Auxiliary Verbs
B1 · IntermediateVerbsBe, do, and have can each work as a main verb or as a helping verb. Telling them apart is the key to using them correctly.
What you'll learn
- Be as auxiliary: continuous tenses (is working) and the passive voice (was eaten)
- Do as auxiliary: questions and negatives in simple tenses (Does she like...? / doesn't like)
- Have as auxiliary: perfect tenses (has finished, have eaten)
- The same word can be a main verb with its own meaning (have a car, be a doctor)
- Do can also add emphasis: I do like this song
Auxiliary vs. main verb use
Be, do, and have are three of the most common English verbs, and each can play two different roles: a main verb with real meaning of its own, or an auxiliary (helping) verb that supports another verb to build grammar.
Be: continuous tenses and the passive
Be combines with an -ing form to build continuous tenses, and with a past participle to build the passive voice, where the subject receives the action instead of doing it.
Do: questions, negatives, and emphasis
Do (does/did) forms questions and negatives in the present simple and past simple, since those tenses have no other auxiliary of their own. Do can also add emphasis to a positive statement.
Have: perfect tenses
Have (has/had) combines with a past participle to build perfect tenses, connecting a past action to a later point — often now.
Real English
Watch out
Be forms its own questions and negatives — it never needs do as a helper.
Use only one auxiliary at a time — do for emphasis replaces be, it doesn't combine with it.
A question tag must match the auxiliary already in the sentence — have needs haven't/hasn't, not don't/doesn't.
Real life — Checking in on a project
"Have you finished the report yet?"
"Not quite — I'm still working on the last section."
"Does the client need it today?"
"No, it was moved to Friday."
Practice
Exercise 1 · Choose the correct answer
Which sentence uses 'have' as an auxiliary verb, not a main verb?
Exercise 2 · Choose the correct answer
Which sentence uses 'be' as an auxiliary verb?
Exercise 3 · Choose the correct question
Choose the correct question.
Exercise 4 · Choose the correct negative
Choose the correct negative.
Exercise 5 · Choose the correct answer
Which sentence uses 'be' to form the passive voice?
Exercise 6 · Choose the correct short answer
Choose the correct short answer to 'Do you like pizza?'
Exercise 7 · Choose the correct question tag
Choose the correct question tag: 'You've met her before, ___?'
Exercise 8 · Choose the correct sentence
Choose the correct sentence for emphasis.
Exercise 9 · Complete the sentence
Complete: 'They ___ finished the project yet.' (negative, present perfect)
Exercise 10 · Complete the sentence
Complete: '___ you like coffee?' (present simple question)
Exercise 11 · Sort into groups
0 / 6 sorted
Quick challenge
Five quick questions to check what stuck.
Question 1 / 5
Score: 0/0
In 'She has already left', is 'has' auxiliary or main verb?
You learned
- Be, do, and have can each be a main verb or an auxiliary — context tells you which.
- Be builds continuous tenses and the passive voice.
- Do builds questions and negatives in simple tenses, and can add emphasis.
- Have builds perfect tenses.
- A question tag must match the auxiliary already in the sentence.
Related grammar lessons
Stative vs. Dynamic Verbs
Learn which English verbs describe states (know, like, want, believe) rather than actions, why they normally avoid continuous forms, and how some verbs like think, have, and taste switch meaning between stative and dynamic use.
Transitive vs. Intransitive Verbs
Learn the difference between transitive verbs, which take a direct object, and intransitive verbs, which don't — and how some verbs like open, break, and grow can work both ways with no change in form.
Linking Verbs
Learn how linking verbs like be, seem, become, feel, look, taste, sound, and smell connect the subject to a description rather than showing an action — and why they're followed by adjectives, not adverbs.
Verb Types
Get an overview of the main categories of English verbs — main verbs, auxiliary verbs, modal verbs, and phrasal verbs — and how they work together in a sentence.