Everything you need to ask questions correctly in English, yes/no questions, wh- questions, subject vs object questions, question tags and polite indirect questions.
Asking questions correctly is one of the most immediately useful skills in English, and one of the trickiest structurally, because English usually inverts the subject and auxiliary verb, something many other languages don't do in the same way. "You are tired" becomes "Are you tired?", the auxiliary moves to the front.
This guide covers every major question type: yes/no questions, wh- questions, the tricky subject-vs-object question distinction, question tags, and the more formal indirect question pattern.
These questions expect a yes or no answer, and are formed by putting the auxiliary verb (or "be") before the subject.
| Tense | Statement | Question |
|---|---|---|
| Present simple (no auxiliary, add "do/does") | You like coffee. | Do you like coffee? |
| Past simple (add "did") | She went home. | Did she go home? |
| To be | You are ready. | Are you ready? |
| Present perfect | You have finished. | Have you finished? |
| With modals | You can swim. | Can you swim? |
Wh- questions ask for specific information and begin with a question word: who, what, where, when, why, which, how.
| Wh-word | Asks About | Example |
|---|---|---|
| who | Person | Who is that? |
| what | Thing | What do you want? |
| where | Place | Where do you live? |
| when | Time | When does the film start? |
| why | Reason | Why are you late? |
| which | Choice | Which one do you prefer? |
| how | Manner/method | How did you get here? |
Structure: Wh-word + auxiliary + subject + main verb. "Where do you live?", not "Where you live?"
This is the trickiest question pattern to learn. If the question word ("who" or "what") is asking about the subject of the sentence, you don't need an auxiliary, the word order stays exactly like a statement.
| Type | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Subject question (no auxiliary) | Who called you? | Tom called me. (Tom = subject) |
| Object question (needs auxiliary) | Who did you call? | I called Tom. (Tom = object) |
| Subject question | What happened? | Something happened. |
| Object question | What did you see? | I saw a car. |
Question tags are short questions added to the end of a statement, used to confirm information or invite agreement. A positive statement takes a negative tag, and vice versa.
| Statement | Tag |
|---|---|
| You're coming, ___? | aren't you? |
| She isn't ready, ___? | is she? |
| They finished, ___? | didn't they? |
| You can swim, ___? | can't you? |
| I'm right, ___? | aren't I? (irregular) |
Indirect questions are more polite and formal, often starting with a phrase like "Could you tell me..." or "Do you know...". Crucially, the word order inside the indirect question reverts to statement order, no auxiliary inversion.
| Direct Question | Indirect Question |
|---|---|
| Where is the station? | Could you tell me where the station is? |
| What time does it start? | Do you know what time it starts? |
| Is this seat free? | Do you know if this seat is free? |
| ❌ Incorrect | ✅ Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| What means this word? | What does this word mean? | The auxiliary "does" is needed before the subject in an object question. |
| Where you live? | Where do you live? | Wh- questions need an auxiliary before the subject, just like yes/no questions. |
| Who did call you? | Who called you? | Subject questions don't need an auxiliary, the word order stays like a statement. |
| You're tired, are you? | You're tired, aren't you? | A positive statement takes a negative question tag. |
| Do you know where is the station? | Do you know where the station is? | Indirect questions use statement word order, not inverted question order. |
| Exam | How This Is Tested | Sample Question |
|---|---|---|
| Cambridge A2 Key / B1 Preliminary | Basic question formation and question tags in Reading and Use of English. | "You like pizza, ___?" (don't you) |
| Cambridge B2 First | Subject vs object question distinction and indirect questions in transformations. | "I don't know the time." → "Do you know what time ___?" (it is) |
| IELTS Speaking | The entire Speaking test is examiner-led questions, being comfortable both answering and occasionally clarifying with your own questions matters throughout. | Understanding and responding accurately to varied question forms across all three parts. |
| Trinity GESE/ISE (SELT) | Candidates must also ask the examiner questions in some parts of the test, accurate question formation is directly assessed. | Asking the examiner follow-up questions about a topic they've introduced. |
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