What are did negatives and questions?

Did not says no in the past, and Did asks about the past: I did not go. Did you see? Did works for every person — I, you, he, she, it, we and they all use the same word. The main verb never changes after did.

The rule

For a negative, use did not plus the base verb: She did not eat. For a question, put Did in front of the subject: Did she eat? Short answers keep did: Yes, I did. No, I did not.

One did is enough. Because did already shows the past, you never add -ed or an irregular past form after it.

Form

Examples

• I did not watch TV yesterday.
• She did not call last night.
• Did they come? — Yes, they did.
• Did he like it? — No, he did not.
• We did not stay long.

Common mistakes

• ❌ I didn't went. → ✅ I didn't go. Did already shows the past, so the verb stays in its base form.
• ❌ Did he went? → ✅ Did he go? One past marker is enough — never did plus went.
• ❌ Do you went yesterday? → ✅ Did you go yesterday? Do is present; yesterday needs did.
• ❌ They went not. → ✅ They did not go. English needs did to make the negative.