How to Ask Questions in English: Yes/No Questions, Wh- Questions and Auxiliaries ❓

Forming questions correctly is one of the most important skills in English. Many learners know the words but get the word order wrong. At A2, we look at all the main question types: yes/no questions, wh- questions, and how to use auxiliary verbs correctly. 🎯

1. Yes/No questions: invert the auxiliary verb 📋

To make a yes/no question, move the auxiliary verb (do, does, did, is, are, was, were, have, has, will, can, should) to the front:

Statement	Yes/No question
She is a doctor.	Is she a doctor? ✅
They have finished.	Have they finished? ✅
He works here.	Does he work here? ✅ (add do/does/did)
She called you.	Did she call you? ✅ (add did, verb back to base)

2. Wh- questions: question word first 🔍

For wh- questions, put the question word first, then invert as normal:

Question word	Use	Example
What	Things / actions	What did you eat for lunch? ✅
Where	Place	Where do you live? ✅
When	Time	When did they arrive? ✅
Who	Person	Who did you speak to? ✅
Why	Reason	Why are you late? ✅
How	Manner / degree	How do you feel? ✅
Which	Choice between options	Which bus do I take? ✅
How much / How many	Quantity	How much does it cost? ✅

3. The key word order rule 📌

Questions in English follow this order: Question word + auxiliary + subject + main verb

• Where + did + she + go? ✅
• What + are + you + doing? ✅
• Why + does + he + work so late? ✅

4. Common mistakes ⚠️

✅ Correct	❌ Wrong
Where do you live?	Where you live?
What did she say?	What she said?
Does he speak French?	He speaks French?
How long have you lived here?	How long you have lived here?

Ask confidently - every conversation starts with a question! 🚀