How to Ask Questions in English Correctly: A1–A2 Guide and Speaking Practice

BEGINNER GRAMMAR · A1–A2 · REAL CONVERSATION · 20–25 MINUTES

You want to ask somebody a question in English, but which word comes first? Is it “Where you live?” or “Where do you live?” Should you say “Does she works?” or “Does she work?” Learning how to ask questions in English correctly becomes much easier when you separate three useful patterns: questions with be, questions with do/does/did, and questions with can or another helping verb.

Adult learner and English tutor practising everyday questions together at a bright table

This lesson is for adults working around A1–A2. You’ll see easy formulas, examples from travel and everyday life, a question-word toolkit, six clickable self-checks and speaking roleplays. Say the questions aloud. You are practising a conversation skill, not simply learning the rules for a written grammar test.

Start with three question formulas

Three patterns you can use today

BE + PERSON + DETAIL? → Are you ready? / Is she at home?
DO or DOES + PERSON + BASE VERB? → Do you work here? / Does he speak English?
CAN + PERSON + BASE VERB? → Can I pay by card? / Can you help me?

In most everyday yes/no questions, the helping verb comes before the subject. The word person can be I, you, he, she, we, they or a name. When you learn one example, change the person or activity to create five more.

The most important first step is deciding what the main verb is. If your sentence already has a form of be, like “She is tired”, put it before the person: “Is she tired?” If your sentence has an ordinary present-simple action, like “She works here”, use does: “Does she work here?” You do not need two forms of the verb.

1. Questions with am, is and are

Use am, is and are for identity, location and descriptions, as well as some continuous actions. Start with a statement: “You are busy.” Change the order: “Are you busy?” Start with “He is a teacher.” Ask “Is he a teacher?” Start with “They are at home.” Ask “Are they at home?”

The word order is useful to remember: AM/IS/ARE + PERSON + REST? A natural answer can be short: “Yes, I am.” “No, he isn’t.” “Yes, they are.” If somebody asks, “Are you hungry?”, an answer like “Yes, because I haven’t eaten today” is also fine. Grammar is there to help communication, not to force you into one-word replies.

You can add a question word: “Where are you from?” “Why is he late?” “What is your favourite film?” Notice that the question word goes at the beginning, followed by am/is/are and then the person. Practise asking someone where they are from, then answer the same question about yourself.

2. Present-simple questions with do and does

Use do or does when the main verb describes habits, routines, likes or general facts. With I, you, we and they, use do: “Do you like coffee?” “Do they live nearby?” With he, she or it, use does: “Does she drive to work?” “Does the shop open on Sunday?”

A common beginner mistake is adding the -s ending twice. “She works here” is a statement, but the question is “Does she work here?”, not “Does she works here?” The helping verb does already carries the present-simple third-person form, so the main action is the base verb. The same pattern works with “Does he have a car?” rather than “Does he has a car?”

Quick conversion examples

Statement: You speak Spanish. Question: Do you speak Spanish?
Statement: She speaks Spanish. Question: Does she speak Spanish?
Statement: He goes shopping. Question: Does he go shopping?
Statement: They have lessons. Question: Do they have lessons?

Try changing each question into a short answer. “Do you speak Spanish?” → “Yes, I do” or “No, I don’t.” “Does he go shopping?” → “Yes, he does.” At this level, being able to answer and ask one follow-up is often more useful than memorising ten grammar labels.

3. Past questions with did

To ask about a finished event in the past, use did plus the base verb. “Did you go to the cinema?” “Did she call you yesterday?” “Where did you stay?” This rule is extremely helpful because the main verb does not need a past form after did. We ask “Did you see the film?”, not “Did you saw the film?”

Compare a story with a question. “I went to Birmingham yesterday” becomes “Did you go to Birmingham yesterday?” The answer is “Yes, I did” or “No, I didn’t.” If you want to know when: “When did you go?” For a place: “Where did you go?” Keeping the same basic structure makes asking more questions easier.

There is one simple distinction: when be is the main verb in the past, use was or were. “Was the train late?” “Were you tired?” We don’t normally say “Did you were tired?” because we already have the past form of be. Think of was/were as a different question family.

4. Questions with can and could

Some questions are about ability, permission or requests. Here, can comes first: “Can you help me?” “Can I sit here?” “Can she swim?” The main verb stays in its base form. “Can you to help?” and “Can he helps?” are incorrect in these structures. Use “Can you help?” and “Can he help?”

For a polite request, “Could you help me, please?” is a useful option. In a café, “Could I have a glass of water, please?” sounds friendly. In a shop, “Can I pay by card?” is natural and direct. Both can and could are useful; politeness also depends on tone, context and saying please or thank you when appropriate.

5. Add question words to find the information you need

Who? Asks about a person: Who is your teacher?
What? Asks about a thing or activity: What do you do at weekends?
Where? Asks about a place: Where do you live?
When? Asks about a time: When does the meeting start?
Why? Asks for a reason: Why are you studying English?
How? Asks about a method or condition: How do you get to work?
Which? Asks for a choice: Which bus goes to the station?
How much/how many? Ask about an amount or number: How much does it cost? How many tickets do you need?

Most useful everyday questions follow: QUESTION WORD + HELPING VERB + PERSON + ACTION? For instance, “Where do you work?” or “When did they arrive?” With be, use “Where are they?” or “Why is she worried?” Avoid trying to apply every grammar rule at once: practise two common question words today and add the others during the week.

A small exception: Who called you?

Sometimes who is the subject of the sentence. In “Who called you?”, we are asking which person did the calling, so we do not need did. Compare “Who called you?” with “Who did you call?” In the second sentence, you are the person who made the call. This distinction becomes useful as your English grows, but don’t let it stop you practising the everyday patterns first.

Real-world roleplay 1: asking in a café

Staff: “Good afternoon. Can I help you?”
You: “Yes, please. How much does the soup cost?”
Staff: “It’s six pounds.”
You: “Does it contain milk?”
Staff: “No, it doesn’t.”
You: “Great. Can I pay by card?”

Now imagine that you are ordering something different. Ask a price question, an ingredient question and a payment question. Try not to write a script first. You may pause to think, and you can ask, “Could you say that again, please?” if you miss something. Speaking politely and clearly matters more than sounding like a textbook.

Real-world roleplay 2: getting to know a neighbour

Neighbour: “Hi, I’m Sam. Are you new here?”
You: “Yes, I am. Where is the nearest supermarket?”
Neighbour: “About ten minutes away.”
You: “Does it open on Sundays?”
Neighbour: “Yes. Do you need directions?”
You: “Yes, please. Thank you.”

Replace the supermarket with a bus stop, pharmacy or gym. Ask two questions about the place and one question about the neighbour’s recommendations. You are not obliged to ask anything intrusive. Friendly questions about a shared local area are often an easy place to begin.

Real-world roleplay 3: talking about last weekend

Friend: “What did you do on Saturday?”
You: “I visited some friends.”
Friend: “Where did you meet?”
You: “At a café in town.”
Friend: “Was it busy?”
You: “Yes, but we found a table.”

Read both roles aloud, then change the details to something true for you. Notice that did questions and was questions are both useful for telling a past story. When the activity is finished, practise answering the question with a complete sentence before adding one reason or detail.

Interactive quiz: choose the correct English question

Choose A, B or C, then open the explanation. These are self-check answer reveals, not automatically scored exercises. After every question, say the complete correct sentence aloud.

1. Which question asks about someone’s home?
A. Where you live?
B. Where do you live?
C. Where does you live?