Wh-Questions and Yes/No Questions

Yes/no questions ask whether something is true. Wh-questions ask for information such as a person, place, reason or time.

Two Types of Questions

In English, there are two main types of questions. Understanding the difference will help you ask and answer questions correctly!

Type	Starts With	Answer Type
Yes/No Questions	Do, Does, Did, Is, Are, Was, Were, Can, Will...	Yes or No
Wh-Questions	What, When, Where, Why, Who, How...	Information (not just yes/no)

Yes/No Questions

These questions can be answered with just YES or NO. They start with a helping verb.

Do you like coffee?

💡 Answer: Yes, I do. / No, I don't.

Does she speak English?

💡 Answer: Yes, she does. / No, she doesn't.

Did you eat breakfast?

💡 Answer: Yes, I did. / No, I didn't.

Is he your brother?

💡 Answer: Yes, he is. / No, he isn't.

Are you happy?

💡 Answer: Yes, I am. / No, I'm not.

Was it expensive?

💡 Answer: Yes, it was. / No, it wasn't.

Were they at home?

💡 Answer: Yes, they were. / No, they weren't.

Can you swim?

💡 Answer: Yes, I can. / No, I can't.

Will you come tomorrow?

💡 Answer: Yes, I will. / No, I won't.

Have you finished?

💡 Answer: Yes, I have. / No, I haven't.

Pattern for Yes/No Questions:

Helping Verb + Subject + Main Verb + ?

Do you play cricket?

💡 Do + you + play

Does she work here?

💡 Does + she + work

Is he sleeping?

💡 Is + he + sleeping

Are they coming?

💡 Are + they + coming

Wh-Questions

These questions ask for information. You cannot answer them with just yes or no. They start with a Wh-word.

What is your name?

💡 Answer: My name is Raj. (not yes/no)

Where do you live?

💡 Answer: I live in Delhi. (not yes/no)

When did you arrive?

💡 Answer: I arrived yesterday. (not yes/no)

Why are you late?

💡 Answer: Because I missed the bus. (not yes/no)

Who is that man?

💡 Answer: He is my uncle. (not yes/no)

How do you feel?

💡 Answer: I feel great! (not yes/no)

Which color do you like?

💡 Answer: I like blue. (not yes/no)

Whose bag is this?

💡 Answer: It's my bag. (not yes/no)

Pattern for Wh-Questions:

Wh-word + Helping Verb + Subject + Main Verb + ?

What do you want?

💡 What + do + you + want

Where does she work?

💡 Where + does + she + work

When did they leave?

💡 When + did + they + leave

Why are you crying?

💡 Why + are + you + crying

Side-by-Side Comparison

See how the same topic can be asked as Yes/No or Wh-question:

Topic	Yes/No Question	Wh-Question
Food	Do you like pizza?	What food do you like?
Location	Do you live in Delhi?	Where do you live?
Time	Did you come at 5?	When did you come?
Reason	Did you leave because of rain?	Why did you leave?
Person	Is she your sister?	Who is she?
Method	Did you come by bus?	How did you come?

Special Case: WHO as Subject

When WHO is the subject (doing the action), we don't need a helping verb:

Who called you?

💡 Who is the subject (who did the calling)

Who broke the glass?

💡 Who is the subject (who did the breaking)

Who lives here?

💡 Who is the subject (who does the living)

Who knows the answer?

💡 Who is the subject (who knows)

Compare with WHO as object (needs helping verb):

Who did you call?

💡 You is subject, who is object

Who do you like?

💡 You is subject, who is object

Common Mistakes

❌ You like coffee?

✅ Do you like coffee?

💡 Yes/No questions need helping verb first

❌ Where you live?

✅ Where do you live?

💡 Wh-questions need helping verb too

❌ What you are doing?

✅ What are you doing?

💡 Helping verb comes before subject

❌ Why you are sad?

✅ Why are you sad?

💡 Are comes before you

❌ Who did break it?

✅ Who broke it?

💡 When WHO is subject, no helping verb

How to Answer Questions

Answering Yes/No Questions:

Q: Do you like tea? A: Yes, I do. / No, I don't.

💡 Repeat the helping verb

Q: Is she coming? A: Yes, she is. / No, she isn't.

💡 Repeat the helping verb

Q: Can you help? A: Yes, I can. / No, I can't.

💡 Repeat the modal verb

Answering Wh-Questions:

Q: What is your name? A: My name is Priya.

💡 Give information

Q: Where do you work? A: I work at a bank.

💡 Give information

Q: When did you arrive? A: I arrived at 5 PM.

💡 Give information

Practice Conversation

A: Do you have a pet?
B: Yes, I do.
A: What pet do you have?
B: I have a dog.
A: Is it big?
B: No, it isn't. It's small.
A: What is its name?
B: Its name is Bruno.
A: How old is Bruno?
B: He is 3 years old.
A: Does he bark a lot?
B: Yes, he does!

Continue learning

English Question Word Order: Examples · English Question Words: Meanings and Examples

Practice in the 30 Days English Challenge: Day 2: Positive, Negative and Question Forms in English