Yes/No vs Wh- Questions in English: A Complete Guide with Examples

Learn how to form closed (Yes/No) and open (Wh-) questions in English with clear examples, memory tricks, and practical exercises.

Updated on 23/01/26

If you have ever wondered why English questions sometimes start with «Do you…?» and others with «Where do you…?», you are in the right place. Today, we are going to unravel the mystery of questions in English, which are basically divided into two main groups: closed questions (Yes/No questions) and open questions (Wh- questions). The former are those that are answered with a simple «yes» or «no» (although people usually add more information afterwards, of course), while the latter need a more elaborate answer because they start with words like what, where, when, etc. Mastering both types is essential for communicating fluently in English, so let’s look at everything with clear examples and no unnecessary complications.

Yes/No Questions (Closed Questions)

What are Yes/No Questions?

Yes/No questions are those that, in theory, can be answered with a simple «yes» or «no». I say «in theory» because, in practice, hardly anyone responds with just that, but hey, that’s the idea. They are also called closed questions because they limit the response options.

Examples:

• Are you ready? – Yes, I am. / No, I’m not.
• Did you go to the party? – Yes, I did. / No, I didn’t.
• Can you swim? – Yes, I can. / No, I can’t.

The main characteristic of these questions is that they start with a verb: be it an auxiliary (do, does, did, have, has, will, etc.), a modal (can, could, should, etc.) or the verb to be (am, is, are, was, were).

Structure of Yes/No Questions with the Verb «to be»

When we use the verb to be, forming questions is quite simple. You just have to invert the order of the subject and the verb. That is, if in an affirmation the subject comes first, in the question the verb comes first.

The structure is:

Verb TO BE + Subject + Complements

Let’s look at some examples:

As you can see, you simply change the order. Easy, right?

Yes/No Questions with Auxiliary Verbs (do/does/did)

When the main verb is not to be and we are in the present simple or past simple, we need to use the auxiliaries do, does (present) or did (past).

The structure is:

Do/Does/Did + Subject + Verb in infinitive + Complements

Important points:

• Use does with he, she, it in the present
• Use do with I, you, we, they in the present
• Use did with all subjects in the past
• The main verb always stays in the infinitive (without -s, without -ed)

Examples:

Notice that «works» becomes «work» and «went» becomes «go» because the auxiliary already carries the information for the verb tense.

Yes/No Questions with Modal Verbs (can, will, should, etc.)

Modal verbs (can, could, will, would, should, must, may, might) work in a similar way to the verb to be: you simply place them at the beginning of the question.

The structure is:

Modal + Subject + Verb in infinitive + Complements

Examples:

• Can you help me?
• Will they come to the party?
• Should I call her?
• Could you pass me the salt?
• Must we leave now?

Here you don’t need any additional auxiliary. The modal already does that job.

Yes/No Questions with Perfect and Continuous Tenses

When we work with more complex verb tenses (present perfect, past continuous, etc.), the rule is the same: the first auxiliary goes to the beginning.

Examples:

The key is to identify which is the first auxiliary and put it in front of the subject.

Wh- Questions (Open Questions)

What are Wh- Questions?

Wh- questions are open questions, those that cannot be answered with a simple «yes» or «no». They are called this because most start with the letters «wh-» (what, where, when, who, why, which, whose), although how also falls into this category despite not starting with «wh-«.

These questions seek specific information:

• Where do you live? – I live in Madrid.
• What did you eat? – I ate pizza.
• Why are you late? – Because I missed the bus.

Wh- Interrogative Words and Their Uses

Each interrogative word has a specific purpose. Let’s look at them one by one:

Who

It is used to ask about people.

• Who is that man? – He’s my brother.
• Who called you? – Sarah called me.
• Who did you invite? – I invited my friends.

What

It is used to ask about things, actions or information.

• What is this? – It’s a book.
• What do you want? – I want some water.
• What happened? – There was an accident.

Where

It is used to ask about places.

• Where is the station? – It’s on Main Street.
• Where do you work? – I work in a hospital.
• Where did you go? – I went to the beach.

When

It is used to ask about time or a moment.

• When is your birthday? – It’s on May 15th.
• When does the class start? – It starts at 9 am.
• When did you arrive? – I arrived yesterday.

Why

It is used to ask for reasons or motives.

• Why are you crying? – Because I’m sad.
• Why did you leave? – Because I was tired.
• Why is she angry? – Because he lied to her.

How

It is used to ask about the manner, method or state.

• How are you? – I’m fine, thanks.
• How did you do it? – I used a tutorial.
• How does this work? – You press this button.

Which

It is used to ask about a choice between limited options.

• Which is your car? – The red one.
• Which do you prefer, tea or coffee? – I prefer tea.
• Which book did you read? – I read the first one.

Whose

It is used to ask about possession.

• Whose is this jacket? – It’s mine.
• Whose car is that? – It’s John’s car.
• Whose idea was it? – It was Sarah’s idea.

Important note: Do not confuse whose with who’s (who is/who has). They sound the same but mean different things.

Structure of Wh- Questions with the Verb «to be»

When we use the verb to be, the structure is:

Wh- word + Verb TO BE + Subject + Complements

Examples:

• Where is the bathroom?
• Who is that woman?
• When is the meeting?
• Why are you so happy?
• How was your weekend?

As you can see, first comes the interrogative word, then the verb to be, then the subject and finally the rest of the information.

Structure of Wh- Questions with Other Verbs

When the main verb is not to be, we need an auxiliary (do/does/did, have/has, will, etc.). The structure is:

Wh- word + Auxiliary + Subject + Main verb + Complements

Examples:

Wh- Questions as Subject vs as Object

Here comes something interesting. Normally, the Wh- word functions as the object of the question, but sometimes it can be the subject. When it is the subject, we do not need an auxiliary.

Wh- as an object (needs an auxiliary):

• What did you see? (You saw something → What did you see?)
• Who did you meet? (You met someone → Who did you meet?)

Wh- as a subject (DOES NOT need an auxiliary):

• What happened? (Something happened → What happened?)
• Who called you? (Someone called you → Who called you?)
• Which car broke down? (A car broke down → Which car broke down?)

Notice the difference:

• Who called you? – Who is the subject
• Who did you call? – Who is the object

Special Combinations with How (how much, how many, how often, etc.)

The word how is very versatile and combines with other words to make more specific questions:

How much – For uncountable quantities or prices

• How much water do you drink?
• How much does it cost?

How many – For countable quantities

• How many students are there?
• How many books did you read?

How often – For frequency

• How often do you exercise? – Three times a week.
• How often does she visit? – Once a month.

How long – For duration

• How long have you lived here? – For five years.
• How long does it take? – About 30 minutes.

How far – For distance

• How far is the station? – It’s 2 kilometres away.

How old – For age

• How old are you? – I’m 25.

How tall – For height

• How tall is he? – He’s 1.80 metres.

Special Combinations with What (what time, what kind, etc.)

Just like how, the word what also combines with other words:

What time – To ask the time

• What time is it? – It’s 3 o’clock.
• What time does the train leave? – At 7:30.

What kind/type – To ask about the type

• What kind of music do you like? – I like rock.
• What type of car is that? – It’s a Toyota.

What colour – To ask about the colour

• What colour is your car? – It’s blue.

Note: What and which can be used similarly when asking for a choice, but which implies a limited number of options, while what is more open.

Key Differences Between Yes/No and Wh- Questions

Comparison of Structures

Let’s look side-by-side at how both types of questions are formed so it becomes crystal clear:

The main difference is that Wh- questions carry an interrogative word at the beginning, while Yes/No questions start directly with the verb.

Types of Expected Answers

This is the most obvious difference between the two types:

Yes/No Questions:

• Expected answer: Yes or No (although more information is normally added)
• Example: Did you finish the report? – Yes, I did. / No, not yet.

Wh- Questions:

• Expected answer: Specific information
• Example: When did you finish the report? – Yesterday afternoon.

When to Use Each Type

Use Yes/No questions when:

• You want to confirm or verify information
• You need a quick and direct answer
• You are making an offer or request: Would you like some coffee?
• You want to know if something is true or false

Use Wh- questions when:

• You need specific information (place, time, reason, etc.)
• You want the other person to elaborate on their answer
• You are investigating or gathering details
• You are looking for an explanation or description

By the way, when we transform direct questions into reported speech in English, both Yes/No questions and Wh- questions change their structure. Yes/No questions use if or whether («She asked if I was ready»), while Wh- questions keep the interrogative word but with statement order («She asked where I lived»).

Common Errors When Forming Questions in English

Let’s look at the most typical mistakes students make (and some natives too, to be honest).

Forgetting the Auxiliary

This is probably the most common mistake. When the main verb is not to be, you need an auxiliary.

❌ What you want?
✅ What do you want?

❌ Where she lives?
✅ Where does she live?

❌ When you arrived?
✅ When did you arrive?

Using «do/does» with the Verb «to be»

The verb to be does not need an auxiliary. It is self-sufficient, so to speak.

❌ Where does she is?
✅ Where is she?

❌ Do you are ready?
✅ Are you ready?

❌ Why does he is angry?
✅ Why is he angry?

Incorrect Word Order

Sometimes students maintain the statement order in a question.

❌ You are ready? (this sounds more like a confirmation than a question)
✅ Are you ready?

❌ What she wants?
✅ What does she want?

❌ Where you went?
✅ Where did you go?

Another related error is conjugating the main verb when you already have the auxiliary conjugated:

❌ What does she wants?
✅ What does she want?

❌ Where did you went?
✅ Where did you go?

Confusing Whose with Who’s

These two sound exactly the same, but they have completely different meanings.

Whose = possession
Whose car is this?

Who’s = who is / who has
Who’s coming to the party?
Who’s got a pen?

A trick: if you can replace the word with «who is» or «who has» and the sentence makes sense, then you need who’s. If not, use whose.

Tricks to Remember How to Form Questions in English

Here are some tricks that will help you form questions correctly without having to think too much:

1. The «First Verb to the Front» Rule

In Yes/No questions, the first verb (auxiliary, modal or be) always goes in front of the subject. If there isn’t any of these verbs, add do/does/did.

2. QASI for Wh- Questions

Remember the acronym QASI:

• Question word
• Auxiliary (auxiliary/modal/be)
• Subject
• Infinitive (main verb)

Example: Where do you live?

3. The «Who/What as Subject» Trick

If you can replace who or what with a noun and the sentence makes sense without changing the order, then you don’t need an auxiliary.

• Who called? → John called. (works, doesn’t need an auxiliary)
• Who did you call? → You called John. (needs an auxiliary because «who» is the object)

4. Main Verb Always in the Infinitive

When you use an auxiliary (do/does/did), the main verb ALWAYS goes in the infinitive (without -s, without -ed, without -ing).

• ✅ Does she work here?
• ❌ Does she works here?

5. Be is Special

The verb to be never needs do/does/did. Simply invert it with the subject and that’s it.

Exercises with Closed Questions (Yes/No) and Open Questions (Wh-) in English

Now it’s your turn to practise. Transform the following statements into questions. The answers are at the end.

If you prefer something you can copy and paste more easily, you have the same exercises below 👇

Exercise 1: Yes/No Questions

Transform these statements into Yes/No questions:

Exercise 2: Wh- Questions

Transform these statements into Wh- questions using the interrogative word indicated in brackets:

Exercise 3: Mixed

Transform these statements into the type of question indicated in brackets:

Answers:

Conclusion

And there you have it: everything you need to know about closed questions (Yes/No) and open questions (Wh-) in English. The key is to practise until forming questions becomes automatic. Remember the tricks we’ve seen: the first verb goes in front in Yes/No questions, add do/does/did when there is no auxiliary, and never use do with the verb to be.

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Practise with the exercises, make mistakes (it’s part of the process), and little by little you will see how asking questions in English becomes more and more natural.

And until the next article, don’t forget to keep smiling!