agreement error: auxiliary verb (do/have) and subject in questions

Many writers mix up auxiliaries (do/does, have/has) when forming questions. Below: clear rules, quick checks, targeted examples for work, school, and casual situations, and simple rewrites you can copy.

Quick answer: match auxiliary to subject and tense

Does with third-person singular subjects in present simple (he, she, it, singular collective as a unit). Do with I/you/we/they and plural nouns. Has with third-person singular in present perfect; Have with I/you/we/they and plural nouns.

• Present simple: Does she like coffee? / Do they like coffee?
• Present perfect: Has he finished? / Have you finished?
• Fast check: swap the subject for a pronoun (I/you/he/she/they) - the pronoun shows the correct auxiliary.

Core rules and quick checks

Keep three points in mind: the tense, the subject's person and number, and whether the verb needs do-support.

• Present simple questions use do/does + base verb.
• Present perfect questions use have/has + past participle.
• Be and modals don't use do-support: Is she here? Can they come?

Three quick checks to spot errors:

• Swap the subject for a pronoun: he/she → does/has; I/you/we/they → do/have.
• Confirm the tense: present simple → do/does; present perfect → have/has.
• Turn the question into a statement and back: She likes pizza. → Does she like pizza?

Real usage: corrections for work, school, and casual contexts

Decide whether group nouns are singular or plural before choosing does/do or has/have. When unclear, rewrite to clarify.

• Work
  • Wrong: Do the manager approve the budget?
  • Right: Does the manager approve the budget?
  • Wrong: Have the committee reached a decision?
  • Right: Has the committee reached a decision?
  • Wrong: Do the team meeting start at 9 or 9:30?
  • Right: Does the team meeting start at 9 or 9:30?
• School
  • Wrong: Do the class understand the concept?
  • Right: Does the class understand the concept?
  • Wrong: Has you read chapter three yet?
  • Right: Have you read chapter three yet?
  • Wrong: Do every student complete the quiz?
  • Right: Does every student complete the quiz?
• Casual
  • Wrong: Do she want to come to the party?
  • Right: Does she want to come to the party?
  • Wrong: Do him like pizza?
  • Right: Does he like pizza?
  • Wrong: Have your friend ever been to New York?
  • Right: Has your friend ever been to New York?

Rewrite help: three-step method and live test

Steps to fix a question quickly: identify the subject and whether it's singular or plural, choose the tense, then pick the matching auxiliary and read it aloud.

• Ambiguous subject? Rewrite the noun phrase (e.g., members of the team) to reveal plurality.
• If it still sounds odd, consider a different tense (Did you see? for simple past) or a different structure.

• Example: Original: "Do the committee has a plan?" → Subject = the committee (singular) → Present simple → "Does the committee have a plan?"
• Example: Original: "Have he finish the draft?" → Subject = he (singular), present perfect intended → "Has he finished the draft?"
• Example: Original: "Do her like sushi?" → Swap to pronoun: she → "Does she like sushi?"
• Ambiguous: "Have company arrived?" → "Has the company arrived?" (company as one organization) or "Have the company members arrived?" (plural).

Grammar deep dive: tricky cases, hyphenation, and spacing

Collectives, each/every, indefinite pronouns, and compound nouns affect auxiliary choice. Hyphens and spacing don't change agreement but can hide plurality or create visual errors.

• Each/every and pronouns like someone/anyone are singular: Does everyone agree? Has anyone called?
• Collectives: the team (singular unit) → Does the team agree? the team members (plural) → Do the team members agree?
• Be and modals use their own forms: Is she ready? Can they come?
• Do-support errors: wrong - "Does she has..." ; right - "Does she have..." or "Has she had...".
• Compound nouns: brother-in-law (singular) → Is the brother-in-law attending? Brothers-in-law (plural) → Are the brothers-in-law attending?
• Spacing: no space before a question mark; one space after punctuation.

• Wrong: Do someone know the answer?
• Right: Does someone know the answer?
• Wrong: Do they can come?
• Right: Can they come?

Memory trick and proofreading checklist

Use the "Pronoun first" trick: substitute the subject with I/you/he/she/it/we/they - the pronoun shows the correct auxiliary immediately.

• Checklist: 1) Replace subject with a pronoun. 2) Pick tense (present simple vs present perfect). 3) Apply auxiliary (do/does or have/has). 4) Read aloud. 5) If ambiguous, rephrase.
• Watch contractions - they reveal the intended auxiliary: Hasn't he? Doesn't she?

Similar mistakes and quick fixes

Mistakes often come from mixing auxiliaries across tenses or omitting them in informal speech. Fix by choosing one tense and using the matching auxiliary.

• Mixed auxiliary: "Does she has a passport?" → "Does she have a passport?" or "Has she had a passport?"
• Omitted auxiliary: "You finished?" → "Have you finished?" or "Did you finish?"
• Statement agreement mirrors questions: She does → Does she?

• Wrong: Does she has a passport?
• Right: Does she have a passport?
• Wrong: You saw him yesterday?
• Right: Did you see him yesterday?

Examples bank: wrong/right pairs and rewrites

Practice by saying the wrong version aloud, then the correct version. Below are targeted pairs and a few rewrites you can copy.

• Wrong: Do she know the client? -
  Right: Does she know the client?
• Wrong: Have he ever been abroad? -
  Right: Has he ever been abroad?
• Wrong: Do the data show any trends? -
  Right: Do the data show any trends? (data = plural) or Does the dataset show any trends? (dataset = singular)
• Wrong: Do everyone agree with the plan? -
  Right: Does everyone agree with the plan?
• Wrong: Do she has time to meet? -
  Right: Does she have time to meet?
• Wrong: Has they left already? -
  Right: Have they left already?
• Wrong: Do him and I need to sign this? -
  Right: Do he and I need to sign this? - Better: Do both of us need to sign this?
• Wrong: Have you got the files? -
  Right: Have you got the files? (British/informal) or Do you have the files? (American/formal)
• Rewrite: "Do the results has significance?" → "Do the results have significance?" or "Are the results significant?"
• Rewrite: "Has they been notified?" → "Have they been notified?" or "Did you notify them?"
• Rewrite: "Does the staff want a raise?" (if meaning each employee) → "Do the staff members want a raise?"

FAQ

Should I use does or do in questions?

Use does with third-person singular subjects (he, she, it, or a singular group treated as one). Use do with I, you, we, they and plural nouns.

Is it "Has they arrived" or "Have they arrived"?

"Have they arrived?" is correct because they is plural. Use has only with singular third-person subjects (he, she, it).

Can I drop the auxiliary in casual messages?

Dropping auxiliaries is common in speech or texting ("You coming?"). For work, school, or formal writing include them: "Are you coming?"

How do I choose between "Have you got" and "Do you have"?

"Have you got" is common in British and informal use; "Do you have" is standard in American and formal writing. Both are acceptable in the right context.

What's the fastest check before sending an important sentence?

Swap the subject for a simple pronoun (I/you/he/she/we/they). The pronoun reveals whether to use do/does or have/has. Read the question aloud once.

Want a quick check?

Paste the sentence into your editor or ask a peer if you're unsure. Fix one sentence a day and these errors will fade quickly.