To ask a question in English, you will almost always need to reverse the position of the subjectNo definition set for subjectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. of the sentence and the auxiliary verbNo definition set for auxiliary verbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.. For example:
John is eating cheese today.
Is John eating cheese today?
When you ask for more information than yes or no, you will also need to use special wh- words to introduce your question, as in:
What is John eating today?
When is John eating cheese?
There are many different kinds of questions you can ask in English, and in this post we’ll focus on two main types of simple questions:
yes/no questions → answered with yes or no
wh- questions → ask for more detailed information
But we’ll also introduce you to a couple other kinds of questions, like choice questions, tag questions, echo questions, and indirect questions.
Ready to get started? Let’s have a look!
There are a couple different kinds of questions that we can ask in English. It’s important to know what the kinds of questions are because they require different answers or they’re asked in different ways. Let’s start off with the two main question types we’ll talk about in this post:
Yes/No Questions are also called “closed questions” because there are only two possible answers: yes or no (or sometimes maybe):
Question: Is the window open? Response: Yes. | Question: Do you know how to drive a manual car? Response: No. | Question: Are we meeting at 9 a.m. today? Response: Maybe. |
Wh- questions are also called "open questions" or "content questions" because they require an answer with more information than just a yes or a no. The answers to these questions usually involve a person/people, place, time, process, or other detailed answers:
Question: How is the new job? Response: It’s great! My coworkers are all really friendly and I have a nice corner office with windows! | Question: Where are we going tonight? Response: The new Italian restaurant. | Question: Who was the person your mom was talking to? Response: Oh that’s Joel. He’s our new neighbor. |
There are a few other types of questions in English that are a little more advanced. But it’s good for even beginners to recognize these types of questions, as well! We’ll talk about these further down.
Almost every question in English ends with a question mark (?). This is an indication that someone is looking for information and expecting an answer. You only need to use one question mark, and it should go at the very end of the sentence.
In very informal writing, like texting, extra question marks can be added to show you are eager for the information or to add other kinds of emphasis (e.g. Are you here yet?????).
To ask a yes-no question in English, just reverse the position of the subject and the first auxiliary verb.
SENTENCE
subject
auxiliary
You are waiting for the bus.
Your sister can babysit on Friday night.
They will have eaten lunch by 2:00.
→
QUESTION
auxiliary
subject
Are you waiting for the bus?
Can your sister babysit on Friday night?
Will they have eaten lunch by 2:00?
Remember that auxiliary verbs are helping verbs. These are often do, have, and be, but they can also be modal verbs like should, could, or can.
Notice that the auxiliary verb still agreesNo definition set for agreesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. with the subject, even though their positions have changed:
Am I taller than you?
Are you taller than me?
Is he taller than you?
If a sentence does not have an auxiliary verb, you need to add one when you turn it into a question. Use the auxiliary do:
Sentence | Question |
|---|---|
You know how to swim. | Do you know how to swim? |
He likes playing cards. | Does he like playing cards? |
She had children. | Did she have children? |
Notice that, in the question:
The auxiliary do agrees with the subject (do vs. does) and shows the tense (do/does vs. did).
The main verbNo definition set for main verbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. is in its rootNo definition set for rootLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. form.
If be is the main verb in a sentence, you do not need to add do to ask a question! Just reverse the position of the subject and be:
He is your friend. → Is he your friend?
The kids are tired. → Are the kids tired?
In spoken English, it will usually sound very formal or even aggressive if you answer a yes/no question with just the word “yes” or the word “no”.
Do you want to come to my house for dinner?
Yes.
Yeah, I’d love to!
Have a look at this list of other ways that you can say yes and no in English to see some other options.
Negative yes/no questions are questions that are based on negative sentences. In English, we use negative yes/no questions when it seems like maybe your assumption is wrong.
Sentence | Question |
|---|---|
You don’t want dessert. | Don’t you want dessert? → I thought that you would want dessert, but it looks like you don’t. |
You haven’t read the book. | Haven’t you read the book? → You were supposed to read the book, but it looks like you didn’t read it. |
He isn’t in your class. | Isn’t he in your class? → I thought that he was in your class, but you are acting like maybe he isn’t. |
We shouldn’t do our homework. | Shouldn’t we do our homework? → I think that we should do our homework, but you just suggested doing something else. |
When you form a negative yes/no question in English, always use the contraction that combines the auxiliary with not, then change the position of the contraction and the subject. Do not leave the word notafter the subject!
We should not do our homework.
✅ Shouldn't we do our homework?
❌ Should we not do our homework?
How do you answer a negative yes/no question? Most English speakers find this confusing, so it is best to say a bit more than just a yes or a no, to be clear:
Haven’t you read the book?
No, I didn’t read it.
Haven’t you read the book?
I did read it, I just forgot the ending.
Wh- questions (a.k.a. “open questions” or “content questions”) are questions that require an answer more than just a yes or a no. In English, Phrasequestions have two features:
They involve a wh-question word like who, what, when, where, why, which, or how that tells you what kind of information you are looking for.
They use a special word order.
Let’s look at each of these pieces!
Here are the basic “wh- question words” or “interrogative words” in English. Notice that they mostly start with wh-!
Wh- word | Expected answer | Example |
|---|---|---|
who | a person | Question: Who is responsible for taking notes? Response: Jacob. |
whom | a person | Question: To whom should I address the letter? Response: To my mom. |
what | a thing | Question: What do you want to eat for dinner? Response: Pizza! |
where | a location or destination | Question: Where should we go on vacation? Response: I’ve always wanted to go to Greece! |
when | a time or date | Question: When is your birthday? Response: November 9. |
why | the reason or purpose of an action | Question: Why were you late? Response: Sorry, there was a big accident that caused a traffic jam! |
how | a method or manner | Question: How did you get your new job? Response: I applied, interviewed three times, and had to do a practice task. |
Some wh- words are added to longer phrases to allow you to ask more specific questions:
Phrase | Expected answer | Example |
|---|---|---|
which + noun | a selection from a set | Question: Which school did your brother choose for college? Response: Ohio University. |
whose + noun | the noun’s owner (human) | Question: Whose bicycle is this? Response: Joey's. |
how + adjective | a degree | Question: How dark is the paint? Response: Very dark. |
how + much/many + noun | a quantity | Question: Which school did your brother choose for college? Response: Ohio University. |
how + measure word | a duration, distance, height, width... | Question: How long are you staying for? Response: 2 days. |
Question: How far is it to St. Louis? Response: 120 miles. | ||
Question: How tall are you? Response: 5 feet, 11 inches. |
For a more detailed look at the words above, check out our post on English interrogative words!
Here’s the formula you can use to form a wh-question with an auxiliary verb:
wh-question word
auxiliary verb
subject
What are you reading?
How did he finish his homework so fast?
Remember, an auxiliary verb can be be, have, or do, but it can also be a modal verb like can, should, or would. For example:
What are you reading?
Where was she working yesterday?
Where have you traveled?
Why has your brother quit his job?
Where should the couch go?
When can we meet?
As we saw for yes/no questions, if there is no auxiliary in the sentence, add do as the auxiliary and use the rootNo definition set for rootLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. form of the main verb:
Sentence | Question |
|---|---|
The movie begins at 8:00 p.m. | When does the movie begin? |
I canceled my appointment because I’m sick. | Why did you cancel your appointment? |
Even though the auxiliary verb comes before the subject in a wh-question it still agrees with the subject, just as we saw in yes/no questions:
What are you reading?
What is she reading?
However, there are a couple of tricky types of wh-questions where there are extra steps or options:
When you are asking about a subject.
When the main verb is to be.
When you’re asking about a noun that follows a preposition.
Let’s talk about these tricky cases!
When you are asking about the subject of a sentence the word order will be exactly the same as in the sentence version, except that a wh-word replaces the subject:
Sentence | Question |
|---|---|
My sister can make the dessert. | Who can make the dessert? |
My water was spilling on the floor. | What was spilling on the floor? |
This bag has been forgotten. | Which bag has been forgotten? |
When you are asking about the subject of a sentence, you also don’t need to add the extra auxiliary do. If the sentence version does not have an auxiliary, the question does not have one either!
Sentence | Question |
|---|---|
My brother owns that house. | ✅ Who owns that house? |
The black cat likes tuna the most. | ✅ Which cat likes tuna the most? |
You can still add do for emphasis:
We don't cook for our kids.
Who does cook for your kids?
When the verb be is the main verb in a wh-question, the verb be appears in the auxiliary position in the question.
Sentence | Question |
|---|---|
The library is across the street. | ✅ Where is the library? |
Their names were Louis and Catherine. | ✅ What were their names? |
But as we saw above, if you are asking about the subject of a sentence, there is no change in word order:
Bella is the manager. → Who is the manager?
In English, when you ask about the object of a prepositionNo definition set for prepositionLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. (e.g. to whom?, of what?, at which intersection?), the preposition is usually “left behind” when the word order changes.
Sentence | Question |
|---|---|
You gave it to Paula. | Who did you give that to? |
I would like a piece of pie. | What would you like a piece of? |
The library is at Main and Campbell. | Which intersection is the library at? |
You can do this with all prepositions and all question words in English.
However, you can also move the preposition to the front of the sentence, along with the wh-word:
At whose house are we having the party?
To whom should I address the letter?
Usually, putting the preposition at the front will sound formal or literary. However, sometimes this is also done to make sure the meaning of a long or complicated question is clear.
Usually, we can use the word who anywhere where you can use whom in English. However, the only case where you cannot use who is directly after the preposition. Compare:
✅ Who did you give that to?
✅ Whom did you give that to?
❌ To who did you give that?
✅ To whom did you give that?
There are a few idioms where the preposition always comes before the wh-word. If it does not, you are not using the idiom:
In what world are you better at math than Albert Einstein?
What world are you better at math than Albert Einstein in?
Here are a few other kinds of questions in English, which you will become more familiar with as you speak more:
Choice questions: These questions involve choosing an option of two or more items, and they usually contain a conjunction:
Would you like pizza, pasta, or chicken for dinner?
Pasta!
These kinds of questions use the same structure as yes/no questions, but they list specific options:
Are you happy?
Are you happy or angry?
Tag questions and echo questions: Use these kinds of questions to check that your understanding is correct.
A tag question is a little question added at the end of a sentence:
You’re from Canada, aren’t you?
You remember me, right?
In many languages the word no? is a very common tag question, and so many ESL students will use no? in English as well. But native speakers rarely use no as a tag question, so we usually assume that someone who uses no? as a tag question is not a native speaker:
You understand me, no?
In writing, authors even use no? as a tag question in dialogue to signal that a character is probably speaking with a foreign accent! If you want to sound like a native speaker, use a tag question, like right? instead.
You understand me, right?
An echo question repeats a statement with a strong, rising tone of voice. This shows confusion, surprise, or misunderstanding.
Polly is late today.
Polly is late??? But she’s never late!
You can replace the specific part of a sentence that was confusing with a wh-word:
Speaker A: I’m from the moon. Speaker B: You’re from where?!? | Speaker A: Paul is getting here at about (mumble-mumble). Speaker B: Paul is getting here when??? |
(Notice the difference between echo questions and wh-questions: There is no change to the word order here!)
Indirect question: An indirect question is a reported question. You are telling someone about a question that someone asked, rather than asking it directly:
John is wondering when the food will arrive.
I don’t know how much this costs.
In English indirect questions, the wh-word still comes first, but the subject and auxiliary do not change places.
✅ John is wondering when the food will arrive.
❌ John is wondering when will the food arrive.
Sometimes we call a question indirect because it is “hidden” inside another question to sound more polite. These often begin with phrases like “could you…” or “do you know…”:
Could you tell me when the food will arrive?
Do you know how much this costs?
In this post, we took a look at simple questions. Here are the most important things to remember:
To ask a question in English, you will usually reverse the position of the subject and the auxiliary verb.
If there is no auxiliary verb, add the auxiliary do.
If the main verb is be, put be in the auxiliary position.
If you are asking a wh-question (or “open question”) the wh-word comes first. We also looked at a few special cases here:
Asking about a subject → use the same word order as a statement.
Asking about the object of a preposition → the preposition usually does not “move” with the wh-word, but “stays behind” in the place it occurs in a statement.
There are a few other kinds of questions in English, including choice questions, echo questions, tag questions, and indirect questions.
If you’re feeling more confident about forming, asking, and answering simple questions after reading this post, check out the English question activities that go with this article!
