'Be', 'have', and 'do' are the three busiest verbs in English, because each one has two jobs. Sometimes they are main verbs with real meaning: 'I am tired' (be = state), 'I have a car' (have = own), 'I do the dishes' (do = perform). Sometimes they are helpers with no meaning of their own: 'I am working', 'I have eaten', 'Do you know?' If you confuse the two jobs, your questions and negatives go wrong in ways listeners notice immediately.

This matters in almost every conversation. Ordering coffee ('Do you have oat milk?'), meeting people ('Are you new here?'), and talking about your day ('I didn't do much') all depend on choosing the right verb and the right helper. Old-style forms like 'Have you time?' sound strange in modern speech, so learning today's patterns makes you sound natural, not just correct.

First, learn how 'be' behaves. 'Be' is special: it never needs 'do', even when it is a main verb. To make a question, just move 'be' in front of the subject: 'You are ready' becomes 'Are you ready?' To make a negative, add 'not' after it: 'She is not hungry.' This is the only main verb in English that builds questions and negatives by itself.

Now 'have'. When 'have' is a helper, it works like other auxiliaries: 'Have you finished?', 'I have not seen it.' But when 'have' is a main verb meaning 'own' or 'possess', modern English treats it like any ordinary verb and calls in 'do': 'Do you have time?', 'I don't have a car.' The old pattern 'Have you time?' exists in some British books, but in everyday modern speech, especially international and American English, 'Do you have...?' is the normal choice for A2 learners.

Next, 'do'. As a main verb, 'do' means to perform an activity: 'do homework', 'do the shopping', 'do exercise'. As a helper, 'do' carries the grammar of simple-tense questions and negatives: 'Do you cook?', 'She doesn't drive.' Sometimes both appear in one sentence, and that is completely correct: 'What do you do?' The first 'do' is the helper; the second 'do' is the main verb meaning your job or activity.

How do you decide which job a verb is doing? Ask: does this word carry meaning, or only grammar? In 'She is a nurse', 'is' carries the meaning of identity, so it is a main verb. In 'She is working', the meaning sits in 'working', so 'is' is only a helper. In 'I have lunch at noon', 'have' means 'eat', so it is a main verb and needs 'do' for questions: 'Do you have lunch at noon?'

A useful summary table in words: 'be' never takes 'do'. 'Have' takes 'do' when it is a main verb, but not when it is a helper. 'Do' takes another 'do' when it is a main verb. If you remember only one rule, remember this: when the verb is a plain main verb in the present or past simple — including main-verb 'have' and main-verb 'do' — build questions and negatives with 'do'.

1. 1. Are you free this weekend?

   'Be' makes its own question — no 'do' needed.

2. 2. She is not happy with the hotel room.

   Negative of main-verb 'be': just add 'not' after it.

3. 3. Do you have any brothers or sisters?

   Main-verb 'have' (own) uses 'do' for the question in modern speech.

4. 4. I don't have enough cash for the taxi.

   Negative of main-verb 'have' needs 'don't', not 'have not'.

5. 5. Have you seen my keys anywhere?

   Here 'have' is a helper, so it makes the question by itself.

6. 6. We have lived here for ten years.

   Helper 'have' plus past participle — no 'do' anywhere.

7. 7. What do you do on Sunday mornings?

   Two 'do's: the first is the helper, the second is the main verb.

8. 8. He does the cooking, and I do the cleaning.

   'Do' as a main verb means performing a task at home.

9. 9. Does your office have a coffee machine?

   Question about possession: helper 'does' plus main-verb 'have'.

10. 10. I didn't do my homework last night.

    Past negative: helper 'didn't' plus main-verb 'do'.

11. 11. Was the weather nice on your trip?

    Past 'be' also questions itself — move 'was' to the front.

12. 12. They weren't at home when we arrived.

    Past negative of 'be': 'were' plus 'not', no helper needed.

13. 13. She has breakfast at seven every day.

    'Have' here means 'eat', so it is a main verb, not a helper.

14. 14. Do you do yoga, or do you prefer running?

    Helper 'do' plus main-verb 'do' — natural and correct.

The classic mistake is questioning main-verb 'have' without 'do': 'Have you time?' or 'Have you a pen?' In modern everyday English this sounds old-fashioned or wrong. The fix is do-support: 'Do you have time?', 'Do you have a pen?' The same goes for negatives: say 'I don't have a car', not 'I haven't a car.' Save plain 'Have you...?' for the helper use: 'Have you finished?'

A second mistake is adding 'do' to 'be': 'Do you be tired?' or 'She doesn't be late.' 'Be' never accepts 'do'. It handles its own grammar: 'Are you tired?', 'She isn't late.' If your verb is am, is, are, was, or were, just move it or add 'not' — nothing else is needed.

A third mistake is avoiding 'do' as a main verb because it feels strange next to helper 'do'. Learners write 'What you do?' or 'What are you do?' instead of 'What do you do?' Doubling 'do' is not an error; it is exactly how English works. Wrong: 'She doesn't the dishes.' Right: 'She doesn't do the dishes.' Keep both: the helper carries grammar, the main verb carries the activity.

• 'Be' is the boss of itself: no 'do' in its questions or negatives.
• Main-verb 'have' (own, eat) takes 'do': 'Do you have time?'
• Helper 'have' works alone: 'Have you eaten?'
• 'What do you do?' is correct — helper 'do' plus main-verb 'do'.
• Say 'I don't have...', not 'I haven't...' for possession.
• Ask which word carries the meaning; the other one is the helper.