What’s Your Name? I’m Jacqueline

This is easy Grammar!

Last time we talked about present simple with to be, and you can also check this article about present simple with other verbs.

Now the difficult thing for lots of English learners is to put the two together.

Can you use both present simple with to be and with the other verbs? You are on your way to speak perfect English.

Most of the mistakes are made with simple grammar like this, but actually it’s not so simple!

Today we’ll only practice questions, as this is the most difficult thing about present simple.

Making Questions with Any Verb, but not To Be

First let’s rehearse the questions with all the verbs, but not with to be.

You need to use do.

But you need does for he, she and it.

Here are some examples of each:

Do I live in London? (I don’t.)

Do you speak Spanish?

Does she always eat breakfast?

Does he wear a suit every day?

Does the cat have white feet?

Do we rent our house?

Do they earn a high salary?

Making questions with To Be

Now with To Be, it works differently. You don’t need to use the do and does. I repeat: Don’t use the do and does!

Questions with to be are made by swapping the place of the verb (am, is, are) and the subject (the person or thing that does something in the sentence).

So we’ll get the following for each pronoun:

Am I at home?

Are you an engineer?

Is he my neighbour?

Is she my aunt?

Is the train on time?

Are we classmates?

Are they in love?

Don’t Get Confused!

Now, as said, the difficult thing is not to get confused.

Questions such as these: Do you are a teacher? Or: Do you a Teacher? Or: Does she is live in London don’t exist in English!

So here are some examples again of questions with both to be and with other verbs. If this doesn’t confuse you, you’re ready to try the quiz!

Mixed Questions

Are you English?

Does she speak Portuguese?

Are they best friends?

Does it cost much?

Is the lawyer expensive?

Do you often stay in a hotel?

Is the bank near your house?

Jonathan

Quiz

Go here for the online quiz where you can check your answers. 

Make questions. These questions are as if you haven’t heard what the person said, so you’re repeating the information.

Don’t forget to put in the do or does where necessary.

Examples:

My name is Edith.

You type:

Is your name Edith?

I live in Quebec.

You type:

Do you live in Quebec?

1 The water is on the table.

2 The cakes are in the refrigerator.

3 Our neighbours have a party every month.

4 Everybody brings some food.

5 We buy the drinks.

6 My neighbours are friendly people.

7 Juan is Spanish.

8 Fang and Ming are Chinese.

9 Ms Rupin speaks English so so.

10 She is a new immigrant.

Here’s an older quiz as well, where you need to make questions. Don’t forget to put in do or does where necessary.

And click here to do a quiz where you need to ask questions with question words.