Question Formation with Do/Does/Did
English questions need auxiliaries that Hindi doesn't use
Category: Questions
The Rule
English yes/no questions: Do/Does/Did + subject + base verb? 'Do you like tea?' Hindi questions use intonation or क्या: 'क्या तुम चाय पसंद करते हो?'
Why This Matters
Hindi: 'क्या तुम चाय पीते हो?' (Question-marker you tea drink?). English: 'Do you drink tea?' Hindi uses क्या or rising intonation; English restructures with do/does/did. Hindi speakers produce 'You drink tea?' (statement with question mark).
Examples
• Do you speak Hindi? — "क्या आप हिंदी बोलते हैं?" [Do + you + base verb] • Does she like pizza? — "क्या उसे पिज़्ज़ा पसंद है?" [Does + she + base form (not 'likes')] • Did they come yesterday? — "क्या वे कल आए?" [Did + they + base form (not 'came')]
Common Mistakes
❌ You speak English? ✅ Do you speak English? → Without 'do', this is just a statement with question intonation — informal at best, incomplete in standard English. ❌ Does she likes pizza? ✅ Does she like pizza? → After 'does', use base form. The -s is already in 'does'. Don't double-mark.
Quick Tip
Hindi question = Statement + क्या/intonation. English question = restructured sentence with do/does/did. After do/does/did, ALWAYS use base verb form.
Hindi question = Statement + क्या/intonation. English question = restructured sentence with do/does/did. After do/does/did, ALWAYS use base verb form.
Examples
Common Mistakes
Incorrect: You speak English? → Correct: Do you speak English?. Without 'do', this is just a statement with question intonation — informal at best, incomplete in standard English.
Incorrect: Does she likes pizza? → Correct: Does she like pizza?. After 'does', use base form. The -s is already in 'does'. Don't double-mark.
Quiz
Which is correct?