MyLeoNes™

Short answers to yes-or-no questions — Foreign languages, 7–10

You learn to answer a yes-or-no question naturally by repeating the helping verb, instead of repeating the whole sentence.

The small answer repeats the helper

A short answer gives the yes or no and keeps the important helping verb. “Do you like apples?” becomes “Yes, I do” or “No, I don’t”. With be, “Is she ready?” becomes “Yes, she is” or “No, she isn’t”.

Why not repeat the whole sentence?

In a conversation, repeating every word can sound heavy and slow. English keeps the answer short but leaves a clear clue about the grammar: do, does, am, is, are, was, or were. This makes the reply quick without making it mysterious.

Build a short answer step by step

Question: “Does Leo play chess?” First, find the helper: does. Next, choose yes or no. For a yes answer, keep the subject and change the question into “Yes, he does”; for a no answer, say “No, he doesn’t”. Do not add “plays”.

Do not use the main verb again

“Yes, he does plays” feels reasonable because the question contained “play” and the answer should show the action. But does has already carried the grammar, so the main verb is not repeated. Say “Yes, he does”; the short answer still means that he plays chess.

Short answers in real conversations

You hear short answers when someone checks a plan, a fact, or a preference: “Are we late?” “No, we aren’t.” “Does Maya come with us?” “Yes, she does.” They are useful when the question is already clear and you want to sound natural rather than repeat everything.

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