A1 Grammar: Chapter 3

The Verb 'To Do' (Auxiliary)

Learn how to use 'do' and 'does' to make questions and negative sentences with most verbs!

Introduction to 'To Do' as an Auxiliary Verb

We use 'do' and 'does' as "helping verbs" (auxiliary verbs) in the Present Simple tense. They help us to:

Form negative sentences.
Form questions.

We use 'do' and 'does' with most verbs, except for 'to be' (am, is, are) and modal verbs (like 'can', 'should').

1. Negative Statements (I do not work, He does not work...)

To make a sentence negative in the Present Simple (for most verbs), we add 'do not' or 'does not' before the main verb.

Subject	Full Form + not	Short Form	Examples
I	I do not work	I don't work	I don't work on Saturdays. I don't like coffee.
You	You do not speak	You don't speak	You don't speak French. You don't live here.
He	He does not play	He doesn't play	He doesn't play football. He doesn't eat meat.
She	She does not cook	She doesn't cook	She doesn't cook dinner every day. She doesn't watch TV.
It	It does not rain	It doesn't rain	It doesn't rain much in summer.
We	We do not go	We don't go	We don't go to bed late. We don't have class today.
They	They do not read	They don't read	They don't read books. They don't live in a big city.

Important: When you use 'do not' or 'does not', the main verb always stays in its base form (e.g., 'work', 'speak', 'play'). Do NOT add '-s' or '-es' to the main verb for 'he, she, it'!

2. Yes/No Questions (Do you work...?, Does he work...?)

To ask a question in the Present Simple (for most verbs), we put 'Do' or 'Does' at the beginning of the sentence, before the subject.

Question Structure	Example Question	Short Answer (Yes)	Short Answer (No)
Do I...?	Do I need to go?	Yes, you do.	No, you don't.
Do you...?	Do you like pizza?	Yes, I do.	No, I don't.
Does he...?	Does he play sports?	Yes, he does.	No, he doesn't.
Does she...?	Does she cook dinner?	Yes, she does.	No, she doesn't.
Does it...?	Does it work?	Yes, it does.	No, it doesn't.
Do we...?	Do we have class today?	Yes, we do.	No, we don't.
Do they...?	Do they live here?	Yes, they do.	No, they don't.

Remember: We use 'Does' for 'he, she, it' and 'Do' for 'I, you, we, they'. The main verb is always in its base form in questions!

Practice Exercise: Complete with 'do', 'don't', 'does', or 'doesn't'

1. I ____ like milk.

2. ____ she work on Sundays?

3. They ____ speak English very well.

4. He ____ watch TV in the morning.

5. ____ you live in a big city?

6. My brother ____ play video games.

7. We ____ go to school on holidays.