The general structure for asking simple questions in English follows this pattern:

Do + subject + verb (base form) + complement + ?

For example:

• Do we play soccer?
• Do I go to school?
• Do you watch TV?

In this structure:

• "Do" functions as an auxiliary for the question.
• The subject is the person who performs the action (I, you, you, we, they).
• The verb is kept in its base form
• The complement completes the meaning (when necessary)
• The question mark marks the end with rising intonation.

How to answer simple questions correctly?

To answer simple questions in English, we use short answers with "yes" or "no", followed by the subject and the corresponding auxiliary:

Affirmative answers:

Yes + subject + do

Negative answers:

No + subject + don't

For example, when faced with the question "Do I speak Spanish?", the possible answers are:

• "Yes, I do."
• "No, I don't."

It is essential to keep the same subject of the question in the answer. If the question is about "we," the answer must include "we."

• "Do we speak Spanish?" → "Yes, we do." or "No, we don't."

However, when someone asks you directly, you change the subject in your answer:

• If someone asks, "John, do you eat sushi?"
• You answer, "Yes, I do." or "No, I don't."

How to practice with different verbs?

We can apply this structure with various verbs to create simple questions:

With "watch TV":

• Do I watch TV?
• Do you watch TV? → Yes, I do. / No, I don't.
• Do we watch TV? → Yes, we do. / No, we don't.
• Do they watch TV? → Yes, they do. / No, they don't.

With "eat dinner":

• Do I eat dinner?
• Do you eat dinner?
• Do we eat dinner?
• Do they eat dinner?

With "study English":

• Do I study English?
• Do you study English?
• Do we study English?
• Do they study English?

With "take a shower":

• Do I take a shower?
• Do you take a shower?
• Do we take a shower?
• Do they take a shower?

With "work":

• Do I work?
• Do you work?
• Do we work?
• Do they work?

What are common mistakes when asking questions?

When learning how to formulate questions in English, it is common to make some mistakes. Let's look at some examples:

Mistake 1: Omitting the auxiliary "do".

• Incorrect: "You speak French?"
• Correct: "Do you speak French?"

Omitting the auxiliary "do" is one of the most frequent mistakes. Remember that all simple questions in the present simple need this auxiliary.

Error 2: Incorrect answers

For the question "Do you like pizza?", these would be incorrect answers:

• "Yes, I like." (The auxiliary "do" is missing).
• "No, I don't like." (Incorrect construction of negation)

The correct answer would be:

• "Yes, I do."
• "No, I don't."

Mastering the structure of simple questions in English will allow you to communicate more fluently and naturally. Remember to always include the auxiliary "do", keep the verb in its base form and use the correct short answers. Practice asking questions about everyday activities and answer them to improve your command of the language! Share in the comments your answers to questions like "Do you work?" or "Do you study English?" to keep practicing.