Questions: Word order and question words — Explanation

Learn how to form English questions easily! Master word order and question words like who, what, where, and why with clear A1-level examples.

Questions: Word order and question words

We ask questions in English to get information. To ask the right questions, we need to know how to use question words like who, what, where, when, why, and how and how to put them in the right order.

Word Order in Questions

In normal sentences, the word order is:

Subject + Verb + Object

She plays tennis.

But in questions with do/does/is/are/can, the order changes to:

Question word + Auxiliary (helping verb) + Subject + Main verb

Examples:

• Do you play tennis?
• Does she live in London?
• Are they at school?
• Can he swim?

Notice how the auxiliary verb (do/does/is/are/can) comes before the subject.

Yes/No Questions

These are questions that can be answered with Yes or No.

Structure:

Auxiliary + Subject + Verb

Examples:

• Do you like pizza?
• Is she a teacher?
• Can they dance?

WH- Questions (Question Words)

We start the question with a question word when we want specific information.

Question Word	Meaning / Use	Example
Who	person	Who is your teacher?
What	thing	What is your name?
Where	place	Where do you live?
When	time	When is your birthday?
Why	reason	Why are you sad?
How	manner / way	How do you go to work?

Common Patterns

Type	Structure	Example
Be questions	Be + subject	Is she your sister?
Do/Does questions	Do/Does + subject + verb	Does he work here?
Can questions	Can + subject + verb	Can you speak English?

Tips for Beginners

• Use Do with I, you, we, and they.
• Use Does with he, she, and it.
• Don't use do/does with can, am, or is.
• After do, does, or can, the verb stays in its base form.

Examples

• What do you do on weekends?
• Where does she live?
• Is he from Turkey?
• How can I help you?

Short Answers

Question	Short Answer
Do you like coffee?	Yes, I do. / No, I don’t.
Is she your sister?	Yes, she is. / No, she isn’t.
Can he drive?	Yes, he can. / No, he can’t.

In short:

Use do/does/is/are/can before the subject.

When you need more than a yes or no answer, start with a question word.