Short Answers

A1 · BeginnerQuestions

Do you like coffee? Yes, I do. A natural English short answer repeats the subject and the exact auxiliary from the question — never the full sentence.

What you'll learn

A short answer is Yes/No + subject + the SAME auxiliary the question used
Never repeat the full sentence, and never repeat the main verb in the short answer
The auxiliary must match: do/does/did questions get do/does/did answers; is/are/was/were questions get be answers, and so on
The negative short answer uses the contracted negative form (isn't, doesn't, haven't, won't...)

Echoing the question's auxiliary

A natural short answer to a yes/no question doesn't repeat the whole sentence — it just says Yes or No, then the subject, then the exact same auxiliary verb the question used.

"Do you like coffee? — Yes, I do."

"Is she a doctor? — Yes, she is."

The auxiliary has to match

Whatever auxiliary appears in the question — do, does, did, is, are, was, were, have, has, can, will — that exact same word (or its negative) is what goes in the short answer. The main verb never appears again.

"Have you finished? — No, I haven't."

"Can you swim? — Yes, I can."

"Did they arrive on time? — No, they didn't."

The negative short answer

For a 'no' answer, use the contracted negative of that same auxiliary: isn't, doesn't, don't, haven't, hasn't, won't, can't, didn't.

"Is the store open? — No, it isn't."

"Does he work here? — No, he doesn't."

Real English

"Do they live here? — Yes, they do."

"Were they happy with the result? — Yes, they were."

"Did you sleep well? — Yes, I did."

"Will it rain? — I hope not."

Watch out

✗Do you like coffee? — Yes, I like.

✓Do you like coffee? — Yes, I do.

The short answer repeats the auxiliary (do), never the main verb (like) on its own.

✗Is she a doctor? — Yes, she is a doctor.

✓Is she a doctor? — Yes, she is.

A natural short answer stops after the auxiliary — repeating the whole sentence sounds unnatural and overly formal.

✗Have you finished? — No, I don't.

✓Have you finished? — No, I haven't.

The short answer's auxiliary must match the question's — a 'have' question needs a 'have' answer, not 'do'.

Real life — A quick check-in

"Have you eaten yet?"

"No, I haven't. Have you?"

"Yes, I have — want me to save you something?"

"Yes, please, that would be great."

Practice

Exercise 1 · Choose the correct short answer

'Do you like coffee?' — Choose the correct short answer.

Exercise 2 · Choose the correct short answer

'Is she a doctor?' — Choose the correct short answer.

Exercise 3 · Choose the correct short answer

'Have you finished?' — Choose the correct short answer.

Exercise 4 · Choose the correct short answer

'Can you swim?' — Choose the correct short answer.

Exercise 5 · Choose the correct short answer

'Did they arrive on time?' — Choose the correct short answer.

Exercise 6 · Choose the correct short answer

'Are you ready?' — Choose the correct short answer.

Exercise 7 · Choose the correct short answer

'Will you come?' — Choose the correct short answer.

Exercise 8 · Choose the correct short answer

'Does he work here?' — Choose the correct short answer.

Exercise 9 · Give a short answer

'Were you at the party?' — Give a short 'no' answer.

Exercise 10 · Give a short answer

'Has she called yet?' — Give a short 'yes' answer.

Exercise 11 · Sort into groups

Do you like it?

Is it ready?

Have you seen it?

Can he drive?

Did they win?

Will it rain?

0 / 6 sorted

Quick challenge

Five quick questions to check what stuck.

Question 1 / 5

Score: 0/0

'Do they live here?' — Choose the correct short answer.

You learned

A short answer is Yes/No + subject + the same auxiliary the question used.
Never repeat the full sentence or the main verb in a short answer.
The auxiliary in the answer must match the one in the question.
Use the contracted negative form (isn't, doesn't, haven't...) for a 'no' answer.

BeginnerQuestions

WH- Questions

Learn how to ask for specific information with what, where, when, why, who, and how, using the same auxiliary inversion as yes/no questions.

BeginnerQuestions

Yes/No Questions

Learn how to form questions that can be answered with yes or no, by moving the auxiliary verb before the subject.

ElementaryQuestions

Subject vs Object Questions

Learn the one case where a question needs NO do/does/did — when the question word itself is the subject of the sentence.

ElementaryQuestions

Question Tags

Learn how to add a short tag like 'isn't it?' or 'don't you?' to the end of a statement, flipping its polarity and matching its auxiliary.