How to Make Questions in English

Questions in English follow specific patterns depending on the tense and type of question. Here’s a breakdown of the most common question forms:

1. Yes/No Questions (Answers: Yes or No)

Rule: Auxiliary Verb + Subject + Main Verb?

Tense	Structure	Example
Present Simple	Do/Does + subject + verb?	"Do you like pizza?"
Past Simple	Did + subject + verb?	"Did she call you?"
Future (will)	Will + subject + verb?	"Will they come?"
Present Continuous	Am/Is/Are + subject + verb-ing?	"Are you studying?"
Present Perfect	Have/Has + subject + past participle?	"Has he finished?"

Examples:

• "Does she speak French?"
• "Were you sleeping?"
• "Have they arrived?"

2. Wh- Questions (Information Questions)

Rule: Wh- word + Auxiliary Verb + Subject + Main Verb?

Question Word	Usage	Example
What	Things, actions	"What are you doing?"
Where	Places	"Where do you live?"
When	Time	"When will they arrive?"
Why	Reason	"Why did you leave?"
Who	People (subject)	"Who called you?"
Whom	People (object – formal)	"Whom did you meet?"
Whose	Possession	"Whose book is this?"
Which	Choice	"Which one do you prefer?"
How	Manner/Quantity	"How did you do it?"

Examples:

• "What time does the train leave?"
• "How long have you been waiting?"
• "Who broke the vase?"

3. Subject Questions (No Auxiliary Verb Needed)

Rule: Wh- word (subject) + Verb?

• "Who ate my sandwich?" (Subject: who)
• "What happened?" (Subject: what)

Compare:

• "Who called you?" (Subject question – no "did")
• "Who did you call?" (Object question – needs "did")

4. Tag Questions (Confirming Information)

Rule: Statement + comma + opposite auxiliary verb + pronoun?

• "You like coffee, don’t you?"
• "She isn’t coming, is she?"

Note: If the statement is positive, the tag is negative (and vice versa).