When do a does is used. Correct use of Do-Is in English language matters. Why is it important to learn the conjugation of the verb to do

The verb to do is one of the most important verbs in the English language. A very large part of the rules of English grammar is devoted to the use of the verb do. And without knowledge of these rules, communication in English becomes impossible.

The verb do as a semantic verb.

The verb do in English means "to do some action or work." In most cases, English do is similar to the Russian verb "make", but there are a number of difficult cases that you need to know and remember.

At first, you need to understand the difference between the verbs to make and to do. Both of these verbs in the dictionary are translated as "to do". But remember that:

  • to make - used when an action is performed visible.
  • to do - used in all other cases.

For instance:

I make a sandwich
I'm making a sandwich.

Used by make since there is a visible result - a sandwich.

Secondly, phrases such as:

  • to do crosswords - to solve crosswords (not to do crosswords)
  • to do an exam - to take an exam (and not to do an exam)
  • to do ironing - to iron (in this case, the literal translation “to do ironing” is understandable, but sounds clumsy)

should not confuse you. In such cases, do not limit yourself to a literal translation, but look for a word that is suitable in meaning in Russian.

Auxiliary verb DO or 50% of all grammar

The verb do in English is used as an auxiliary verb for building questions and negations. In these cases, the verb do itself is not translated in any way. To ask a question grammatically correctly, you need to put the verb do before the subject. For example, we have an affirmative sentence:

You like cats.
You love cats.

To get a question from an affirmative sentence, it is enough to put the to do verb at the beginning of the sentence:

Do you like cats?
You love cats? (do - auxiliary verb, like- semantic)

That is, in the interrogative sentence, the words go in the following order:

  • Question word (optional)
  • Auxiliary verb do (or one of its forms)
  • Subject
  • Predicate
  • All the rest

We figured out the questions. Now I’ll talk about how a negative sentence is built. It's almost as easy. It is necessary to put two words immediately after the subject - "do not".

For example, an affirmative sentence:

I like cats.
I love cats.

turn into negative:

I do not like cats.
I do not like cats.

The English do not like to talk a lot, so instead of “do not” they use the abbreviated version of “don’t”.

I don’t like cats.
I do not like cats.

It should be noted that in some cases interrogative and negative sentences are formed without using the auxiliary verb do. This happens when one of the so-called strong verbs is used as the subject. Strong verbs include the verb to be and all modal verbs with the exception of the verb to have to.

Forms of the verb do

The verb to do has 4 forms:

Do and does used in the present tense, did - in the past tense, and done - This is a past participle that is used in some complex temporary structures.

Pronunciation of the main forms of the verb to do:

The form Transcription
International Russian letters
do [doo]
does [daz]
did [did]
done [Dan]

The verb to do has two present tense forms: do and does. This is unusual for an English verb. A logical question - "When to use do, and when does?" The rule is simple - does is used in the third person singular, do in all other cases... If the subject is he / she / it or any singular noun, then does is used.

For example, does is used in these cases:

Does he live in Paris?
Does he live in Paris? (Does - auxiliary verb, live - semantic)

Does she live in Paris?
Does she live in Paris?

Does this factory produce toys?
Does this factory make toys?

And in these - do:

Do you live in Paris?
Do you live in Paris?

Do this factories produce toys?
Do these factories make toys?

The second form of the verb do is did used to construct interrogative and negative sentences in the simple past tense (Past simple). In the past tense, just instead of the verb do, we always put did:

What did you want to tell me?
What did you want to tell me? (did - auxiliary verb, want semantic)

Compare with Present Simple:

What do you want to tell me?
What do you want to tell me?

In negative sentences in the past tense, abbreviation is also used. Instead of "did not", they usually say "didn't":

I didn’t see him yesterday.
I did not see him yesterday.

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Anyone who is just starting to learn English has difficulty using the verb “ do", Especially when two of its forms are used in one sentence at once: do or does and doing, or twice do, eg:

  • Does doing sums take much time? - Does it take a long time to solve examples?
  • Does this do him credit? "Does it do him credit?"
  • What do you do at your work? - What are you doing at work?

You must be already familiar with the elementary grammar of the English language and have probably read that the verb do can perform the function of both a semantic and auxiliary verb, and its forms are do, does, did, (have) done, doing.

Semantic verb do

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As a semantic verb “ do"Means" perform some action ».

What will you do after you finish school? - what will you do after graduation? (semantic verb)
My brother does a lot of various jobs. - My brother does many different jobs (semantic verb)
She did some housework in the morning - she did some housework in the morning (semantic verb)

Auxiliary verb do

As an auxiliary verb " do"Is used to grammatically construct an interrogative sentence in the present and past indefinite tense (s):

Do you meet your cousin John? - are you seeing your cousin John? (do is an auxiliary verb, and meet is a semantic verb)
Does your wife know where you keep documents? - your wife knows where you keep documents (does is an auxiliary verb, but know is a semantic one)
Didn’t he see you yesterday? - didn't he see you yesterday? (did - auxiliary, see semantic)

"Do" is used both to form a negative statement and to refute a negative statement, for example:

- I don’t suppose you feel offended. - I had no idea that you were offended (negative statement)
- But I do feel (negative statement) - but still I'm offended (refutation)

- I didn’t think Tom would pay your debt - I didn’t think Tom would pay your debt (negative statement)
- But he did pay - but he still returned (denial)

"Do" is used when you need to emphasize, to emphasize something:
I do love flowers! - I love flowers so much!
Tom certainly does love music! - Tom definitely loves music!

Doing

The form " doing»Can be combined with an auxiliary verb for the formation of extended tenses:

I am doing some work - I am working
He will be doing his homework - he will be doing his homework
I was doing sewing - I was sewing.

But in some cases the form doing is not part of a verb, but a verbal noun ():

Does doing a tattoo hurt? - in this case, the semantic verb is “ hurt ", and the auxiliary one is “ does”. As for the phrase “ doing a tattoo”, Then this is a subject, and can be translated as follows: Is the tattooing process painful??

In some cases, the verb " do"Cannot be replaced by another, for example," What shall I do?", But in many other cases it can be replaced with a more specific one, for example," She is doing the dishes "Can be replaced with" She is washing the dishes.”

Here are some common expressions in which "do" is a semantic verb, you need to remember them:

Verb to do is used not only in the direct meaning "to do", but also as an auxiliary verb - to build various structures. In this article, we will analyze the meaning and use of this verb.

Meaning and use of the verb to do

Verb to do can be used as semantic, that is, in the meaning of "do, do".

I do my duty - I am doing my duty.

We do our homework - We do our homework.

But more often it is used as auxiliary when building questions and denials.

Do you speak English? - You speak English?

I do not speak English - I don't speak English.

Verb to do - incorrect, in the present and future tense it conjugates without quirks, but it has special forms of the past tense and the past participle.

  • In present time: do, in the form of the 3rd person unit. numbers - does (that is, it is the same do, but appended with the -es ending).
  • In the past time: did... (the past participle is done, we won't need it now).
  • In the future tense: will do(if used as semantic)

Affirmative sentences with the verb to do

This table shows examples of the use of the verb to do in the affirmative form. Note that it uses to do how semantic a verb, that is, meaning “to do, to do” (in this case, “to do exercises, to train”).

Singular Plural
Present time
1 person I do exercises We do exercises
2 person You do exercises You do exercises
3rd person He (she, it) does exercises They do exercises
Past tense
1 person I did exercises We did exercises
2 person You did exercises You did exercises
3rd person He (she, it) did exercises They did exercises
Future tense
1 person I will do exercises We will do exercises
2 person You will do exercises You will do exercises
3rd person He (she, it) will do exercises They will do exercises

The verb to do in affirmative sentences in the present and past tense can be used not only as a semantic (to do), but also as an auxiliary, although this is rare. In this case, it is placed before another verb (it must be in the form or) and enhances its meaning. In translation into Russian, amplification is conveyed by particles “same”, “after all”, words like “really” or intonation.

For instance:

  • I do know him. - I know him.
  • I did lock the door. - I closed the door.
  • He does understand you. “He really understands you.

Negation and question with the auxiliary to do

In negative and interrogative sentences, the verb to do is used as an auxiliary to build a denial or question. It is not needed in the future tense, the denial and the question in the future tense are formed without the help of to do.

To construct denial, one must add do not before a verb in the present tense, did not before the verb in the past, and in the future add will notbefore the verb. For example, let's take the verb to sing - to sing.

Singular Plural
Present time
1 person I do not sing We do not sing
2 person You do not sing You do not sing
3rd person He (she, it) does not sing They do not sing
Past tense
1 person I did not sing We did not sing
2 person You did not sing You did not sing
3rd person He (she, it) did not sing They did not sing
Future tense
1 person I will not sing We will not sing
2 person You will not sing You will not sing
3rd person He (she, it) will not sing They will not sing

Possible abbreviations: do not - don't, does not - doesn't, did not - didn't, will not - won't (or I'll not, you'll not, etc. - there is no difference) ...

When building a question:

  • in the present and past tense - to do placed before the subject,
  • in the future tense - before the subject is put will.Note that the auxiliary verb to do is not needed in the future tense.
Singular Plural
Present time
1 person Do I sing? Do we sing?
2 person Do you sing? Do you sing?
3rd person Does he (she, it) sing? Do they sing?
Past tense
1 person Did I sing? Did we sing?
2 person Did you sing? Did you sing?
3rd person Did he (she, it) sing? Did they sing?
Future tense
1 person Will I sing? Will we sing?
2 person Will you sing? Will you sing?
3rd person Will he (she, it) sing? Will they sing?

In all examples of interrogative and negative sentences, the verb to do can also be used as a semantic verb. Then it turns out that in the sentence one do is auxiliary (needed to build a structure), and the other do is semantic (used in the meaning of “do, execute”, etc.) For example:

You do not do exercises. - You don't exercise.

The first do is an auxiliary one, necessary for building a negative sentence. The second do is semantic, “to do”.

Do you doexercises every day? - Do you exercise every day?

The first do is an auxiliary one, necessary for building an interrogative sentence. The second do is semantic, “to do”.

Morphology deals with the study of the word as a part of speech. Verbs are used to express state or action. They show what people are doing, thinking or feeling and are one of the eight parts of speech. For instance, they are applied to express:

  • actions (Tom does this work every day);
  • states (Jack is feeling better today);
  • natural phenomena (It's raining in the street).

All verbs in English are classified as state or action verbs, also called "dynamic verbs". Action verbs indicate an action that a person or object is performing. State verbs show how things exist in reality - their appearance, smell, color.

The most important difference between state and action verbs is that action verbs can be cast in the Continuous Tenses, but not state. Here are some examples of action verbs (They are playing football. Mark cooked dinner for us last night) and states (I think that’s a good idea. It costs twenty dollars).

English verbs can also be used in active or passive voice. Active voice means such an action that the subject does: Tom throws the ball. Andy has lived in Queens for twenty years. The passive voice describes what is being done, done with the object. It is not used as often as the active voice. In English, it is always used with the verb to be and combined with the past participle (the third form of the verb).

The pledge is a characteristic feature of Russian and English grammars. Here are some examples of passive verbs: The work was done quickly. That document will be done by Robert. My car was made in Germany

English verb form

There are various forms of verb construction. Its basic forms in English are divided into the infinitive, or present participle with the ending ing, the past participle, and the basic form, most importantly, the Conjugated form. The difference between English and Russian lies in the complex temporal construction of the verb. Here is each form with a few examples:

  • Infinitive (to + verb) - to do, to think, to eat;
  • Present participle (gerund or verbs with ing form) - doing, going, eating;
  • Past form (used with the past indefinite) - went, did, played;
  • Past participle (used with perfect tenses) - done, gone, eaten, played;
  • Conjugated form (only used in present indefinite tense) - do - does, play - plays, speak - speaks.

Species differences

In English, along with independent ones, phrasal, auxiliary and modal verbs are very often used. The verb to do must be written in transcription and can act as an independent, phrasal or auxiliary verb.

Independent verbs act as a simple predicate in a sentence. They carry out the main semantic load and serve to convey any action or expression of feelings, thoughts, natural phenomena. For example: He does business in different countries. He does business in different countries. He helps her do the dishes. He helps her wash the dishes.

Phrasals are composed of a main verb with a preposition or adverb. They are very common in spoken English, but they are also used in writing. Here are some phrasal verbs: He often does me down. He often deceives me. Riders were completely done up. The riders were completely exhausted. I’ll be done by five o’clock. I'll be ready by five o'clock.

Auxiliary verbs do not have independence in a sentence. They generally form complex temporal forms with some basic verbs. These include to do, to be, to have, shall (should), will (would) and they serve to transform an ordinary sentence into an interrogative or negative one. They do not know it. What books do you like to read?

Verb table and tenses

Unlike nouns that have declension, in English, as in Russian, verbs change in tenses, that is, they are conjugated. The summary table shows their main times:

Verb tenses Examples with translation
Present Simple (indefinite) I work at a bank. I work in a Bank.
Present Continuous (progressive) Mary is watching TV now. Maria is watching TV now.
Present perfect She has lived in New York since 2002. She has lived in New York since 2002.
Present perfect continuous We’ve been playing tennis since three o’clock. We have been playing tennis since 3 o'clock.
Future with will I will make you a sandwich. I'll make you a sandwich.
Future With Going to Mary is going to fly to Chicago next week. Maria is going to fly to Chicago next week.
Future continuous They will be studying later today. They will study later today.
Future perfect She will have finished the report by six o'clock. She will finish her talk by 6 o'clock.
Past simple I bought a new car last month. I bought a new car last month.
Past perfect They had finished lunch by the time he came. They had finished lunch by the time he arrived.
Past Perfect Continuous They had been working for two hours when he came in the door. They worked for two hours when he walked through the door.

The pronunciation of the verb to do is recorded in dictionaries, its use in English is used in different ways. It can be used as an auxiliary or main one to talk about an action in general, as well as in combination with nouns to solve various issues and tasks of everyday life.

The to do auxiliary verb is mainly used to create interrogative and negative sentences in the present and past tense.

The present tense is usually one of the first tense of the verb that new students of English learn. It is used to describe actions that occur on an ongoing basis, to express feelings, facts, opinions and events. The present simple tense should not be confused with the present long tense, which is used to describe what is happening at the moment. For instance:

  • present idle time (I catch the bus at 8:50 a. m. to go to work. I take the bus at 8:50 to get to work);
  • present for a long time (I am riding the bus to work. I ride the bus to work).

A good way to improve your speaking skills is to use role play exercises. You can use the following dialogue with a classmate or friend to practice in the present simple tense.

John: Hello, Can I ask you some questions?

Ann: Yes, I can answer some questions.

John: Thank you for taking the time. What do you do?

Ann: I work in a library. I'm a librarian.

John: Are you married?

John: What does your husband do?

Ann: He works in the shop.

John: Do you usually have dinner together?

Ann: Yes, we do.

John: Where do you like to go on holiday?

Ann: We like to go to the mountains if we can.

John: What kind of books do you read?

Ann: I often read horror stories.

John: Thank you very much for answering my questions.

It can be seen from the dialogue that the present simple is used to describe what is done every day with the inclusion of adverbs always, sometimes, usually, etc., which indicate a habit. Other cases that take a real simple time:

  • persistent or long-term situations (Where do you work? The store opens at 9 a. m. She lives in New York.);
  • regular habits and daily routine (I usually get up at 7 a. m. She doesn’t often go to the cinema. When do they usually have lunch?);
  • facts (The earth revolves around the sun. What does "strange" mean? Water doesn’t boil at 20 degrees.);
  • feelings (I love walking around late at night during the summer. She hates flying! I don’t want to live in Texas.);
  • opinions and states of mind (He doesn’t agree with you. I think he is a wonderful student. What do you consider your best accomplishment?);
  • schedules and schedules (The plane leaves at 4 p. m. When do courses begin this semester? The train doesn’t arrive until 10.35 a. m.).

The present simple tense can be expressed in three ways: affirmative, negative, or in the form of a question. Conjugation of affirmative verbs is easy for the first and second person. You just need to use its basic form. For the third person, s is added to the verb. For example: I eat lunch at noon. You play tennis at noon. He walks to school every day. She watches TV in the evening. It sleeps under the couch. We study English at school. They eat lunch at noon.

The use of the verb to do in English (table)

Time
1. Present do (does)
2. Past did
3. Perfect done

The negative form uses the auxiliary do for the first and second person and does for the third person. You can also abbreviate the negative form. For example: I do not leave work early on Mondays. You don’t like to watch TV. He does not understand the question. She doesn’t ride a bike. We do not have any money. They don’t leave at noon.

If the present tense is expressed in the form of a question, then do or does is used, followed by the subject and main verb. For example: Do I work in this company? Do you get up early? Do we often drive to work? Do they understand French? Does he like to watch TV? Does she believe in ghosts? Does it leave at noon?

Formation of the verb do (does) - did (rule and table)

The verb's simple past tense is used to talk about things that happened and ended in the recent past. Following the dialog clearly shows the use of the simple past tense:

Mike: Hi Mary, what did you do on Saturday?

Mary: I did a lot of things. I went shopping.

Mike: What did you buy?

Mary: I bought some new clothes. I also played volleyball.

Mike: Who did you play?

Mary: I played Jack.

Mike: Did you win?

Mary: Of course I won!

Mike: What did you do after volleyball?

Mary: Well, I went home and took a shower and then went out.

Mike: Did you eat in a restaurant?

Mary: Yes, my friend Peter and I ate at The Good Fork.

Mike: Did you enjoy your dinner?

Mary: Yes, we enjoyed our dinner very much. We also drank some wonderful wine!

Mike: Unfortunately, I didn’t go out this weekend. I didn’t eat in a restaurant.

Mary: What did you do?

Mike: I stayed home and studied.

The auxiliary verb to do and interrogative pronouns show the time in which the dialogue took place: What did you do? I went. What did you buy? I bought. I played. I took. I ate. We enjoyed. We drank. I stayed. I studied.

The simple past is used to describe what happened at a particular time in the past using temporal words: ago, in the past, or yesterday. Where did you go yesterday? The flight left last night. They didn’t come two weeks ago.

In the positive form for regular verbs, the ending -ed is added to the main verb. But there are also irregular verbs. Some of the more common ones are: go - went, buy - bought, take - took, come - came, have - had, eat - ate, and drink - drank.

Irregular verbs need to be memorized: They returned late last night (regular verb). She played volleyball yesterday (regular verb). It sounded easy to them (regular verb). I went to Paris last week (irregular verb). I bought a new cap yesterday (irregular verb). They went to the shop a few hours ago (irregular verb). We thought about it (irregular verb). I came by bus last week (irregular verb). They came back late last night (irregular verb).

The negative past tense is constructed using the auxiliary verb did with the particle not (abbreviated didn’t) plus the main verb without any changes: I didn’t hear the question. You didn’t fly to San Francisco last week. She didn’t want to do the work. They didn’t ask any questions in class. It didn’t break yesterday. I didn’t like the music last night. He didn’t buy anything last week. We didn’t go to Paris last week.

The interrogative form uses the auxiliary verb, followed by the subject-subject, and then the base form of the verb. Informative questions begin with words like "where" or "when": Did we make a reservation? Did you understand the question? Did she want to leave the party? When did you finish the book? Where did he live last year? How much did it cost? What did they say?

The verb to do can also be used to form a negative imperative or to reinforce a request before an imperative: Don’t go there. Don’t open the window. Do come to me today. Come (certainly) to me today.

Also, the verb to do is used to enhance the action expressed by the main verb in the tenses of Present Indefinite and Past Indefinite. Its reinforcing design is visible in the following examples: I think you don’t know my brother. - You aren’t right. I do know him very well. Why didn’t you speak to him? - But I did speak to him yesterday.


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Affirmative form negative form Interrogative form
I do I do not know (do, etc.) Do i know (do, etc.)
you do you do not Do you
he does he does not Does he
she does she does not Does she
it does it does not Does it
we do we do not Do we
you do you do not Do you
they do they do not Do they

Negative interrogative form: Do I not? (Don’t I?) Etc.

She danced well. - Yes, she did.
He didn’t come. - No, he didn’t.
Tom speaks a lot. - Yes, he does.

She danced well. - Yes (, well).
He did not come. - Yes (, did not come).
Tom talks a lot. - Yes (, a lot).

b) in short sentences expressing disagreement.

Don't speaks too loudly - No, he doesn’t.
You eat too much - No, I don’t.

He speaks very loudly. - No, not very loud.
You eat too much. '' No, not much.

c) in sentences supplementing the information received.

She likes hot milk and so do I.
She loves hot milk, and so do I.

Not lives in a hostel but I don’t.
He lives in a hostel, but I do not (I do not live in a hostel).

Not doesn’t like pork and neither do I.
He doesn't like pork, and neither do I.

  • 6. In the second part of the dividing questions, if the verb-