Verb "To Do" in English

How to Use "To Do" in English

home▸sitemap▸irregular verbs▸verb "to do"

The verb "to do" is a common verb in English. It has 5 different forms:

do, does, did, doing, done

"To do" is an unusual verb because it can function as a main verb or an auxiliary verb.

Table of Contents

The Verb "To Do" Explained
"To Do" As a Main Verb
"To Do" As an Auxiliary Verb
The 5 Forms of a Verb
Negative Forms of "To Do"
Test Time!
Conjugating "To Do" Fully

The Verb "To Do" Explained

(1) "To Do" As a Main Verb:

I do ballet.

(2) "To Do" As an Auxiliary Verb:

Do you like olives?
I do not like olives.
They do believe in fairies.

"To Do" As a Main Verb

As a main verb, "to do" usually means "to perform" or "to carry out". For example:

We do exercise at lunchtime.
She does a triple twist at the end of the vault.
Joanne did a good thing yesterday.

carried out

"To Do" As an Auxiliary Verb

As an auxiliary verb (or helping verb), "to do" has three uses. It can be used to form a question, to create a negative verb, or to add emphasis. In each of these examples, the main verb is bold:

(1) To form a question:

Did you eat all the bananas?
Do you know the capital of France?
Does Alan want a drink?

Notice the word order when "to do" helps to form a question:

[form of "to do"]

[subject]

[verb]

[the rest]

For example:

Does

John

play

the guitar?

(2) To make a verb negative:

I do not drink coffee at home.
Sarah does not fly back to Argentina tomorrow.
Jack did not hear the alarm.

Notice the word order when "to do" helps to form a negative verb:

[subject]

[form of "to do"]

"not"

[base form of verb]

[the rest]

For example:

Sarah

did

not

break

the plate.

(3) To add emphasis:

I do work hard!
Peter does have a sister.
We did find the treasure eventually.

Notice the word order when "to do" adds emphasis:

[subject]

[form of "to do"]

[base form of verb]

[the rest]

For example:

Sarah

did

break

the plate.

The 5 Forms of a Verb

As we've covered, there are 5 different versions of the verb "to do." They are "do," "does," "did," "doing," and "done." There are no other versions of the verb.

This table shows where these feature in the 5 grammatical forms of a verb:

Form	To Do	Alternative Name
Base Form	do	Infinitive Form
Present Tense Forms	does, do	[no alternative name]
Past Forms	did	Simple Past Tense
The -ING Form	doing	Present Participle Form
The Past Participle Form	done	[no alternative name]

"Do" and "does" are the present tense forms.

I do sport.	We do sport.
You do sport.	You do sport.
He/she/it does sport.	They do sport.

"Did" is the past tense form.

I did the test.	We did the test.
You did the test.	You did the test.
He/she/it did the test.	They did the test.

"Doing" is the present participle form.

We were doing our homework.
We are doing our homework.
We will be doing our homework.

continuous tenses

"Done" is the past participle form.

We had done our homework.
We have done our homework.
We will have done our homework.

completed tenses

In each of the examples above, "to do" is a main verb (i.e., the version that means "to perform" or "to carry out.")

Don't forget that "do," "does," and "did" can also be auxiliary verbs. In the examples below, they are being used to add emphasis, to make a verb negative, or to form a question. (The main verb is shown in bold.)

"Do" and "does" are the present tense forms.

I do like sport. (adds emphasis)	We do not like sport. (makes the verb negative)
Do you like sport? (helps form a question)	You do like sport. (adds emphasis)
He/she/it does not like sport. (makes the verb negative)	Do they like sport? (helps form a question)

"Did" is the past tense form.

I did pass the test. (adds emphasis)	We did not pass the test. (makes the verb negative)
Did you pass the test? (helps form a question)	You did pass the test. (adds emphasis)
He/she/it did not pass the test. (makes the verb negative)	Did they pass the test? (helps form a question)

Negative Forms of "To Do"

To create a negative verb, precede it with the negative form of "do," "does," or "did."

auxiliary verb	negative form	contraction
do	do not	don't
does	does not	doesn't
did	did not	didn't

Creating the negative form, emphasis, or a question with "to do" as a main verb is quirky because it requires using "to do" as an auxiliary verb in the same sentence.

I do not do yoga.
We do do yoga.
Do you do yoga. (helps form a question)

In the three examples above, "to do" is used as an auxiliary verb and a main verb. If you understand this, you've nailed it!

More about "To Do"

The verb "do" is an irregular verb. (This means that "do" does not form its simple past tense or its past participle by adding "-ed" or "-d" to the base form.)

Conjugating "To Do" Fully

The tables below show how "to do" conjugates in all 12 of the past, present, and future tenses. Bear in mind that "to do" is used as both the auxiliary verb and the main verb in these conjugation tables.

Past Tenses

Person	Simple Past	Past Progressive Tense	Past Perfect Tense	Past Perfect Progressive Tense
I you he/she/it we you they	did did did did did did The simple past tense is for a completed activity that happened in the past.	was doing were doing was doing were doing were doing were doing The past progressive tense is for an ongoing activity in the past. Often, it is used to set the scene for another action.	had done had done had done had done had done had done The past perfect tense is for emphasizing that an action was completed before another took place.	had been doing had been doing had been doing had been doing had been doing had been doing The past perfect progressive tense is for showing that an ongoing action in the past has ended.

Present Tenses

Person	Simple Present	Present Progressive Tense	Present Perfect Tense	Present Perfect Progressive Tense
I you he/she/it we you they	do do does do do do The simple present tense is mostly for a fact or a habit.	am doing are doing is doing are doing are doing are doing The present progressive tense is for an ongoing action in the present.	have done have done has done have done have done have done The present perfect tense is for an action that began in the past. (Often, the action continues into the present.)	have been doing have been doing has been doing have been doing have been doing have been doing The present perfect progressive tense is for a continuous activity that began in the past and continues into the present (or finished very recently).

Future Tenses

Person	Simple Future	Future Progressive Tense	Future Perfect Tense	Future Perfect Progressive Tense
I you he/she/it we you they	will do will do will do will do will do will do The simple future tense is for an action that will occur in the future.	will be doing will be doing will be doing will be doing will be doing will be doing The future progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will occur in the future.	will have done will have done will have done will have done will have done will have done The future perfect tense is for an action that will have been completed at some point in the future.	will have been doing will have been doing will have been doing will have been doing will have been doing will have been doing The future perfect progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will be completed at some specified time in the future.