How to use did, was, were and does correctly?

Words such as "did", "was", "were", and "does" that frequently appear in learning English. Although it is a word learned in junior high school, many people use "did" in the past, and it seems that there are surprisingly many people who are uncertain about how to use it properly. So, this time, I would like to introduce how to use these four words properly, along with sentences that frequently appear in English conversation.

Different use of Did and Was / Were

Have you made the following mistakes while speaking in online English conversation?

"Did you go to school yesterday?"
× Were you go to school yesterday?

The original correct text is below.

â—‹ Did you go to school yesterday?
(Did you go to school yesterday?)

So why is "did" correct instead of "were"?

In the first place, the sentence "Did you go to school yesterday?" Is an interrogative form of the sentence "You went to school yesterday."

You went to school yesterday. (You went to school yesterday.)

This went is the past tense of the general verb "go". General verbs are verbs other than the be verb. When making a question sentence of a sentence containing such a past tense general verb, Did is added to the beginning of the sentence, and went remains changed to the original form "go".

You went to school yesterday. (You went to school yesterday.)
↓
Did you go to school yesterday. (You went to school yesterday.)

On the other hand, how about the following sentences?

"Did you in the school at that time?"
× Did you in the school at that time?

The original correct text is below.

Were you in the school at that time?

The sentence "Are you at school at that time?" Is a question of the sentence "You were at school at that time" in the first place.

You were in the school at that time.

In this sentence, the verb is not a general verb, but a be verb, which is the past tense of are. In the interrogative sentence of the sentence including the be verb, the be verb moves to the beginning of the sentence as it is.

You were in the school at that time. (At that time, you were at school.)
↓
Were you in the school at that time. (At that time, you were at school.)

Of course, the past tense of the be verb is not only were, but also was. For example,

He was in the school at that time. (He was in the school at that time.)

In the question sentence of the sentence, the be verb was moved to the beginning of the sentence,

He was in the school at that time. (He was in the school at that time?)
↓
Was he in the school at that time?

It will be.

Did, Was / Were example sentences

Based on the previous explanation, let's look at some of the example sentences that can be used in online English conversation.

Patterns that use Did

You liked the ice cream. (You liked the ice cream.)
↓
Did you like the ice cream? (Did you like the ice cream?)

You bought new shoes. (You bought new shoes.)
↓
Did you buy new shoes? (Did you buy new shoes?)

You wrote a letter to your mom. ↓
Did
you write a letter to your mom? (Did you write a letter to your mom?)

Patterns that use Were

You were sick last week. (You were sick last week.)
↓
Were you sick last week? (Did you get sick last week?)

You were sad when you saw it. (You were sad when you saw it.)
↓
Were you sad when you saw it?

They were there last summer. (They were there last summer.)
↓
Were they there last summer? (Did they stay there last summer?)

Pattern using Was

He was at home yesterday. (He was at home yesterday.)
↓
Was he at home yesterday? (Did he stay at home yesterday?)

She was with Tom last Friday. (She was with Tom last Friday.)
↓
Was she with Tom last Friday? (She was with Tom this Friday?)

I was wrong. (I was wrong.)
↓
Was I wrong? (I was wrong?)

Use did and does properly

Next, let's look at the difference between did and does. When speaking in English, I often hear that the place where does should be used is did, and vice versa.

First of all, there are two main situations where you often see did and does.

The first is when the general verb "do" changes, "do" and "do", and the other is when it is used as an "auxiliary verb" in the head of an interrogative sentence. Let's explain these two patterns separately.

Variations of the general verb "do" "did" "does"

First of all, "did", but suppose you have the following sentence.

I do homework. (I do my homework)

You do the washing.

They do the dishes.

In the example sentence above, "do" acts as the verb "do". "Did" appears when the general verb "to" is transformed into the past tense of "to".

I did homework. (I did my homework.)

You did the washing.

They did the dishes.

On the other hand, "does" is the present tense, and when the subject is a pronoun such as "he", "she", or "it" or a proper noun, the third person of do (third person, singular, present tense). "Does" is used.

She does homework.

He does the washing.

Tom does the dishes.

<Summary>
1. In the past tense of the general verb "do", "did" is used. If the subject is the third person singular and present tense, "do" changes to "does"

"Did" and "does" used at the beginning of an interrogative sentence

"Did" and "does" also appear at the beginning of an interrogative sentence. At this time, "did" and "does" are not verbs, but auxiliary verbs, and work to indicate that they are interrogative sentences.

First of all, "did" is used for "past" interrogative sentences as shown below.

Did you go to school yesterday? (Did you go to school yesterday?)

Did he talk to you last Friday? (Did he talk to you last Tuesday?)

Did she like your present?

The fact that "Did" is in your head tells you that it is a past question.

On the other hand, "does" is used when the subject is the current interrogative and the subject is the third person singular such as "she", "he", "it".

Does he usually go to school by bus?

Does she enjoy her job?

Does Emily often cook?

As mentioned above, in the current interrogative form, "Does" is used if the subject is the third person singular. This doesn't come out at first, and you might just say "Do she" or "Do he". Let's memorize the part drawn in red as a set by saying "Does he" and "Does she" many times.

<Summary>
1. "Did" is used at the beginning of past tense interrogative sentences
. "Does" is a present tense interrogative, used when the subject is the third person singular

Conclusion

"Did," "was," "were," "does," etc. are words that are often used in English conversation. I think there are many people who say the wrong word in the sentence. By speaking the correct example sentence introduced this time aloud many times, you will feel a sense of discomfort when "did" becomes "was". Once you understand the difference, please try to speak a lot.