Questions and Negatives with Did

What you’ll learn

Use did and didn’t with a base verb for past-simple questions and negatives.

ប្រើ did និង didn’t ជាមួយកិរិយាសព្ទទម្រង់ដើម ដើម្បីបង្កើតសំណួរ និងការបដិសេធក្នុង past simple។

Meaning and use

With ordinary past-simple verbs, use did before the subject to ask a yes/no question. Use did not or didn’t after the subject for a negative. In both patterns, the main verb returns to its base form, even if its positive past form is irregular. Did is the same for all subjects. For information questions, a question word can come before did. Questions and negatives with past be use was/were, not did.

សម្រាប់កិរិយាសព្ទធម្មតាក្នុង past simple ប្រើ did មុខប្រធានសម្រាប់សំណួរ និង didn’t ក្រោយប្រធានសម្រាប់ការបដិសេធ។ កិរិយាសព្ទមេត្រូវត្រឡប់ទៅទម្រង់ដើម ទោះបីទម្រង់អតីតកាលរបស់វាពិសេសក៏ដោយ។ Did ប្រើដូចគ្នាជាមួយប្រធានទាំងអស់។

Grammar patterns

Pattern	Example or form
Question	Did she go to school?
Negative	She didn’t go to school.
Information question	Where did they go?
Short answers	Yes, she did. No, she didn’t.
With be	Was she at school? She wasn’t at school.

Examples

1. Did you study last night?

   តើអ្នកបានរៀនកាលពីយប់មិញទេ?

2. I didn’t watch TV yesterday.

   ខ្ញុំមិនបានមើលទូរទស្សន៍កាលពីម្សិលមិញទេ។

3. Where did she go?

   តើនាងបានទៅឯណា?

4. He didn’t buy a bag.

   គាត់មិនបានទិញកាបូបទេ។

Everyday conversation

Dara: Did you go to the market?

Maly: Yes, I did.

Dara: Did you buy anything?

Maly: No, I didn’t.

Common mistakes

Instead of	Use	Why
Did she went home?	Did she go home?	After did, use go, not went.
He didn’t bought a book.	He didn’t buy a book.	After didn’t, use the base form buy.

Practice

Try these questions before opening the answers. Write or say each answer.

សាកល្បងឆ្លើយសំណួរទាំងនេះជាមុនសិន មុននឹងបើកមើលចម្លើយ។ អ្នកអាចសរសេរ ឬនិយាយចម្លើយរបស់អ្នក។

1. Make a question: She worked yesterday.
2. Make a negative: He went home.
3. Complete: Where ___ they live last year?
4. Choose: Did she be tired? / Was she tired?

Answers and explanations

Show answers / បង្ហាញចម្លើយ

1. Did she work yesterday?

   Did carries the past meaning; work stays in its base form.

2. He didn’t go home.

   Use didn’t + go.

3. did

   The question asks about a finished past period.

4. Was she tired?

   Past be forms questions without did.

Quick recap

• Use did with a base verb in ordinary past questions.
• Use didn’t with a base verb in ordinary past negatives.
• Use was/were for questions and negatives with be.