The document discusses the confusion caused by the words do, does, and did in English and explains how they can function as both action verbs and auxiliary verbs. It provides examples of how to use do, does, did, and done as action verbs in different tenses. It also explains how to use don't, doesn't, and didn't to form negative sentences and how do, does, and did can be used for emphasis in positive sentences.

1. Do
Does
Did
Done

2. notice:
The word DO, DOES and DID appears a lot in
English and cause confusion.
This is because it can be an action verb TO DO (Do /
Does / Did / Done) and can also be an AUXILIARY
verb (Do / Does / Did).

3. To Do as an Action Verb
In some cases, to do is used as a verb that expresses an action (just like the verb to walk).
Subject
Forms of to do in each Tense
Rest of
SentencePresent Past
Perfect
Form
Continuous
Form
I / You /
We / They
do did
have/had +
done
am/are/wer
e + doing
a good job
He / She /
It
does did
has/had +
done
is/was +
doing
homework
In Present Simple 3rd person (he, she, it), add an es to a verb that ends in ‘o’:
do > does / go> goes
- Pete always does his taxes on time.
- Volunteers do a lot of work around the town.
- Gil did a great job on his history report for school.
- You have done nothing all morning!
- I am doing the best I can!

4. To Do as an Auxiliary Verb
Subject
Auxillery Verb to do
Present or Past
Verb in Base
Form
Rest of
Sentence
I / You / We /
They
don’t (do not) didn’t (did not) sleep late
He / She / It
doesn’t (does
not)
didn’t (did not) sit out in the sun
- Your client doesn’t understand the contract.
- You don’t need to worry about me.
- Your friends didn’t get the e-mail.

5. TO DO - Present Tense - (Do / Does)
The present tense of TO DO is:
I / you / we / they – DO
he / she / it – DOES
• I do my laundry on Saturdays.
• They do their chores when they arrive home.
• He does nothing all day.
• She does charity work when she has time.

6. TO DO - Past Tense - (Did)
The past tense of DO is DID for all subjects:
I / you / we / they / he / she / it – DID
• I did my homework in record time.
• We did everything we could to help.
• He did a somersault on the trampoline

7. TO DO - Past Participle - (Done)
The past participle of DO is DONE. Remember that
past participles are accompanied by TO HAVE or TO
BE (in the correct tense):
• I have done my homework.
• He has done a good job.
• The video will show you how it is done.
• The report was done on time.

8. TO DO - To replace a verb
We sometimes use the verb DO to replace a verb when
the meaning is clear or obvious. This replacement is
more common in informal spoken English:
• Do I need to do my hair? (do = brush or comb)
• Have you done the dishes yet? (done = washed)
• I'll do the kitchen if you do the lawns (do =
clean, do = mow)

9. DO vs DOES in Questions
To make a question in the Simple Present Tense in English we normally
put the auxiliary Do or Does at the beginning of the question before the
subject.
Affirmative: You speak Arabic.
Question: Do you speak Arabic?
You will see that we add DO at the beginning of the affirmative sentence
to change it into a question. We use Do when the subject is I, you, we or
they.
Affirmative: He speaks Arabic.
Question: Does he speak Arabic?

10. When the subject is he, she or it, we add DOES at the beginning to make the
affirmative sentence a question. Notice that the letter S at the end of the verb in
the affirmative sentence (because it is in third person) disappears in the question.
note: We DON'T use Do or Does in questions that have the verb To Be or Modal
Verbs (can, must, might, should etc.)
Examples of DO and DOES in questions:
• Do you like my shirt?
• Does he drive to work?
• Does she like hamburgers?
• Where do you live?
Notice there can be other words before Do and Does such as Question Words
(Who, What etc.)

11. DID in Questions
To make a question in the Past Tense in English we normally put the
auxiliary DID at the beginning of the question or before the main subject.
DID is used with regular AND irregular verbs in English.
(Exception is To Be and Modal Verbs such as Can)
Both Do and Does in present tense questions become Did in past tense
questions. Compare the following:
Present: Do they live in Spain?
Past: Did they live in Spain?
The main verb (live in the example above) is in its base form (of the
infinitive). The auxiliary DID shows that the question is in the past tense.

12. NOTICE: The only difference between a question in
the present tense and a question in the past tense is
the change in the auxiliary verb.
Examples of DID in questions:
• Did you visit a museum while you were there?
• Did the bus arrive late?
• Did she like the surprise?
• Why did you say that?

14. Don’t
Doesn’t
Didn’t

15. DON'T - DOESN'T - Negative Sentences
To make a negative sentence in English we normally use
Don't or Doesn't in the present sentence.
Don't and Doesn't are used in negative sentences with all
verbs EXCEPT To Be and Modal verbs (Can, might, should
etc.).
Affirmative: You speak Spanish.
Negative: You don't speak Spanish.
You will see that we add don't between the subject and the
verb. We use Don't when the subject is I, you, we or they.
Affirmative: He speaks Spanish.
Negative: He doesn't speak Spanish.

16. When the subject is he, she or it, we add doesn't
between the subject and the verb to make a negative
sentence. Notice that the letter S at the end of the verb
in the affirmative sentence (because it is in third
person) disappears in the negative sentence.
Examples of sentences using don't and doesn't:
• I don't like junk food.
• We don't need a dictionary.
• He doesn't want to get out of bed.
• It doesn't rain in the desert.

17. DIDN'T (DID NOT) - Negative Sentences
In the past tense Didn't is used to make a negative
sentence for all subjects (I / you / we / they / he / she /
it). This is for regular AND irregular verbs in English.
(Exception is To Be and Modal Verbs such as Can)
Compare the following:
Present: They don't live in Japan.
Past: They didn't live in Japan.
The main verb (live in the example above) is in its base
form (of the infinitive). The auxiliary DIDN'T shows
that the sentence is negative AND in the past tense.

18. NOTICE: The only difference between a negative
sentence in the present tense and a negative sentence
in the past tense is the change in the auxiliary verb.
Examples of sentences using Didn't:
• I didn't want to go
• He didn't study for the exam.
• We didn't have time to finish the report.
• They didn't like the movie.

19. NOTICE: The only difference between a negative
sentence in the present tense and a negative sentence
in the past tense is the change in the auxiliary verb.
Examples of sentences using Didn't:
• I didn't want to go
• He didn't study for the exam.
• We didn't have time to finish the report.
• They didn't like the movie.

20. DO - For Emphasis
Sometimes Do / Does / Did are used in positive
sentences to give special emphasis. Note that when
speaking, the word (do/does/did) is stressed.
• I do want to go. (We put stress on the word DO
to emphasize that we want to go)
• You do need to take an umbrella.
• He does like spinach. (You may be surprised but
yes, he likes spinach)
• I did study. (Contrary to what you may believe...
yes, I studied)

21. Notice that Did is used for positive sentences in the
past tense and that the main verb is in its base form.
Do can also appear at the beginning of an imperative
sentence to emphasize the importance of that
imperative verb.
• Do call when you arrive.
• Do tell him that I will be waiting for him.