MAKING QUESTIONS

Present and Past Simple, Continuous, Perfect and

Questions without Auxiliaries.
Remember: In general we use two types of questions:
Yes/No questions: we use them to confirm
information that we know or think we know. For
example:
Are you an employee in this café? (The other
person can be wearing a uniform or apron that
makes you think they are working)
Yes, I am // No, I’m not (you can give extra Types of
information if you want, but the important thing is
to confirm or deny the previous statement).
Questions.
WH- or Open/Information questions: we use them to
find out information that we have no previous
knowledge of. For example:
Where are you from? (Maybe we think the other
person has an accent, but we don’t really know
were they are from)
I’m from France.
Remember!
When we say “WH” or “Question Word” in the structure of
questions, we can refer to more than one word (a “Question
Phrase”). For example:
 What sort of music do you like?
 Where in the world is Tanzania?
 What kind of music do you prefer for your wedding?
 How often do you visit your mother?
 Present Simple: To Be
◦ Yes/No Questions:
→Are you a student? Y/N Question:
→Yes, I am // No, I’m not. To Be + Subject + Complement + ?
→Is there someone at home right now? Is/Are/Am

→Yes, there is // No, there isn’t. WH Question:

◦ WH- Questions or Open/Information Questions: WH + To Be + Subject + Complement + ?
What (time, bus, etc..)
→Who are you? When
→I’m Sheryl. Where
How (many, long, etc..)
→Where are your students from? Why
→They’re from Argentina.
 Past Simple: To Be.
◦ Yes/No Questions:
→Were you a student in this school? Y/N Question:
→Yes, I was // No, I wasn’t. To Be + Subject + Complement + ?
→Was there a Starbucks near your house? Was/Were

→Yes, there was // No, there wasn’t. WH Question:

◦ WH- Questions or Open/Information Questions: WH + To Be + Subject + Complement + ?
What (time, bus, etc.)
→Where were you? When
→I was at home, I didn’t hear my alarm! Where
How (many, long, etc.)
I’m sorry! Why
→What time was the meeting?
→It was at 8. They should be ready by now!
 Look carefully!
Present Simple Past Simple
Y/N Question: Y/N Question:
To Be + Subject + Complement + ? To Be + Subject + Complement + ?
Is/Are/Am Was/Were

WH Question: WH Question:
WH + To Be + Subject + Complement + ? WH + To Be + Subject + Complement + ?
What (time, bus, etc.) What (time, bus, etc.)
When When
Where Where
How (many, long, etc.) How (many, long, etc.)
Why Why

The basic structure for questions with TO Be in Present AND Past simple is the same.
Remember that they don’t use another verb!
(WH +) to Be + Subject + Complement + ?
 Present Simple: Y/N Question:

Other Verbs
Auxiliary + Subject + Verb + Complement + ?
Do/Does

o Yes/No Questions: WH Question:

→ Do you like chocolate? WH + Auxiliary + Subject + Verb + Complement + ?
What (time, bus, etc.)
→Yes, I do // No, I don’t.
When
→ Does she live in Las Condes? Where
How (many, long, etc.)
→Yes, she does // No, she doesn’t. Why
o WH- or Information/Open Questions:
→ Where do you come from?
→ We come from Spain.
→ What kind of movies does he usually watch?
→ He loves thrillers!
Remember: in Present Simple we need an auxiliary to
make questions: Do or Does.
Do is for I, you, we, they. Does is for He, She, it (when
we use an auxiliary, the verb doesn’t use a final S!)
 Past Simple: Y/N Question:

Other verbs Auxiliary + Subject + Verb + Complement + ?

Did

o Yes/No Questions: WH Question:

→ Did you attend the meeting? WH + Auxiliary + Subject + Verb + Complement + ?
What (time, bus, etc.)
→Yes, I did // No, I didn’t. When
→ Did she buy the beverages? Where
How (many, long, etc.)
→Yes, she did // No, she didn’t. Why
o WH- or Information/Open Questions:
→ Where did you celebrate your birthday?
→ The party was at my boyfriend’s house.
→ How long did you stay in Cancun?
→ I stayed there for two weeks.
Remember: in Past Simple we need an auxiliary to
make questions: Did.

We only use DID!

 Look carefully!
Present Simple Past Simple
Y/N Question: Y/N Question:
Auxiliary + Subject + Verb + Complement + ? Auxiliary + Subject + Verb + Complement + ?
Do/Does Did

WH Question: WH Question:
WH + Auxiliary + Subject + Verb + Complement WH + Auxiliary + Subject + Verb + Complement
+? +?
What (time, bus, etc.) What (time, bus, etc.)
When When
Where Where
How (many, long, etc.) How (many, long, etc.)
Why Why

The basic structure for questions with Other Verbs in Present AND Past Simple is the same.
Remember that the verb is in Infinitive!

(WH +) Do/Does/Did + Subject + Verb (infinitive) + Complement + ?

 Present Continuous Y/N Question:
Auxiliary + Subject + Verb + ing + Complement + ?
Yes/No Questions: Am/Is/Are
→ Are you waiting for the bus?
→ Yes, I am // No, I’m not. WH Question:
WH + Auxiliary + Subject + Verb + ing +
→ Am I forgetting something? Complement + ?
→ Yes, you are // No, you aren’t. What (time, bus, etc.)
When
o WH or Information/Open Questions: Where
→ Where are you going? How (many, long, etc.)
Why
→ I’m going home!
→ What is Cody doing?
→ He’s trying to learn how to dance.
Remember: In Present Continuous, the auxiliary verb is
the verb To Be. The verb to Be changes with the
subject:
I  am; he, she, it  is; we, you, they  are.
 Past Continuous Y/N Question:
o Yes/No Questions: Auxiliary + Subject + Verb + ing + Complement + ?
Was/Were
→ Were you helping Don with his
homework? WH Question:
→ Yes, I was // No, I wasn’t. WH + Auxiliary + Subject + Verb + ing +
Complement + ?
→ Was she working on that new project?
What (time, bus, etc.)
→ Yes, she was // No, she wasn’t. When
Where
o WH or Information/Open Questions:
How (many, long, etc.)
→ Where were you going this morning? Why
→ I was going to work.
→ Why was Tania crying yesterday?
→ Because she was fired.
Remember: In Past Continuous, the auxiliary verb is the
verb To Be. The verb to Be changes with the subject:
I, he, she, it  was; we, you, they  were.
 Look carefully!
Present Continuous Past Continuous
Y/N Question: Y/N Question:
Auxiliary + Subject + Verb + ing + Complement Auxiliary + Subject + Verb + ing +
+? Complement + ?
Am/Is/Are Was/Were

WH Question: WH Question:
WH + Auxiliary + Subject + Verb + ing + WH + Auxiliary + Subject + Verb + ing +
Complement + ? Complement + ?
What (time, bus, etc.) What (time, bus, etc.)
When When
Where Where
How (many, long, etc.) How (many, long, etc.)
Why Why
The basic structure for questions with Continuous Verbs in Present AND Past Continuous is the
same. Remember that the verb needs an ING!

(WH +) Is/Are/Am/Was/Were + Subject + Verb + ing + Complement + ?

Present Perfect Y/N Question:
Auxiliary + Subject + Past Participle + Complement + ?
Have/Has
o Yes/No Questions:
WH Question:
→ Have you ever flown a plane? WH + Auxiliary + Subject + Past Participle + Complement + ?
→ Yes, I have // No, I haven’t. What (time, bus, etc.)
→ Has she finished the project yet? Where
How (many, long, etc.)
→ Yes, she has // No, she hasn’t. Why
o WH or Information/Open Questions:
→ Where have you been all morning?
→ I’ve been trying to find the reports you need.
→ Why has he been in Peru three times this year?
→ Because his family is there.
Remember: In Present Perfect, the auxiliary verb is the
verb To Have. The verb to Have changes with the
subject:
he, she, it  has; I, we, you, they  have.
Past Perfect
Y/N Question:
Auxiliary + Subject + Past Participle + Complement + ?
Had
o Yes/No Questions:
WH Question:
→ Had you tried Indian food before?
WH + Auxiliary + Subject + Past Participle + Complement + ?
→ Yes, I had // No, I hadn’t. What (time, bus, etc.)
→ Had he left when you arrived? Where
How (many, long, etc.)
→ Yes, he had// No, he hadn’t. Why
o WH or Information/Open Questions:
→ Where had you been before you got lost?
→ I’d been to many different places, I don’t remember!
→ Why had you visited the victim that week?
→ Because he was sick and needed help!

Remember: In Past Perfect, the auxiliary verb is the

verb To Have. The verb to Have doesn’t change with
the subject:
I, he, she, it, we, you, they  had.
 Look carefully!

The basic structure for questions with Continuous Verbs in Present AND Past Continuous is the
same. Remember that the verb needs an ING!

(WH +) Is/Are/Am/Was/Were + Subject + Verb + ing + Complement + ?

Questions without auxiliaries
There are some questions that do not need an auxiliary. These questions ask about the
SUBJECT of the sentence. Look at the examples to see how they work:

Pamela arrives to work at 7 am every day.

Who arrives to work at 7 am every day?

Other questions about the same sentence need an auxiliary, for example:
 What time does Pamela arrive to work?
 Where does Pamela arrive at 7 am every day?
 More examples:
 Sentence: My father bought a new car for my mother.
 Question w/a: Who bought a new car for your mother?
Other possible questions: What did your father buy? Who did your father buy a new
car for?
 Sentence: My boss called me to his office to talk about my salary.
 Question w/a: Who called you to his office to talk about your salary?
Other possible questions: Why did you boss call you to his office? Where did your
boss call you to go? Who did your boss call to his office to talk about their salary?

Questions without auxiliaries keep the verb in the same tense as the original sentence or idea.
Look at this mini dialogue:
A: Who is going to bring the documents we need to finish the report?
B: Adrian is going to bring them!