• Present tense – do/does + verb
• Past tense – did + verb
• Future tense – will + verb
• We use do/does, did, or will to ask yes/no questions.

We add different “question words”, such as what, where, why, what time, how often, how much, or who at the beginning if we ask for specific information.

1. We use the present tense (Present Simple) to talk about things in general, facts or our habits or routine activities.

DO/DOES

• Do you live in the UK? Yes, I do.
• Do shops open at 8 am. No, they don’t. They usually open at 9.
• Does Jenny play tennis? Yes, she does.
• Does Ali work in a bank? No, he doesn’t. He works in a shop.
• Do they go to the cinema every week? No, they don’t. They go about once a month.
• Does it cost much to buy a car? Yes, it does.

Now, with question words:

• Where do you live?
• What time do shops open?
• What sports does Jenny play?
• What does Ali do for a living?
• How often do they go to the cinema?
• How much does it cost to buy a car?

2. We use past tense (Past Simple) to talk about finished, completed actions in the past.

DID

• Did he go to work yesterday? No, he didn’t. He stayed at home.
• Did you drive to the party last night? Yes, I did.
• Did they work in the garden this morning? No, they didn’t. They went shopping.
• Did they send the parcel last month? Yes, they did.

With question words:

• What time did you start work yesterday? I started at 9.
• How did you get to the party? I drove.
• Where did they go this morning? They went shopping.
• How many e-mails did you receive last month?

3. We use future tense (Future Simple) to talk about future events, decisions, offers and when making predictions.

WILL

• Will you lend me the book after you’re finished? No, won’t. I have to give it back to the library.
• Will Tama arrive on time? Yes, she will. She is always on time.
• Will they win the championship? No, I don’t think they will.
• Will computers do all people’s work in the future? No, they won’t.

With question words:

• When will you send me the e-mail? I will do it as soon as I’m back in the office.
• What will we need for the party? We will need some snacks and drinks.
• How much will it cost? I don’t think it will be expensive.
• Where will he go after the party? He will probably go home.

Make sure you do our *TT exercises to practise asking questions in English.