How to respond to basic English questions

In the previous part of this course, we have learned how to form yes/no questions with all 12 tenses, such as Do you drive to work? or Have you been to Australia?. This lesson focuses on answering these questions simply and correctly, often using short answers. Let's begin.

What are basic yes/no questions?

Basic yes/no questions are those that can be answered with yes or no. They often start with a helping verb (e.g., is, are, do, does, has, have, will).

Examples:
- Do you like coffee?
- Is she coming to the party?
- Will they be here tomorrow?

Types of responses

1. Simple yes/no answers

   The easiest way to respond is by using yes or no.

   Examples:
   - Do you like coffee? → Yes.
   - Is she coming to the party? → No.

2. Short answers with helping verbs

   You can make your responses clearer and more polite by including the helping verb used in the question.

   Examples:
   - Do you like coffee? → Yes, I do. / No, I don’t.
   - Is she coming to the party? → Yes, she is. / No, she isn’t.
   - Will they be here tomorrow? → Yes, they will. / No, they won’t.

3. Adding more detail

   You can also extend your answer to provide additional information.

   Examples:
   - Do you like coffee? → Yes. I drink it every morning. / Yes, I do. I drink it every morning.
   - Is she coming to the party? → No. She has other plans. / No, she isn’t. She has other plans.

Rules for responding

1. Match the verb tense

   When answering, always use the same tense and helping verb from the question. See below table "Example responses with all 12 tenses" as a guide.

   Examples:
   - Does he know about this? → Yes, he does.
   - Have they finished their homework? → No, they haven’t.
   - Will she call you? → Yes, she will.

2. Use contractions for negatives

   In casual conversation, it’s common to use contractions for negative responses.

   Examples:
   - No, I don’t (instead of No, I do not).
   - No, she hasn’t (instead of No, she has not).

Handling negative questions

Negative questions are answered based on the truth of the answer, not the negativity of the question. For example:

• Question: Won’t you join us?
  • Yes, I will. (The statement is true: I will join.)
  • No, I won’t. (The statement is false: I won’t join.)
• Question: Isn’t she coming?
  • Yes, she is. (The statement is true: She is coming.)
  • No, she isn’t. (The statement is false: She isn’t coming.)

Example responses with all 12 tenses

Tips for effective responses

• Be polite and clear when answering, especially in formal situations.
• Use positive and negative contractions based on the tone of the conversation.
• Practice matching your answers to the verb tense in the question.

Practice questions

Select correct answer for each question.