To ask a question in English we normally use Do or Does. But do you really know when we use one or the other? When we talk about actions, we use the words do, does and did. Do and does represent the present simple forms of the verb ‘do’, while did is its past simple form. They are mainly used to form negative and interrogative sentences. Do is used with the personal pronouns I, we, you and they, while does is used with the personal pronouns he, she and it, which generates the frequent query: do or does? Throughout this article, you will learn when to use do and does so that you can apply it correctly in each grammatical context.
In the following article we tell you all the secrets so that this is no longer a problem and you can easily figure out when to use do and does in the present simple.
When to use do
Do refers to perform or undertake an action, either by oneself or in response to another person’s wish. It is an auxiliary verb, used with the main verb, to form various types of English sentences. Below, we show you in which situations to use “do” in your sentences:
To form interrogative sentences:
- Do you know him? – Do you know it?
In English, questions like these are common and help us to better understand do in the present simple tense when we want to know something or confirm a piece of information.
To form negative sentences:
- I don’t think she is going to come for the party. – I don’t think I’ll be coming to the party.
This use of do in the present simple to express negation is key to conveying the correct intention in sentences that deny an action or event.
In positive sentences
To emphasize something, that is, to provide additional information about the main verb:
- You do look sad today. – Today you are sad.
This usage is particularly relevant when we want the speaker to notice our intention in the sentence.
In imperative sentences
That is, positive or negative orders:
- Don’t open the door. – Do not open the door.
Both affirmative and negative commands use do to give clarity of instruction. However, remember that does is not used in imperative sentences.
Etiquette questions
- I met Shahrukh Khan at the concert, don’t you? – I met Shahrukh Khan at the concert, didn’t you?
Tag questions like this are useful to confirm or emphasize a comment. Do and does are adapted here according to the subject.
To avoid repetition of a verb or verb phrase:
- May I help you? Please do. – May I help you? Please.
When to use does
Does is nothing more than a conjugation of the verb ‘do’, which also means to perform, act or undertake any task or activity, but it is used with the third person singular. This verb is useful in various types of sentences and solves many of the main student queries about when to apply does and do depending on the grammatical context.
To create interrogative sentences:
- Does she go out for a walk? – Do you go for a walk?
Here we see how does in the present simple helps to structure questions correctly for the third person singular.
To form negative sentences:
- He doesn’t care much about what people think. – He doesn’t care much about what people think.
This use of does is fundamental when we want to express negation in a statement related to someone in the third person.
In affirmative sentences
To give extra force to the main verb:
- She does work hard. – She does work hard.
Tagged questions
- She writes well, doesn’t she? – He writes well, doesn’t he?
Etiquette questions are essential to confirm, and do and does are key to this structure in English.
Main differences between do and does
The differences between does and does are described in the following points:
- Do is a transitive verb, which has both subject and object. It is an action verb meaning to perform, act or carry out any task or activity. On the other hand, does is just a conjugation of the verb ‘do’ used with the third person singular present.
- While we use ‘do’ with plural nouns, such as teachers, parents or judges, we use does with singular nouns, such as my teacher or the judge.
- Do is used with the personal pronouns I, we, you, they. In contrast, does is used with he, she, it and the demonstratives this and that.
- Finally, do is essential for creating imperative sentences, commands that can be both positive and negative, while does is not used for this purpose.