Verb to be learning path · Step 4 of 8 · Level A1
Questions with the verb to be
To ask a question with the verb to be you change the order: am, is or are moves before the subject. You are ready becomes Are you ready?. You answer by repeating the verb: Yes, I am or No, I'm not. Do and does are not used.
Questions at a glance
How a question with the verb to be is formed
In many languages a question can have the same words as the statement and only the intonation changes. In English the order changes: the verb moves before the subject. And the question mark goes only at the end.
Am / Is / Are + subject + complement + ?
| Statement | Question | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| You are ready. | Are you ready? | Asking if someone is ready. |
| She is at home. | Is she at home? | Asking where she is. |
| They are from Chile. | Are they from Chile? | Asking about origin. |
| The film is long. | Is the film long? | Asking about length. |
To know whether you need am, is or are you apply the usual agreement; if you still hesitate, review the present of the verb to be.
Table of the verb to be in questions
The seven persons with a real question for each one.
| Subject | Structure | Example | What it asks |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Am I…? | Am I late? | Whether I am late. |
| you | Are you…? | Are you OK? | Whether you are OK. |
| he | Is he…? | Is he your boss? | Whether he is your boss. |
| she | Is she…? | Is she Mexican? | Whether she is Mexican. |
| it | Is it…? | Is it expensive? | Whether it is expensive. |
| we | Are we…? | Are we on time? | Whether we are on time. |
| they | Are they…? | Are they at school? | Whether they are at school. |
Short answers: yes, I am and no, I'm not
In English you do not answer just yes or no: the natural thing is to add the subject and the verb of the question. If the question has a noun, the answer uses the pronoun.
| Question | Affirmative answer | Negative answer |
|---|---|---|
| Are you a student? | Yes, I am. | No, I'm not. |
| Is your brother at home? | Yes, he is. | No, he isn't.No, he's not. |
| Is it cold? | Yes, it is. | No, it isn't. |
| Are your parents Spanish? | Yes, they are. | No, they aren't.No, they're not. |
Affirmative answers are never contracted: Yes, I am, not Yes, I'm. Negative ones are: you have all the options in short answers in the negative.
Questions with what, where, who, how and other question words
If the question asks for information, the question word goes first and then the verb + subject order is kept: Where are you from?.
| Question | What it asks | Possible answer |
|---|---|---|
| What's your name? | Your name. | My name's Lucía. |
| Where are you from? | Your origin. | I'm from Bogotá. |
| How old are you? | Your age. | I'm twenty-two. |
| How are you? | How you are. | I'm fine, thanks. |
| Who is that man? | Someone's identity. | He's my uncle. |
| When is your birthday? | A date. | It's in May. |
| Why are you sad? | A reason. | Because I'm tired. |
| How much is it? | A price. | It's ten euros. |
With is the question word is usually contracted in speech: What's, Where's, Who's, How's. Notice too that age and price are asked with to be, where other languages use “have” or “cost”.
Negative questions: aren't you…? and isn't it…?
Negative questions express surprise or seek confirmation of what we think. They are formed with the contraction before the subject.
To show surprise
Aren't you hungry?
You expected hunger.
To seek agreement
Isn't it beautiful?
You expect a yes.
With I
I'm right, aren't I?
A tag with «I».
Those endings (isn't it?, aren't you?) are called question tags: It's cold, isn't it?. If the sentence is affirmative, the tag is negative, and vice versa.
Intonation: what a question sounds like in English
Yes/no questions ↗
The voice rises at the end.
Are you ready?
Rising intonation.
Questions with a question word ↘
The voice falls at the end.
Where are you from?
Falling intonation.
In speech you sometimes hear You're ready? with rising intonation: it shows surprise or checks something you have just heard. To ask a normal question, invert the order.
Questions with to be in 18 seconds
A student holds up a note with a question mark while three questions and their answers are heard. Pick a moment from the list to hear it again.
English captions. Notice how the intonation rises at the end of each question.
Read the transcript
- To ask a question, put the verb before the subject.
- You are ready. Are you ready?
- Answer by repeating the verb:
- Is she ready? Yes, she is.
- Are they ready? No, they aren't.
- Verb first, then the subject.
Typical mistakes when asking with to be
You are ready?
Are you ready?
To ask, you invert the order; without inversion it only expresses surprise.
Do you are tired?
Are you tired?
To be does not need do or does.
Yes, I'm.
Yes, I am.
Affirmative short answers are not contracted.
Where you are from?
Where are you from?
After the question word comes the verb, then the subject.
How many years do you have?
How old are you?
Age is expressed with to be: How old are you?.
Is ready your sister?
Is your sister ready?
The subject goes right after the verb, before the complement.
Practice: put the question in order
Tap the words in the correct order to form the question and press Check. If you tap the wrong word, tap it again to send it back.
Ask whether someone is tired.
The verb are opens the question and the subject you comes right after it.
Ask whether she is your teacher.
She goes with is; the complement your teacher comes at the end.
Ask where your keys are.
With a question word: where + verb + subject.
Ask how old someone's brother is.
Age is asked with how old + to be, not with have.
Ask whether you are late.
Being late is expressed with to be late.
Ask, surprised, whether they are not hungry.
In the negative question, the contraction aren't goes before the subject.
Want to go on? There are question exercises with to be at the end of the path, and an overview in the guide to the verb to be.
Frequently asked questions about questions with the verb to be
How do you ask questions with the verb to be?
You put am, is or are before the subject and end with a question mark: Is she at home?, Are you ready?. If there is a question word, it goes first: Where is she?.
How do you answer a question with to be?
With a short answer that repeats the verb: Yes, I am or No, I'm not; Yes, it is or No, it isn't. Affirmative answers are not contracted.
Why is do not used in questions with to be?
Because to be already works as an auxiliary. Other verbs need do (Do you like coffee?), but with to be you only invert the order: Are you tired?, never Do you are tired?.
What does How are you mean and how do you answer it?
It asks how you are feeling. Usual answers: I'm fine, thanks, I'm good or Not bad. The polite thing is to return the question: And you?.
How do you ask someone's age in English?
With How old + to be: How old are you?. The answer also uses to be: I'm twenty-five or I'm twenty-five years old. You never say I have 25 years.
What is aren't I?
It is the negative question form with I, because amn't is not used: I'm right, aren't I?. In formal register am I not? also exists.
Verb to be learning path · Step 4 of 8
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