Do or Does? | Learn English (2024)

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Do and does are used when we want to ask yes/no questions.

We use do or does depending on the subject. Below are two sentences with two different subjects, she and you.

Does she like sport? Yes, she does.

Do you like sport? Yes, I do.

Do

We use do when the subject is I, you, we or they.

Do I know you?
Do you come from England?
Do we have to cut the grass?
Do they want to come with us?

Does

We use does with third person singular pronouns i.e when the subject is he, she or it.

Does he work with you?
Does she have a car?
Does it snow in winter?

Past Tense

Did is the past form of both do and does.

Did he call you?
Did you enjoy it?

Negatives

The negative form of do is do not. In spoken English it is common to use the contracted form of do not which is don't.

I do not like sport.
I don't like sport.

The negative form of does is does not. Also, in spoken English we usually use the contracted form of does not which is doesn't.

He does not like sport.
He does't like sport.

The negative form of did is did not or when speaking, didn't.

I did not know you were coming.
I didn't know you were coming.

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Now decide which words are needed to complete the sentences:

  • 1 - ___ you want some coffee?


  • 2 - Where ___ they come from?


  • 3 - No, she ___ like spicy food.


  • 4 - What ___ Micheal and I have in common?


  • 5 - ___ your father drive a red car?


  • 6 - ___ Angela have a boyfriend?


  • 7 - They ___ work on Sunday.


  • 8 - ___ we have school tomorrow?


  • 9 - ___ your parents smoke?


  • 10 - ___ children play here?


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FAQs

Do or Does? | Learn English? ›

"Do" is used with I, you, we, they, and plural subjects, while "does" is used with he, she, it, and singular subjects. "Do" represents the present tense and is used for general actions and questions, while "does" also represents the present tense but is used for singular actions and questions.

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When to use do and does in English? ›

We use does and is with third person singular pronouns (he, she, it) and with singular noun forms. We use do and are with other personal pronouns (you, we they) and with plural noun forms. For the verb be, we need is or are as question words.

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Why does English have do and does? ›

Do is an irregular verb, which means that it has different forms depending on tense and the subject it's being used with. Both do and does are used for the present tense. The form does is only used with third person singular subjects, such as the pronouns he, she, and it, as in She does yoga.

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When to use do and does in question tag? ›

Sentences with action verbs in the simple present tense form a question tag using the verb 'do/does' and its corresponding negative form. For example: He teaches Chemistry, doesn't he? A sentence in the past tense will have question tags formed using the verb 'did'.

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Is it proper English to say do do? ›

It's grammatically correct. The first “do” is an auxiliary verb, in the present tense, used for emphasis - usually in response to a question.

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What is used with we do or does? ›

Subject/Verb Agreement Using to do as an Action Verb
SubjectForms of to do in each TenseRest of Sentence
Present
I / You / We / Theydoa good job
He / She / Itdoeshomework

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Do sentences in English examples? ›

[M] [T] I have a lot of work to do. [M] [T] Let's do this first of all. [M] [T] My father must do the work. [M] [T] She didn't know what to do.

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Can you speak English or do you? ›

They are all correct, “do you speak English?” is asking if the person knows to speak English, but “can you speak English, please?” is asking the person to speak in English, to change language. Correct sentence: “Do you speak English?”

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Do we use or in English? ›

We use or after the negative form of a verb, instead of and. I like tea and coffee. I like both tea and coffee. I don't like tea or coffee.

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Do does exercise for beginners? ›

level: Beginner
  • (Do/Does) you speak English?
  • If they (do/does) come, I will be very surprised.
  • (Do/Does) he always behave like this?
  • (Do/Does) they know that you're my sister?
  • I (don't/doesn't) know how to cook.
  • (Do/Does) your cats play with you?
  • You (do/does) understand, don't you?
More items...

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Why use do in a sentence? ›

Do is one of three auxiliary verbs in English: be, do, have. We use do to make negatives (do + not), to make question forms, and to make the verb more emphatic. I didn't see you at the concert the other night. Do they open at nine o'clock on weekdays?

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What is the difference between is and does in questions? ›

'Is & does' both are helping verbs,' is' is used in present progressive Interrogative sentences (questions) with third person singular subjects and 'does' is used for simple present tense Interrogative sentences (questions) with third person singular subjects.

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What are the five rules of question tag? ›

QUESTION TAGS
  • The tense of the statement and the question tag must match. ...
  • Use the contracted version of “helping verb” and “not” for negative question tags. ...
  • If the statement is positive, the question tag must be negative, and the opposite is the case. ...
  • Pronouns must always be used in question tags.
Jan 19, 2023

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Is it does anyone or do anyone? ›

Do you know why 'Does anybody' is correct? 'Anybody' is a third person singular form and takes -s in the present simple tense. That's why the question form requires -s and 'Does anybody' is correct. The same would apply to 'Does anyone', 'Does anything' etc.

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Do we use do or does for children? ›

Answer. The right helping verb to be used here is "Do". Because children word is plural and "does" is used only with singular words.

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Do not and doesn't difference? ›

Don't (do not ) is used with plural noun / you , whereas doesn't (does not) is used with singular noun . He doesn't like to play cricket. They don't like to play cricket.

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What is the meaning of do? ›

To do is to act, perform, or undertake.

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