To form the short answer, you use the first word from the question. (This is either an auxiliary verb or a form of ‘be’.)
Use the long form (he does) in affirmative answers (yes).
Use the short form (he doesn’t) in negative answers (no).
| Question |
Affirmative |
Negative |
| Do we know him? |
Yes, we do. |
No, we don’t. |
| Can she see me? |
Yes, she can. |
No, she can’t. |
| Have they read the book? |
Yes, they have. |
No, they haven’t. |
| Is he hungry? |
Yes, he is. |
No, he isn’t. |
Note: If ‘you’ is the subject of the question, ‘you’ must be replaced by ‘I’ or ‘we’.
| Question |
Affirmative |
Negative |
| Do you know him? |
Yes, I / we do. |
No, I / we don’t. |
If the question starts with ‘are you’, ‘are’ must sometimes be replaced by ‘am’.
| Question |
Affirmative |
Negative |
| Are you hungry? |
Yes, I am. |
No, I’m not. |
| But: ? |
Yes, we are. |
No, we aren’t. |
Examples
- Are you from Kerala? - Yes, I am. / No, I'm not.
- Are Swathi and Suresh your friends? - Yes, they are. / No, they aren't.
- Has your sister got a car? - Yes, she has. / No, she hasn't.
- Do you speak English? - Yes, I do. / No, I don't.
- Can he play football? - Yes, he can. / No, he can't.
- Had they lived in Chennai before they moved to Bangalore? - Yes, they had. / No, they hadn't.
- Is she going by bus? - Yes, she is. / No, she isn't.
- Did you talk to him? - Yes, I did. / No, I didn't.
- Have you been waiting for long? - Yes, I have. / No, I haven't.
- Will she send us a mail? - Yes, she will. / No, she won't.
