The past tense is one of the hardest things to wrap your head around with English. It comes with so many rules and structures, and each verb requires different past tense forms. This article will explore the past tense of “did” and how you can understand what form works when.
Did or Done: Which Is Correct?
“Did” is correct when using the simple past tense to show that something started happening and finished happening in the past. “Done” is the past participle of “do,” which we use with auxiliary verbs to mean that something could happen based on the tense we work with.
Naturally, the simple past tense, “did,” is much easier to understand. These two examples will show you the key differences between both forms:
- I did my homework before I even made it home!
- I have done everything that you’ve asked of me.
“Did” requires no extra language rules. We write it to show that something is already done.
Auxiliary verbs are incredibly important when using the past participle. We need “have” and “done” in the same sentence in the second example because that’s how we create the present perfect tense to show that something has started happening in the past and continues in the present.
| Verb | Do |
| Past | Did |
| Past Participle | Done |
When Is “Did” Correct?
Let’s start by exploring both forms slightly more. This will help you to understand them and how they work.
“Did” is correct as the simple past tense. When we want to refer to a thing that we did in the past, we can use “did” with whatever pronoun or object that “did” it.
“Did” is easy to use, and if all past tense forms followed the same simplistic rules, English would be a much easier language to learn. There are no extra forms or verbs that we might need to get this one right.
Example Sentences Using “Did”
The following examples will help you to see how “did” works best.
- I did everything that you asked of me, and now I’m doing my own thing.
- I did it! I can’t believe I finally did it!
- She did it with me, and now she’s gone home.
- We did it together, which made our victory all the sweeter.
- They did this, didn’t they! I’ll have their heads for this.
- You did what? I can’t believe you did those foolish things.
“Did” works when someone has done something in the past, and there’s nothing we can do in the present to change the outcome of whatever happened.
When Is “Done” Correct?
“Done” requires a little more thought. It’s not as simple as “did”, and it comes with certain rules that must be followed to make sure we get the form correct.
“Done” is the past participle of “to do.” On its own, it doesn’t work. It requires an auxiliary verb like “have,” which changes it into the present perfect tense. We can use the past, present, or future perfect tenses depending on the auxiliary that we use with it.
Each perfect tense has a different set of rules that it follows, and they usually mean that something has started happening or will start happening, based on something in the present.
The three forms are:
- Past perfect: Had done
- Present perfect: Have done
- Future perfect: Will have done
It’s not often you’ll come across the past perfect tense, but when you do, you’ll need to know what it means. We use it to show that something has happened in the past, but there might still be something we can do to affect it in the future.
The present perfect tense is much more common, and it refers to doing something in the past and finishing or completing that thing in the present.
The future perfect uses “will” and “have” as auxiliary verbs, and we use them to talk about a situation that might occur in the future based on the choices we make in the present.
Example sentences using “Done”
Some examples will help you to understand the phrase, but we’ll split it into each perfect tense to make them easier for you to understand.
Past Perfect
- I had done everything I needed to do, so I made the mistake of going home early.
- I had done what I was told, but apparently, that wasn’t enough for my boss.
“Had done” is the past perfect tense. We use it to talk about something we did in the past, and there is some effect or impact that we’re carrying with us in the present.
Present Perfect
- I have done the chores you asked of me! Can I go now
- I have done the tasks you needed from me, and I’ve put them on your desk.
“Have done” is the present perfect tense. It refers to something we started doing in the past, but we might have finished doing them at that moment in the present, or we might still be doing them going into the future.
Future Perfect
- I will have done everything on my agenda before Tuesday if I play my cards right.
- I will have done too many things this week if I’m not careful.
“Will have” is the future perfect tense. We use this to set up hypothetical future scenarios that might occur based on our actions in the present. It’s up to us if we then want to change those actions or keep them up.
“Have Did” Vs. “Have Done”
Now that we’ve covered everything that’s important about the differences, this section should be easy.
“Have done” is correct because we need the auxiliary “have” with the past participle “done.” “Have did” is never correct because the simple past tense “did” doesn’t require an auxiliary verb like “have” to make sense.
- Correct: I have done my homework.
- Incorrect: I have did my homework.
Final Thoughts
We use “did” as the simple past tense of “done” to say that something happened in the past. “Done” is the perfect tense, which is much more difficult to understand. However, once you understand auxiliary verbs like “have”, “done” becomes much easier to work with.
You may also like: Came or Come: Which Is Correct? (Helpful Examples)
Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here.
Asked by: Verda Bernier II
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The word did is the PAST TENSE of the VERB do. … done is the past (tense) participle of the verb do ( Participle refers to being a part of a compound form of the verb, i.e., another verb is placed next to it). The word done is usually alongside have, has or had in a sentence.
Where do we use did and done?
If something was done in the past at some point of time, you use did as a simple past tense. On the other hand, done is used for something that was performed just before the present but that could not extend into the present. The tense in which done is used is present perfect.
When to use did and had done?
The simple past form did properly refers the pastness of what you did to that “present” Reference Time: it happened “before now”. A past perfect like had done, however, must be related to a past Reference Time: it distinguishes an event as having taken place “before then”, not “before now”.
Did used or use?
Used to refers to something familiar or routine, as in «I’m used to getting up early for work,» or to say that something repeatedly happened in the past like «we used to go out more.» Use to typically occurs with did; «did you use to work there?» or «it didn’t use to be like that,» describing something in the past that …
Had done or had been done?
Have done — Have done is a present perfect tense, generally it is used when the action is completed recently/just now. Had done— Had done is a past perfect tense, generally refers to something which happened earlier in the past, before another action also occured in the past.
45 related questions found
Had done VS had been doing?
«Had done» would be correct if the show had finished, but the correct answer is «had been doing» because she continued to do the show, and the book club is merely a new segment of the show.
Has or had done?
Past tense (had done) because you are talking in the past tense (I didn’t say thanks…) Has done may be used colloquially, but had done is the correct answer.
What is the difference between done and did?
The word did is the PAST TENSE of the VERB do. … done is the past (tense) participle of the verb do ( Participle refers to being a part of a compound form of the verb, i.e., another verb is placed next to it). The word done is usually alongside have, has or had in a sentence.
What is difference between do and did?
1. The word “does” is the simple present tense of the word “do” while the word “did” is the simple past tense of the word “do.” 2. The word “does” is used only when referring to a single person while the word “did” can be used when referring to a single or plural number of persons.
Whats the difference between every day and everyday?
Everyday, one word, is an adjective meaning «used or seen daily,» or «ordinary.» «The phone calls were an everyday occurrence.» Every day, two words, is an adverb phrase meaning «daily» or «every weekday.» «They go to the coffee shop every day.» One trick to remember which is which is to see if you can put another word …
Has or had had?
You have to use «had had» if something has been done long back, not recently. But if something has been done recently, then you can use «have had» or «has had» depending on the pronoun. For example, I have had a good lunch this afternoon.
Has been or had been?
“Had been” is used to mean that something happened in the past and has already ended. “Have been” and “has been” are used to mean that something began in the past and has lasted into the present time.
Has or had meaning?
Summary: 1. ‘Has’ is the third person singular present tense of ‘have’ while ‘had’ is the third person singular past tense and past participle of ‘have. ‘ … Both are transitive verbs, but ‘has’ is used in sentences that talk about the present while ‘had’ is used in sentences that talk about the past.
Was doing and had been doing?
“Had been doing” is used in past perfect continuous tense. It tells that work/action was started in past and still continued in present. While, “Was doing” is used in past continuous tense which shows that work/action was happening in the past .
Had been done meaning?
“Has been done” is a present perfect passive tense, which should be used for an action that happened at an unspecified time in the past. You should not use this tense when the time is specified. Use the simple past passive “was done” instead. Bad Example: The well has been completed last week and brought on production.
Have been done have been doing?
“Have been doing” means that the action started in the past and is continuing into the present. Example: “I have been walking since noon.” (you started walking at noon and are still walking.) “Have done” means something started and finished in the past.
Had VS had been meaning?
They are two different words that convey different meanings. The word ‘had’ is an auxiliary verb, and it is used in the past perfect tense. On the other hand, the word ‘had been’ is an auxiliary verb, and it is used in the past perfect continuous tense. … Hence, it takes the verb in its past participle form.
Is had gone correct?
All the talk of past perfect and pluperfect tenses can be overwhelming, so remember this: the simple past takes simply “went.” But if you’re talking about something that happened before another action (past perfect), you need “had” and the past participle “gone.”
What is the meaning of have had?
«Have had» is using the verb have in the present perfect tense. Consider the present tense sentence: I have a lot of homework. This means that I have a lot of homework now. On the other hand, we use the present perfect tense to describe an event from the past that has some connection to the present.
Which tense is used with used to?
“Used To” Shows a Former Fact, Habit, or Action
We also use the phrase used to in the sense of formerly to indicate something that happened in the past but no longer does. While in centuries past there was a corresponding present tense form, use to, we now use this construction only in the past tense.
What can I say instead of used to?
In this page you can discover 8 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for used-to, like: accustomed to, familiar with, habituated to, in the habit of, comfortable with, acclimated, wont to and use.
What are the 24 auxiliary verbs?
A list of verbs that (can) function as auxiliaries in English is as follows: be, can, could, dare, do, have, may, might, must, need, ought, shall, should, will, would. The status of dare (not), need (not), and ought (to) is debatable and the use of these verbs as auxiliaries can vary across dialects of English.
Where we use have had?
Had had is the past perfect form of have when it is used as a main verb to describe our experiences and actions. We use the past perfect when we are talking about the past and want to refer back to an earlier past time, Madiini.
The word did is the PAST TENSE of the VERB do. … done is the past (tense) participle of the verb do ( Participle refers to being a part of a compound form of the verb, i.e., another verb is placed next to it). The word done is usually alongside have, has or had in a sentence.
- What is the difference between I did and I have done?
- When should I use did and done?
- Should have done or did?
- What he did or what he done?
- Has done or had done?
- How do you use have had in one sentence?
- Do Did Done tenses?
- Do and does usage?
- Do and does Example sentences?
- Did or does use?
- Did well or done well?
- DID has or did have?
What is the difference between I did and I have done?
«I did something» is simple past tense. It means you performed the action at some time in the past and it is now complete. «I have done something» is present perfect. It indicates that an action that began in the past and continues into the present, or whose effects continue into the present.
When should I use did and done?
Definition
- Did is the past tense of do.
- Done is the past participle of do.
- Did can occur alone in a sentence.
- Done is always accompanied by another verb.
- Did always follow a noun or pronoun.
- Done follows an auxiliary verb.
- Did is often used in the simple past tense.
- Done used in perfect tenses or in passive constructions.
Should have done or did?
The phrase «that’s what he should have done» suggests that he made mistakes while «that’s what he should have did» would allow for you to say he did the right thing without making the english language sound repetitive and cumbersome.
What he did or what he done?
The correct answer is “What did he do?”This is due to the fact that the auxiliary verb ‘did” is always followed by the present-tense form, or the base-verb, of the main verb “do.” As a matter of fact, in this particular case, the verb “did” is a quasi-modal auxiliary verb.
Has done or had done?
Have done — Have done is a present perfect tense, generally it is used when the action is completed recently/just now. Had done— Had done is a past perfect tense, generally refers to something which happened earlier in the past, before another action also occured in the past.
How do you use have had in one sentence?
We use have had in the present perfect when the main verb is also “have”:
- I’m not feeling well. I have had a headache all day.
- She has had three children in the past five years.
- We have had some problems with our computer systems recently.
- He has had two surgeries on his back.
Do Did Done tenses?
The present participle is doing. The past participle is done. The present simple tense do and the past simple tense did can be used as an auxiliary verb. As an auxiliary, do is not used with modal verbs.
…
Do — Easy Learning Grammar.
| I did not want it. | We did not want it. |
|---|---|
| She did not want it. | They did not want it. |
Do and does usage?
We use do/does or is/are as question words when we want to ask yes/no questions. We use does and is with third person singular pronouns (he, she, it) and with singular noun forms. We use do and are with other personal pronouns (you, we they) and with plural noun forms.
Do and does Example sentences?
Using “Do” and “Does” in Sentences
- I want to do my best in this race.
- That does not make any sense.
- We do not care about imaginary creatures.
- I do love a good comedy.
- They can do better than that.
- He believed he could do it.
- The machine does everything for us.
- If you do what I tell you, it will be fine.
Did or does use?
Subject/Verb Agreement Using to do as an Action Verb
| Subject | Forms of to do in each Tense | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | Past | |
| I / You / We / They | do | did |
| He / She / It | does | did |
Did well or done well?
In your example with did/have done, both are OK and there is not much difference between them. You might be more likely to use did if you are talking about a single action in the past and have done if the activity took some time extending until now, and/or it is expected to continue.
DID has or did have?
“Did it have” is the correct form. Here “have” is being used in the form of tense but it has connotation with “contain”. Also has, have and had are used in perfect tense. “Has” is used in present perfect tense.
Table of Contents
- When use do did does?
- Do Did Done list?
- Has anyone did or done?
- Had done or had did?
- What’s the difference between did and do?
- Can vs could grammar?
- What are the three forms of do?
- Is Ki second form?
- What is the 2nd form of ASK?
- What is the 2nd form of visit?
- What is the 2nd form of eat?
- What is the first and second form of eat?
- Is eated a word?
- What does elated mean?
The word did is the PAST TENSE of the VERB do. done is the past (tense) participle of the verb do ( Participle refers to being a part of a compound form of the verb, i.e., another verb is placed next to it). The word done is usually alongside have, has or had in a sentence.
When use do did does?
DID is used with regular AND irregular verbs in English. Both Do and Does in present tense questions become Did in past tense questions. 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.
Do Did Done list?
Table of the most common irregular verbs
| infinitive | simple past | past participle |
|---|---|---|
| do | did | done |
| draw | drew | drawn |
| drink | drank | drunk |
| drive | drove | driven |
Has anyone did or done?
‘Did’ is the simple past tense of the verb ‘do’ and ‘have done’ is the present perfect tense. Whenever you refer to any event that has occurred in the past, you use simple past tense to describe it. It only states that the action was performed someone in the past.
Had done or had did?
“Had done” is past perfect and is not common in English, only in specific cases. I think this is one of them. “Did” is simple past and is used more commonly.
What’s the difference between did and do?
1. The word “does” is the simple present tense of the word “do” while the word “did” is the simple past tense of the word “do.” 2. The word “does” is used only when referring to a single person while the word “did” can be used when referring to a single or plural number of persons.
Can vs could grammar?
Can, like could and would, is used to ask a polite question, but can is only used to ask permission to do or say something (“Can I borrow your car?” “Can I get you something to drink?”). Could is the past tense of can, but it also has uses apart from that–and that is where the confusion lies.
What are the three forms of do?
Do is an irregular verb. Its three forms are do, did, done.
Is Ki second form?
The past form for “are” is “were” and the past form for “am” (I am) and “is” (he/she/it is) is “was”. Examples: You are reading a book.
What is the 2nd form of ASK?
Verb Forms of Ask
| (Base) 1st | (Past) 2nd | (Past Participle) 3rd |
|---|---|---|
| Ask | Asked | Asked |
| Get list of more Verb Forms. |
What is the 2nd form of visit?
Visit Past Simple, Simple Past Tense of Visit Past Participle, V1 V2 V3 Form Of Visit
| V1 | V2 | V3 |
|---|---|---|
| Visit | Visited | Visited |
What is the 2nd form of eat?
Eat is the present simple. Ate is the past simple. Eaten is the past participle.
What is the first and second form of eat?
Verb Forms of Eat
| (Base) 1st | (Past) 2nd | (Past Participle) 3rd |
|---|---|---|
| Eat | Ate | Eaten |
| Get list of more Verb Forms. |
Is eated a word?
(nonstandard) Simple past tense and past participle of eat.
What does elated mean?
: marked by high spirits : exultant.
Did vs Done
Do is a simple and very common action verb in English language that is used many different forms depending upon the tense of the sentence. If something was done in the past at some point of time, you use did as a simple past tense. On the other hand, done is used for something that was performed just before the present but that could not extend into the present. The tense in which done is used is present perfect. The difference between did and done is this simple. This article attempts to make clear the difference between did and done with the help of examples and usage.
Did
Did is a word that refers to the fact of the task or job having been completed at some point of time in the past. If your teacher gave you an assignment to do and enquiring about it, you can tell him in simple past tense that you completed the task at such time and day. When you confirm the fact in simple past tense, you make use of the word did. The following examples will make the meaning more clear.
• We did what the teacher asked us to do
• Do you know what Chris did?
• I did my best under the circumstances
• Melinda did the research in this project
• Brian was candid enough to admit he did it.
Done
Done is a word that is used to describe any activity performed by you that has been completed and is not continuing at present. If you have to say that I have completed my maths homework then you’ll say that I have done my maths homework. Done is usually used when we talk in terms of the simple present tense like I’ve done it and he has done it. Take a look at the following examples.
• Well done John!
• Have you done the math project?
• You have done enough exercises for the day
• I have done the cooking so I am free to watch my favorite serial
What is the difference between Did and Done?
Did is the simple past tense of do whereas done is the present perfect tense of do. If someone is asking you if you have done something, you can always use either of the two tenses in the following manner.
No, I have not done it
Or
No, I did not do it.
Main Difference
First of all, Did is used only for Past Indefinite/Simple Tense to indicate something which is occurred recently. Did, the auxiliary verb, is considered to be the second form of Do and it is used to refer to anything thing which is over and has become the part of past, recent past. According to the grammatical rules for making sentences, Did can never be used for any other Tense rather than the Past Indefinite/Simple e.g. ‘I did my work yesterday’, ‘Did you do what you were asked to?’ As far the Interrogative Sentences are concerned, ‘Did’ is always used to ask ‘Affirmations’ or Confirmation for something, e.g. ‘Did she perform nicely.’ One thing must be kept in mind that ‘Did’ is followed by the First Form of Verb if there is only one Subject in the sentence. e.g. ‘Did you watch the match last night’? However, if you are to use the Subject more than once in the single sentence, you are bound to use the second form of verb for the second subject as well. e.g. ‘I did watch the movie and I liked it very much’. On the other hand, Done, the third form of ‘Do’, is named as Past Participle in grammatical terms. Unlike Did, the third form of Do never comes alone but it needs another helping verb to make a sensible sentence. In contrast to Did, Done can be seen in sentences of any Tense and will always be used after helping verb e.g. Is, Am, Are, Be, Has, Have, Had. This construction is used to describe about something which is completed either in the Present, Past or even Future as this word is Free from such restrictions as we have for Did. In Active Voice, ‘Done’ is always used to say that something is completed. e.g. ‘I have done my work’, ‘Students had done their home work before leaving for school.’
Difference Between Did and Done
Did vs. Done
Did’ is the second form of ‘Do’ while ‘Done’ is the third form of ‘Do’.
Did vs. Done
‘Did’ is always used for Past Indefinite/Simple Tense, while ‘Done’ is pliant and can be used in all Tenses.
Did vs. Done
‘Did’ indicates towards something which is over, while ‘Done’ says that something is completed.
Did vs. Done
‘Done’ can be used in both Voices — Active, Passive -, while ‘Did’ cannot be used in Passive sentences.
Doneadjective
(of food) Ready, fully cooked.
As soon as the potatoes are done we can sit down and eat.
Doneadjective
Having completed or finished an activity.
He pushed his empty plate away, sighed and pronounced «I am done.»They were done playing and were picking up the toys when he arrived.
Doneadjective
Being exhausted or fully spent.
When the water is done we will only be able to go on for a few days.
Doneadjective
Without hope or prospect of completion or success.
He is done, after three falls there is no chance he will be able to finish.
Doneadjective
Fashionable, socially acceptable, tasteful.
I can’t believe he just walked up and spoke to her like that, those kind of things just aren’t done!What is the done thing these days? I can’t keep up!
Doneverb
inflection of do||past|part
I have done my work.
Doneverb
Used in forming the perfective aspect; have.
I done did my best to raise y’all.I woke up and found out she done left.
Doneverb
(obsolete) plural simple present form of do
Donenoun
clipping of methadone
on the done
Doneadjective
having finished or arrived at completion;
certain to make history before he’s doneit’s a done deedafter the treatment, the patient is through except for follow-upalmost through with his studies
Doneadjective
cooked until ready to serve
Comparison Chart
| Did | Done |
| ‘Did’ is the second form of ‘Do’. | ‘Done’ is the third form of ‘Do’. |
| Tense | |
| ‘Did’ is always used for Past Indefinite/Simple Tense | ‘Done’ is pliant and can be used in all Tenses. |
| Explanation | |
| ‘Did’ indicates towards something which is over | ‘Done’ says that something is completed. |
| Structure | |
| ‘Did’ cannot be used in Passive sentences. | ‘Done’ can be used in both Voices – Active, Passive |
Definition of Did
‘Did’ is the second form of Do. It is always used under Past Indefinite/Simple Tense. We employ ‘Did’ whenever to say that something is over in recent past. Did is considered as a helping/auxiliary verb and can also be used as an additional Word to form Interrogative sentence to seek Confirmation. e.g ‘Did you complete your assignment?’ The helping verb ‘Did’ can never be used in other Tenses like Present Indefinite, Perfect, Continuous and Future. It is only used in the Past Indefinite/Simple Tense.
Definition of Done
‘Done’ is the third form/past participle of ‘Do’. As a third form, it is relatively flexible and can be utilized under any Tense to indicate something which is completed. It can be used to say that some task is accomplished and it is always comes after the helping verbs such as ‘Is, Are, Am, Has, Have, Had, Be’. e.g. ‘Her work is done,’ ‘We have done our work’ etc.
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Conclusion
Did and Done are two terms which are most commonly used in English language but always creates some confusion among people who do not know much about them or have mistyped them. This article will have helped people in getting to know the main points on how they differ so they can use it properly next time.
DO – DOES – DID – DONE
The word DO appears a lot in English.
This is because it can be a verb, as in the verb TO DO which can be conjugated as Do and Does in the present tense, Did in the past tense and Done as a past participle.
DO can also be an AUXILIARY verb in the form of Do / Does to make questions in the present tense and Did to make questions in the past tense.
Let’s look at each one in more detail. We will start with the verb TO DO.
As we have seen, the verb TO DO has four forms: Do / Does / Did and Done
Lets look at its form in the simple present tense.
TO DO – Present Tense
With the verb TO DO in the Present Tense…
We say: I do / you do / we do / they do
But we say: he does / she does / it does
Let’s look at some example sentences:
- I do my laundry on Saturdays.
(Do my laundry means I wash my clothes, well, I put in the washing machine)
- They do their chores when they arrive home.
(Chores is the housework you need to do like washing the dishes, doing the vacuuming, etc.)
- He does nothing all day. (That’s right… he is quite lazy, he does absolutely nothing.)
- She does charity work when she has time. (People that do charity work are superheroes)
TO DO – Past Tense
The simple past tense of DO is DID for all subjects:
I did / you did / we did / they did / he did / she did / it did
Notice how there is only one form of the verb in the past tense…. DID.
- He did a magic trick. (Yes, and everyone was amazed… wooow!)
- The baby did a fart. (Yes, and the smell made everyone cry. How can such a cute thing produce something so rotten.)
- I did my homework in record time. (Yes, it only took me 5 hours instead of 10)
- She did ballet after school last year. (This year she is doing something different)
TO DO – Past Participle
The past participle of DO is DONE. Remember that past participles are accompanied by a conjugation of the verb TO HAVE or TO BE (which means it is in the correct tense according to the subject)
In general Have + past participle is used with a perfect tense and BE + past participle is with the passive voice.
Let’s look at some examples:
- I have done my homework.
- He has done a good job.
These two sentences are in the present perfect tense because they have have or has before the past participle done.
- The video will show you how it is done.
- The report was done on time.
Here we used a conjugation of the verb To Be before the past participle done.
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:
- Have you done the dishes yet?
(Here done means washed)
- I’ll do the kitchen if you do the lawns
(The first do means clean – The second do means mow)
Sometimes Do, Does, and Did are used as auxiliaries to make questions in English.
Let’s start with DO and DOES:
DO / DOES – For 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.
After the subject is the verb in its base form which means the infinitive without TO at the beginning.
Look at this affirmative sentence:
- You speak English.
How can we make this a question? We add DO at the beginning so it becomes:
- Do you speak English?
You will see that we add DO at the beginning when the subject is I, you, we or they.
But look at this affirmative sentence:
- He speaks Arabic.
To make this a question we say:
- Does he speak Arabic?
You can see that we add DOES at the beginning when the subject is he, she or it.
Notice how the letter S at the end of the verb in the affirmative sentence (because it is in third person) disappears in the question. That is because the verb is in the base form of the infinitive.
NOTE: We DON’T use Do or Does in questions that have the verb To Be or Modal Verbs (can, must, might, should etc.)
DID – For Questions
Let’s look at the auxiliary DID.
To make a question in the Simple Past Tense in English we normally put the auxiliary DID at the beginning of the question before the subject.
And just like in the present tense, After the subject is the verb in its base form which means the infinitive with TO at the beginning.
Look at this affirmative sentence:
- You lived in Spain.
How can we make this a question? We add DID at the beginning so it becomes:
- Did you live in Spain?
We use the verb form Live and NOT lived because the auxiliary DID show that the question is in the past tense.
Did is also used with He, She and It. So with this affirmative sentence:
- She lived in Japan.
To make it a question in the past tense we say:
- Did she live in Japan?
Again we use DID for questions in the past EXCEPT with To Be and Modal Verbs such as Can.
Compare these questions:
- Do you speak English?
- Did you speak English?
The only difference between a question in the present tense and the past tense is the first part… DO or DID.
And look at these two questions
- Does he speak Italian?
- Did he speak Italian?
The only difference between a question in the present tense and the past tense when it refers to third person (he, she, or it) is the first part… DOES or DID.
Auxiliary and Verb together
Look at this question:
- Do you do exercises every day?
Why are there two DOs in this question?
The first DO is necessary because we are making a question in the simple present tense.
The second DO is from the verb TO DO. You DO exercises.
What happens if instead of YOU we are asking about another person?
- Does she do exercises every day?
We use DOES because it is necessary for simple present tense questions for third person, in this case for SHE. Does she….?
Again DO appears because you DO exercises. It appears as DO and not DOES because the verb needs to be in the base form of the infinitive.
Of course in the past tense you would say:
- Did you do exercises yesterday?
Did is an auxiliary which is needed to make a question.
Do is from the verb To Do.
DO and DOES – For Emphasis
Sometimes Do / Does / Did are used in positive sentences to give special emphasis that what you say is true, despite what the other person thinks. 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 really want to go, even if you think it is not true.)
- I did study for the test. (Contrary to what you may believe… yes, I studied)
Notice that Did is used for positive sentences in the past tense and that the main verb is in its base form.
- Yes, he does like broccoli. (You may be surprised but yes, he likes broccoli)
- You do need tickets for the event. (I am emphasizing that fact that tickets ARE needed despite what you think.)
Summary Chart
How common is it for native English speakers to actively replace the past tense ‘did’ with the past participle ‘done’? I used to think it was only really done in rather vulgar dialects, but I have increasingly heard this usage now by people who speak otherwise normal Received Pronunciation, or Standard American English:
I done the report. You done it yesterday. He done it already.
I can’t help but interpret this replacement of ‘did’ as sounding somehow uneducated, but is it becoming a standard in some dialects? Is the word ‘did’ dying out? And do these speakers use the ‘done’ replacement when switching the word order around in a question; for example, would they say:
Done you do it today?
… or even:
Done you it today?
… instead of:
Did you do it today?
asked Aug 14, 2011 at 11:41
JezJez
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Using done for did is definitely a hallmark of uneducated dialects of English, notably but not limited to rural Southern and Western American. But I have never heard anyone use that as «Done you do it today?» or «Done you it today?»
Nevertheless, there are some rather twisted and arcane constructions on record using done. Take for example the «crows» scene from Disney’s 1941 movie Dumbo, a rather racist (cf. Jim Crow, a pejorative term for Negro) depiction of African-American dialect (which would have been an extension of the Southern American dialect). One of the lines in the song the crows sing (about 3:45 in the clip) is
Well I be done seen about everything
When I see an elephant fly.
That said, this depiction is also meant to represent uneducated speech.
Supplement:
You will sometimes hear this doubled up with did for emphasis:
I done did it.
answered Aug 14, 2011 at 12:17
RobustoRobusto
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In UK English using «done» like this definitely sounds childish or uneducated; in my opinion your comment on «vulgar dialects» is about right.
I don’t know if it’s more prevalent in different regions, but I do hear it quite a lot in the north-east and it always sounds jarring.
I would strongly recommend sticking with
I did the report. You did it yesterday. He did it already.
As to your other questions, even those who do use done in this way would NOT say:
Done you do it today?
or
Done you it today?
answered Aug 14, 2011 at 12:22
SteveMSteveM
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The NOAD reports that done is informally used:
- as nonstandard past tense of do: «I done a lot of rodeoin’.»
- with a standard past tense verb to indicate absoluteness or completion: «I done told you to zipper your lips.»
This means it is common enough to be considered by a dictionary.
answered Aug 14, 2011 at 13:04
apadernoapaderno
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