How to form yes or no questions in English

Knowing how to ask questions in English is important, whether you're a tourist who needs directions or an advanced learner using English with colleagues in another country. There are many kinds of questions learners will encounter, and one of the most common is yes/no questions.

In this post:

• What are yes/no questions in English?
• How do you form yes/no questions in English?
  • How do yes/no questions with a form of do work?
    • When to use do vs. does for questions
    • When to use did for questions
    • Putting the main verb in its bare form
  • How to form yes/no questions with auxiliaries, modals, or a form of be
• Examples of English yes/no questions
  • Yes/no questions with a form of do
  • Yes/no questions with an auxiliary verb
  • Yes/no questions with a modal verb
  • Yes/no questions with a form of be

What are yes/no questions?

Yes/no questions are questions that can be answered with yes or no. For example:

• Are they your parents?
• Would you like to go to the park with me?
• Does she play guitar?

These questions are different from “wh” questions, which ask for more specific information, like Where is the museum? or When is the meeting?.

How to form yes/no questions

There are “formulas” you can use to help you know what order to put words in for yes/no questions. Here’s how they work!

Yes/no questions with a form of do

So, to change a statement like They love books into a yes or no question, you put do at the very beginning: Do they love books?. Many other sentences follow the same pattern:

Present tense yes/no questions with do or does

Does is used for third person singular subjects (like he, she, or your cousin), and do is used for all other subjects:

Past tense yes/no questions with did

Bare form of the main verb in yes/no questions

Regardless of whether your question is in the present or past tense, make sure to always use the main verb in its bare form. This means that if a verb has a third person -s or is in the past tense in a statement, it will look different in a yes/no question.

For example, the third person form likes becomes like in a question, and the past tense form ate becomes eat. Any information about tense or grammatical person that the main verb shows in a statement is instead carried by the form of do in a yes or no question:

Yes/no questions with auxiliaries, modals, and forms of the verb be

Sometimes, yes or no questions include an auxiliary verb (like has or will, a modal verb (like should or can), or a form of the verb be (like is or were). These questions are formed a little differently from the ones above because they don’t require a form of the verb do.

So, the word order formula for sentences with an auxiliary verb, a modal verb, or a form of the verb be is:

Recall that in questions that use a form of do, the main verb needs to be put into the bare form:

In questions with an auxiliary, modal, or a form of be, however, the only thing that changes is the order of the subject and the auxiliary, modal, or form of be. The main verb stays exactly the same as in the statement:

Are you ready? Yes, you are! 💪

Yes/no questions in English are really useful. You'll hear them a lot, and you'll be asking them a lot, too! Keep practicing, and you’ll soon be able to form questions with any verb you learn. Can you do it? Yes, you can!

Examples of yes/no questions in English

Yes/no questions with a form of do

• Do you travel often?
• Did you see the weather report for Monday?
• Do I need to bring my jacket?
• Does the bill include the tip?
• Did we buy ferry tickets for the Statue of Liberty?

Yes/no questions with an auxiliary

• Have you visited Chicago before?
• Has anyone found a brown hat?
• Had he already decided on the itinerary?
• Will you call me when you get home?
• Have they seen the movie yet?

Yes/no questions with a modal

• Can we check in now?
• Could you bring me more water?
• Would she be able to meet us for ice cream?
• Might they have more availability on Thursday?
• Should he pay for the tour online or in person?
• May I use the hotel telephone?
• Must we make dinner reservations in advance?

Yes/no questions with a form of be

• Are you from Ecuador?
• Is the store open?
• Am I early?
• Are there tickets for 5 p.m.?
• Was the line long?
• Were you looking for the theater?