Forming questions and negative sentences in the simple present and simple past
Most of my clients know how to form questions and negatives in the simple present and simple past. However, sometimes people are confused about when to add 'do'. If this is you, here is a quick review of the main rules:
In the simple present and the simple past, 99% of verbs e.g. eat, live, have etc. etc., need 'do' in a question or negative sentence.*
e.g.
I live in Berlin. I don't live in Berlin. Do you live in Berlin?
I eat a banana everyday. I don't eat a banana everyday. Do you eat a banana everyday?
I have a cat. I don't have a cat. Do you have a cat?
Please note that in the simple present and simple past, the verb 'have', also needs the verbs 'do'.
e.g.
I have a car. I don't have a car. Do you have a car?
'Have got ' is an exception:
e.g.
I have got a car. I haven't got a car. Have you got a car?
In the simple present and the simple past, 99% of verbs e.g. eat, live, have etc. etc., need 'do' in a question or negative sentence.*
e.g.
I live in Berlin. I don't live in Berlin. Do you live in Berlin?
I eat a banana everyday. I don't eat a banana everyday. Do you eat a banana everyday?
I have a cat. I don't have a cat. Do you have a cat?
Please note that in the simple present and simple past, the verb 'have', also needs the verbs 'do'.
e.g.
I have a car. I don't have a car. Do you have a car?
'Have got ' is an exception:
e.g.
I have got a car. I haven't got a car. Have you got a car?
The most common verbs that DON'T need 'do' are:
to be
e.g. I am tired. I'm not tired Are you tired?
He was here yesterday. He was here yesterday. Was he here yesterday?
can
He can come to the meeting. He can't come to the meeting. Can he come to meeting?
We could have come yesterday. We couldn't have come yesterday. Could you have come yesterday?
should
We should do it today. We shouldn't do it today. Should we do it today?
We should have done it yesterday. We shouldn't have done it yesterday. Should we have done it yesterday?
must
You must do it today. You mustn't do it today. Must you do it today?
We can't use must in the past tense.
might
I might finish it today. I might not finish it today. Might you finish it today?
He might have already finished it. He might not have already finished it. Might he have already finished it?
to be
e.g. I am tired. I'm not tired Are you tired?
He was here yesterday. He was here yesterday. Was he here yesterday?
can
He can come to the meeting. He can't come to the meeting. Can he come to meeting?
We could have come yesterday. We couldn't have come yesterday. Could you have come yesterday?
should
We should do it today. We shouldn't do it today. Should we do it today?
We should have done it yesterday. We shouldn't have done it yesterday. Should we have done it yesterday?
must
You must do it today. You mustn't do it today. Must you do it today?
We can't use must in the past tense.
might
I might finish it today. I might not finish it today. Might you finish it today?
He might have already finished it. He might not have already finished it. Might he have already finished it?
To practice forming negative sentences, look here.
To practice forming questions look at this exercise. Plus, the What's the Question? page of my website also has several exercises, both written and listening to practice forming questions.
German speakers can use this translation PDF which has both questions and negative sentences. You can also test yourself on the translation list on Quizlet here.
*There is one exception to this rule, that occasionnally means these verbs don't use 'do' in a question.
The exception is when the question word directly represents the subject of the answer.
e.g.
Which painter cut off part of his ear?
Who wrote the email?
What caused the delay?
If you still find forming normal questions challenging, don't worry about this rule. It doesn't apply to most questions and if you make a mistake people will still understand you. However, if you would like to learn more about this rule, you can watch a BBC grammar explanation video on this point here.
The exception is when the question word directly represents the subject of the answer.
e.g.
Which painter cut off part of his ear?
Who wrote the email?
What caused the delay?
If you still find forming normal questions challenging, don't worry about this rule. It doesn't apply to most questions and if you make a mistake people will still understand you. However, if you would like to learn more about this rule, you can watch a BBC grammar explanation video on this point here.