English · A1 · verb · 4 minutes
Do: present tense
Use do/does as a main verb and as question/negative support.
Understand the choice
Do appears both as lexical action and grammar support. Context distinguishes do the shopping from do you shop? The spelling does has pronunciation /dʌz/.
Core rule: Do changes to does in affirmative third-person singular; as an auxiliary it carries tense/person before a base verb.
Notice it in context
I do my homework, and she does the shopping.
Hago mis deberes y ella hace las compras.
Do agrees with I; does agrees with she; both take activity nouns.
Do they work here?
Is this their workplace?
Auxiliary do starts a present-simple question.
He does not cook on Monday.
Cooking is not his Monday activity.
Does carries third-person and not; cook stays base.
What to remember
- Does is pronounced like “duz,” not like goes.
- Do homework, do housework, and do the shopping are common collocations.
Common trap: Do not add -s to the main verb after does.