The verb to do serves as one of the three primary auxiliary verbs in the English language, alongside to be and to have. All three of these verbs are irregular and have special properties that set them apart from other verbs.
To do can function as a main verb (generally used to show actions carried out), but its most distinctive and important role is as the ‘default’ auxiliary. What this means is that when most verbs need help forming questions or negatives, to do is the natural helper verb that we turn to.
The Verb To Do: Forms
| Verb Type | Verb Form | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Form | → | do |
| Infinitive Form | → | to do |
| Present | → | do, does |
| Past | → | did |
| Future | → | will do |
| Past Participle | → | done |
| Present Participle | → | doing |
The Verb To Do In Use
- What do you do for work?
- I prefer to do my workouts in the mornings.
- Do you like coffee?
- Did you catch the game last night?
- We will do our best to help you settle in your new apartment.
- They have done a great job with the decorating.
- I’m doing nothing this weekend – just chilling.
* Verb To Do
- What do you do for work?
The Verb To Do as a Main Verb
The verb to do generally relates to expressing activities, tasks, and actions that we perform or carry out.
As a main verb, to do has three major functions that we can group into different categories.
Performing or Engaging in Activities
We use the verb to do most often to talk about activities that are being performed or carried out:
- I do my shopping on Fridays.
- He does photography as a hobby.
- He’s doing French at university.
- You did really well in the interview.
- What are you doing tonight?
Substituting for Other Verbs
We use to do to stand in for other verbs to avoid repeating ourselves:
- I don’t cook much, but my partner does. (instead of repeating to cook)
- As a Brit, I don’t drink tea, but most people I know do. (instead of repeating to drink)
- I don’t like shopping, but my wife does. (instead of repeating to like)
- Who cleaned the kitchen? – I did. (instead of repeating to clean)
- Who called the meeting? – The boss did. (instead of repeating to call)
Fixed Expressions
We also use the verb to do in various common phrases and idioms:
- Try not to worry. You can only do your best.
- Can you do me a favour?
- He has done time in prison.
- The company does business all over the world.
- Let’s do lunch sometime next week.
The Verb To Do as a Primary Auxiliary
What makes the verb to do special is its unique auxiliary role.
To do serves as our go-to helper verb for creating questions and negatives with most English verbs.
A few types of verbs can form their own questions and negatives.
For instance:
- Tim can swim well. → Tim cannot swim well.
> Here, the modal verb can forms its own negative by adding not directly after it.- She is happy. → Is she happy?
> Here, the verb to be (is form) forms its own question by switching positions with the subject she.- You have been to Rome. → Have you been to Rome?
> Here, the auxiliary verb have forms its own question by switching positions with the subject you.
All other verbs – apart from modals (e.g., can / will / should), to be, and to have when it functions as an auxiliary – cannot form their own questions or negatives.
❌ – She works here. → Works she here?
> Here, with the verb to work, we cannot simply switch the verb and subject like we do with the verb to be to make a question.
❌ – I drink coffee every day. → I drink not coffee every day.
> In this example, with the verb to drink, we cannot just add not like we do with modal verbs to make a negative.
This is where the verb to do comes in. It acts as the default helper verb for creating questions and negatives.
✅ – She works here. → Does she work here?
> Here, the auxiliary verb to do (does) helps form the question by moving to the front, and the main verb to work returns to its base form (work).
✅ – I drink coffee every day. → I do not drink coffee every day.
> Here, the auxiliary verb to do helps form the negative by adding not, and the main verb to drink stays in its base form.
Forming Negatives with To Do
To make negative sentences, we usually add do / does / did + not between the subject and the main verb.
For example:
| Positive Sentence | Negative Sentence | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Main Verb | Rest of Sentence. – She | works | at the bank. | ➝ | Subject | Auxiliary Do | Negative | Main Verb | Rest of Sentence. – She | does | not | work | at the bank. |
Note: When we use an auxiliary verb to make a question or negative, such as to do, the main verb returns to its base form.
The same pattern applies to the present and past tenses – we use the appropriate form of do + not.
– Present Negatives
For present tense sentences, we use do with I / you / we / they and does with he / she / it:
- I drink coffee. → I do not drink coffee.
- He plays guitar. → He does not play guitar.
- She speaks Spanish. → She does not speak Spanish.
– Past Negatives
For past tense sentences, we use did + not for all subjects:
- I saw your message. → I did not see your message.
- She cooked dinner. → She did not cook dinner.
- They left early. → They did not leave early.
– Future Negatives
In the future tense, we form negatives with will + not rather than using to do as a helper verb:
- I will call you tomorrow. → I will not call you tomorrow.
- I will do it later. → I will not do it later. (do as main verb)
Forming Questions with To Do
To create questions with most verbs in English, we need the auxiliary do. The relevant form of to do goes at the beginning of the question sentence, and as with negatives the main verb changes to its base form.
To better illustrate how questions are formed with to do, let’s compare this process with the verb to be.
| Verb Type | Positive Statement | Question Formation | Example Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| To Be | – You are ready. | verb + subject | – Are you ready? |
| To Do | – You exercise daily. | do/does/did + subject + base verb | – Do you exercise daily? |
As we can see from the table, verbs such as exercise need do as a helper word to form questions, while to be just switches places with the subject.
– Present Tense Questions
For present tense question sentences, we use do with I / you / we / they and does with he / she / it:
- You speak French. → Do you speak French?
- He lives in London. → Does he live in London?
- The shop opens at 9 am. → Does the shop open at 9 am?
– Past Tense Questions
For past tense question sentences, we use did for all subjects:
- You saw the movie. → Did you see the movie?
- She called earlier. → Did she call earlier?
- They enjoyed the party. → Did they enjoy the party?
– Future Tense Questions
In the future tense, we use will rather than do as a helper verb to form questions:
- You will help tomorrow. → Will you help tomorrow?
- She will arrive later. → Will she arrive later?
- They will finish soon. → Will they finish soon?
Question Words with To Do
We can combine question words like what, where, when, why, and how with the auxiliary do.
For instance:
- What do you want for tea?
- Where does she live now?
- When did they arrive?
- Why do we need to leave so early?
- How did you find us?
The pattern stays consistent: question word + do / does / did + subject + base verb.
The Double Do Pattern
It is important to note that when to do works as a main verb, it still needs auxiliary do for questions and negatives.
For example:
- What do you do for work? (auxiliary do + main verb do)
- Did you do the dishes? (auxiliary did + main verb do)
- I don’t do mornings very well. (auxiliary don’t + main verb do)
Adding Emphasis with Do
We also use do to add emphasis to statements. In our speech, we typically stress the auxiliary do to show this emphasis.
- I don’t like most vegetables, but I do like carrots and peas.
- That does sound interesting to be honest!
- I do hope you feel better soon.
- Do help yourself to the tea and coffee.
- You didn’t finish your homework. – I did finish it! It’s in my bag.
The Verb To Do & Contractions
Contractions combine two words into one shorter form.
| Full Forms | Contractions |
|---|---|
| do not | don’t |
| does not | doesn’t |
| did not | didn’t |
In everyday speech and informal writing, we often contract negative forms of do, which helps our language to flow more naturally.
Sentence examples showing negative to do contractions:
- I don’t understand the instructions.
- She doesn’t like cold weather.
- We didn’t see you at the party.
- They don’t have any experience.
Question Tags
Question tags are short questions that we attach to the end of statements to seek confirmation or check our understanding. These tags create a more conversational tone and show we want the listener to agree or respond.
These constructions typically involve contractions. If the main statement is positive, the tag is negative and uses a negative contraction like don’t or doesn’t. If the main statement is negative, the tag is positive and uses the positive form like do or does.
– Positive Statements > Negative Question Tags:
- You like chocolate, don’t you?
- He lives nearby, doesn’t he?
- She plays tennis, doesn’t she?
– Negative Statements > Positive Question Tags:
- You don’t drink alcohol, do you?
- He didn’t forget, did he?
- She doesn’t like sports, does she?