Question Forms
How to ask in English — yes/no questions and wh- questions, with the right word order and the right helper: do, does, did, be, or a modal.
Press a button. Turn it into a question.
Start from a statement and build the question. Switch the sentence and the question type, and watch the word order change — and which helper you need.
Got the word order? Jump to the practice →
The rules — with examples
The two question types, which helper to use, and the question words.
The two question types
Do you like it?
What is this?
Did they go?
Watch out: after do / does / did use the base verb — “Does she work?”, never “Does she works?”. And don’t add do to be or modals: “Is she…?”, not “Does she be…?”.
Question words
Which helper?
Question words & a trap
Two types, one word order: a yes/no question is answered yes or no; a wh- question asks for information. After the question word, the word order is exactly the same as a yes/no question.
Practise & score yourself
Ten quick questions with instant scoring and a short explanation for every answer — especially the ones you get wrong.
The one rule to remember
To make a question, put be or the modal in front of the subject (“Is she…?”, “Can you…?”). For the present and past simple, add do / does / did and use the base verb (“Does she work?”, “Did they go?”). For wh- questions, put the question word first.