Learn Yes/No Questions with Be and Do in English
Form and answer yes/no questions using be and do as auxiliaries.
Grammar Focus
Yes/no questions are questions that can be answered with a simple yes or a simple no. In English, you form them by moving the auxiliary verb to the front of the sentence — before the subject. The two most common auxiliaries for yes/no questions at the beginner level are be (am, is, are) and do/does.
- Use am / is / are to form yes/no questions when the verb in the sentence is a form of be: "Is she a teacher?"
- Use do / does to form yes/no questions when the main verb is any other verb: "Do you like coffee?"
- For he / she / it, use does — never do: "Does he live here?"
- In short answers, repeat the auxiliary — never use the main verb: "Yes, she is." / "No, he doesn't."
- Never use do / does with the verb be: "Are you tired?" not "Do you be tired?"
Form & Structure
Yes/No Questions with Be
Yes/No Questions with Do/Does
Short Answers
Common Mistakes
Using do/does with the verb be
Tip: Never use do or does with the verb be. Move am, is, or are directly to the front of the question.
Forgetting to use does for he/she/it with do-questions
Tip: When the subject is he, she, or it, you must use does — not do — to form the question.
Adding -s to the main verb after does
Tip: After does, always use the base form of the verb. The -s ending moves to does, not the main verb.
Why This Grammar Matters
Meeting someone new
At a job interview
Making plans with friends
Checking information
Continue Learning
Wh- Questions
Same category (Questions) and level
Short Answers and Tag Questions
Same category (Questions) and level
Prepositions of Place
beginner companion topic
Imperatives (Commands)
beginner companion topic
Prepositions of Time
beginner companion topic
Can / Can't for Ability and Permission
beginner companion topic
This lesson content was created with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.
Quick Summary
| Use | Formula | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Yes/No Questions with Be | **Am/Is/Are** + subject + complement? | **Am** I in the right room? |
| Yes/No Questions with Do/Does | **Do/Does** + subject + base verb? | **Do** you enjoy cooking? |
| Short Answers | Yes, + subject + **am/is/are/do/does** | No, + subject + **am not/isn't/aren't/don't/doesn't** | "Is she a doctor?" — "Yes, she **is**." / "No, she **isn't**. |
Yes/no questions are one of the most essential communication tools in the English language. Every day, in every kind of situation — at work, at home, in shops, in classrooms — people use yes/no questions to gather information, confirm facts, and start conversations. As the name suggests, these questions require only a yes or a no answer, making them simple in theory but surprisingly tricky to form correctly for learners of English. What makes yes/no questions challenging is the way English forms them. Unlike many languages, English does not simply add a word to the end of a sentence to make it a question. Instead, it rearranges the word order, placing the auxiliary verb before the subject. The two most important auxiliaries at the beginner level are be (in the forms am, is, and are) and do (or does for he, she, and it). Knowing which auxiliary to use — and where to put it — is the foundation of forming yes/no questions correctly. Once you understand the rules for be and do, you will be able to ask and answer a huge range of everyday questions with confidence. You will also learn to give short, natural answers like 'Yes, she is' or 'No, he doesn't,' which is how native speakers actually respond to yes/no questions in real conversation. This lesson breaks down yes/no questions step by step. You will learn how to form questions with be, how to form them with do and does, what short answers look like, and which common mistakes to avoid. By the end, you will have a clear and practical understanding of how to use yes/no questions in your own English speaking and writing.
What Are Yes/No Questions in English?
A yes/no question is any question that can be answered with a simple yes or no — without needing to give additional information. They are distinct from wh-questions (which ask for specific information using words like who, what, where, when, why, and how) because they only require a confirmation or denial. In English, yes/no questions are formed by inverting the subject and the auxiliary verb. In a normal statement, the subject comes first: 'She is a teacher.' To turn this into a yes/no question, you move the auxiliary (is) before the subject: 'Is she a teacher?' This process is called subject-auxiliary inversion, and it applies to all yes/no questions in English. At the beginner level, the two main auxiliaries used to form yes/no questions are be (am, is, are) and do (or does for third person singular). Both follow clear rules, and mastering them will allow you to ask and respond to a wide range of everyday questions naturally and accurately.
Read the full grammar guide
Forming Yes/No Questions with the Verb Be
When the main verb in a sentence is be — in one of its present forms: am, is, or are — forming a yes/no question is straightforward. You simply move the form of be to the front of the sentence, before the subject. The structure is: Am/Is/Are + subject + complement? For example: 'She is tired' becomes 'Is she tired?' 'You are a student' becomes 'Are you a student?' 'I am late' becomes 'Am I late?' It is important to choose the correct form of be to match the subject. Use am with I, is with he/she/it or singular nouns, and are with you/we/they or plural nouns. For example: 'Is he your brother?' uses is because the subject is he. 'Are they ready?' uses are because the subject is they. Short answers to be-questions repeat the same form of be used in the question. If someone asks 'Is she a nurse?', a correct short answer is 'Yes, she is' or 'No, she isn't.' You do not repeat the complement — just the subject and the auxiliary.
Forming Yes/No Questions with Do and Does
When the main verb in a sentence is not be but any other verb — such as live, work, eat, speak, play, or like — you need to use do or does to form a yes/no question. The main verb itself does not move; instead, the auxiliary do or does is added to the front of the sentence. The structure is: Do/Does + subject + base verb? For most subjects — I, you, we, they — use do. For he, she, it, or a singular noun — use does. For example: 'You speak English' becomes 'Do you speak English?' 'She lives here' becomes 'Does she live here?' A critical point to remember is that the main verb must stay in its base form after do or does — it must not carry the -s or -es ending. This is because does already carries the third-person marking. Saying 'Does she works here?' is incorrect; the correct form is 'Does she work here?' Short answers to do/does-questions follow the same pattern: repeat do or does with the subject. 'Do you enjoy swimming?' → 'Yes, I do.' / 'No, I don't.' 'Does he play chess?' → 'Yes, he does.' / 'No, he doesn't.' Never use the main verb in the short answer.
Common Mistakes in Yes/No Questions
Learners of English — especially at the beginner level — tend to make the same predictable errors when forming yes/no questions. Being aware of these mistakes is the most effective way to avoid them. The first and most common mistake is using do or does with the verb be. Sentences like 'Do you be happy?' or 'Does she be a student?' are incorrect. When the verb is be, you never need do or does — you move am, is, or are directly to the front. The correct forms are 'Are you happy?' and 'Is she a student?' The second common mistake is using do instead of does for he/she/it. Because English requires does — not do — when the subject is third person singular, saying 'Do she like music?' is incorrect. The correct question is 'Does she like music?' This rule is especially important for learners whose first language does not mark subject-verb agreement. The third mistake is keeping the -s ending on the main verb after does. Learners sometimes produce questions like 'Does he works late?' because they associate the third person with -s. However, once does appears in the question, the main verb must return to its base form: 'Does he work late?' is correct. A fourth mistake involves word order. Some learners produce questions like 'You are happy?' with rising intonation but no inversion. While this may be understood informally, it is not correct grammatical English. Proper inversion — 'Are you happy?' — is essential in standard written and spoken English.
Short Answers to Yes/No Questions
Native English speakers rarely answer yes/no questions with just 'yes' or 'no.' Instead, they use short answers that include the subject and the auxiliary verb. Short answers sound more natural and polite, and they confirm the structure of the original question. For be-questions, the short answer repeats the form of be: 'Is he a doctor?' → 'Yes, he is.' / 'No, he isn't.' 'Are they from Spain?' → 'Yes, they are.' / 'No, they aren't.' For do/does-questions, the short answer uses do or does: 'Do you like jazz?' → 'Yes, I do.' / 'No, I don't.' 'Does she teach here?' → 'Yes, she does.' / 'No, she doesn't.' Never use the main verb in a short answer. Saying 'Yes, she teaches' in response to 'Does she teach here?' is grammatically possible as a full sentence, but it is not a short answer. A correct short answer is 'Yes, she does.' Learning short answers is just as important as learning how to form the question itself, and practising both together will help you communicate naturally in English.
Practice In This Page
1. _____ I in the right room?
Show answer
Am
2. _____ you enjoy cooking?
Show answer
Do
3. Do you be happy?
Show answer
Are you happy?
4. Do she like music?
Show answer
Does she like music?
5. Does he works here?
Show answer
Does he work here?
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a yes/no question in English?
- A yes/no question is a question that can be answered with simply yes or no. In English, these questions are formed by placing an auxiliary verb — such as am, is, are, do, or does — before the subject. For example: 'Are you a student?' or 'Do you like coffee?'
- When do I use be to form a yes/no question?
- You use am, is, or are to form a yes/no question when the main verb in the statement is already a form of be. For example, 'She is tired' becomes 'Is she tired?' You choose the form that matches the subject: am for I, is for he/she/it, and are for you/we/they.
- When do I use do or does to form a yes/no question?
- You use do or does when the main verb is any verb other than be. Use do with I, you, we, and they, and use does with he, she, it, or a singular noun. For example: 'Do you speak English?' and 'Does she play tennis?' After does, the main verb must be in its base form.
- Can I use do or does with the verb be?
- No. You should never use do or does with the verb be. Saying 'Do you be tired?' is incorrect. When the verb is be, simply move am, is, or are to the front of the question: 'Are you tired?' is the correct form.
- How do I give a short answer to a yes/no question?
- Short answers repeat the auxiliary verb used in the question — not the main verb. For be-questions: 'Is he a teacher?' → 'Yes, he is.' / 'No, he isn't.' For do/does-questions: 'Does she work here?' → 'Yes, she does.' / 'No, she doesn't.' Keep short answers brief and always include the subject and auxiliary.
- Why must I use the base verb after does in a question?
- Because does already carries the third-person singular marking (-s) for the subject he/she/it. Adding -s to the main verb as well would be doubling the marking incorrectly. So instead of 'Does he works here?' — which is wrong — the correct form is 'Does he work here?', where the main verb stays in its base form.