A2 Question Forms: Subject Questions & Questions with Prepositions
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Subject questions don't use 'do/does', and prepositions go at the end of the sentence.
- For subject questions, keep the word order the same as a statement: 'Who ate the cake?'
- For object questions, use 'do/does' and swap the subject and verb: 'What did you eat?'
- When using a preposition, put it at the very end: 'Who are you talking to?'
Two important question patterns at A2: subject questions and questions with prepositions at the end.
Subject vs. Object Questions
Subject Question
Who/What IS the subject → no auxiliary
✅ Who called you?
✅ What happened?
✅ Which team won?
Object Question
Who/What is the object → need auxiliary
✅ Who did you call?
✅ What did she say?
✅ Which team did you support?
Questions with Prepositions
In informal English, prepositions go at the end of the question:
✅ Who are you waiting for?
✅ What did you talk about?
✅ Which city do you come from?
Casual Short Questions
Very common in everyday conversation:
Where to? = Where are you going?
Who with? = Who are you going with?
What for? = Why? / What is it for?
Quick Trick
Ask yourself: is who/what doing the action? → Subject question, no auxiliary.
Is someone else doing the action? → Object question, need auxiliary.
3. Subject vs Object Question Formation
| Type | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Subject Question
|
Wh- + Verb + Object
|
Who ate the cake?
|
|
Object Question
|
Wh- + Aux + Subject + Verb
|
What did you eat?
|
|
Prepositional
|
Wh- + Aux + Subject + Verb + Prep
|
Who are you with?
|
|
Subject Prep
|
Wh- + Prep + Verb
|
Who is this for?
|
|
Past Subject
|
Wh- + Verb(past)
|
Who called you?
|
|
Past Object
|
Wh- + did + Subject + Verb
|
Who did you call?
|
Common Contractions
| Full Form | Short Form |
|---|---|
|
Who is
|
Who's
|
|
What is
|
What's
|
|
Who are
|
Who're (rare)
|
|
What are
|
What're (rare)
|
Meanings
These structures allow you to ask for specific information about the person performing an action or the target of a preposition.
Subject Question
Asking about the person or thing performing the action.
“Who broke the window?”
“What happened here?”
Prepositional Question
Asking about the object of a preposition.
“Who are you waiting for?”
“What are you looking at?”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Subject Question
|
Who/What + Verb
|
Who likes pizza?
|
|
Object Question
|
Wh- + do/does + Subj + Verb
|
What do you like?
|
|
Prepositional
|
Wh- + Aux + Subj + Verb + Prep
|
Who are you with?
|
|
Short Answer
|
Subject + Aux
|
I am.
|
|
Negative Question
|
Wh- + Aux + not + Subj + Verb
|
Who didn't go?
|
|
Past Subject
|
Wh- + Verb(past)
|
Who went there?
|
|
Past Object
|
Wh- + did + Subj + Verb
|
Who did you see?
|
Formality Spectrum
With whom are you attending? (Party invitation)
Who are you going with? (Party invitation)
Who you with? (Party invitation)
Who's your plus-one? (Party invitation)
Question Types
Subject
- Who Person
- What Thing
Prepositional
- With Company
- For Purpose
Subject vs Object
Question Decision Tree
Is the Wh- word the subject?
Examples by Level
Who is that?
Who is calling?
What is this?
Who are you with?
Who ate my lunch?
What happened to your car?
Who are you waiting for?
What are you talking about?
Which student won the prize?
Who did you go to the cinema with?
What are you looking for?
Who is responsible for this project?
Who is this book written by?
What are you so worried about?
Which of these candidates is qualified?
Who are you referring to?
Who could have possibly known?
What is the outcome dependent on?
Who are you siding with in this dispute?
What are you aiming for with this strategy?
Who is the proposal being submitted to?
What are the implications of this policy based on?
Who are you aligning your interests with?
What are you alluding to with that comment?
Easily Confused
Learners often add 'do' to subject questions.
Learners think stranding is 'wrong' because of formal grammar rules.
Learners aren't sure when to use 'whom'.
Common Mistakes
Who do ate the cake?
Who ate the cake?
With who are you?
Who are you with?
What you want?
What do you want?
Who is you with?
Who are you with?
Who did called you?
Who called you?
To who are you talking?
Who are you talking to?
What did happened?
What happened?
Who did you went with?
Who did you go with?
Which of the cars is yours?
Which car is yours?
What are you looking?
What are you looking at?
To whom are you referring to?
To whom are you referring?
Who did you give the book?
Who did you give the book to?
What is the reason for?
What is the reason for this?
Sentence Patterns
Who ___ the ___?
What are you ___ ___?
Who are you ___ ___?
Which ___ did you ___?
Real World Usage
Who you with?
What are you interested in?
Who can I talk to?
What is this order for?
Who are you following?
What are we looking at?
The 'Do' Rule
Don't over-formalize
Listen to Natives
Register Matters
Smart Tips
If the person is the subject, just say 'Who + verb'.
Move the preposition to the end of the sentence.
Only use it if the 'Wh-' word is NOT the subject.
Which can be a subject or object. Check the verb.
Pronunciation
Wh- words
The 'wh' is often pronounced as 'w' in modern English.
Contractions
Who's is pronounced like 'hooz'.
Falling intonation
Who are you with? ↘
Standard information-seeking question.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Subject questions are direct; they don't need a 'do' helper.
Visual Association
Imagine a 'Subject' standing tall without any 'do' crutches, while an 'Object' question needs a 'do' backpack to carry the weight.
Rhyme
Subject questions, keep them straight, don't add 'do' or you'll be late.
Story
Imagine a detective. He asks 'Who stole the pie?' (Subject question, no 'do'). Then he asks the suspect, 'What did you eat?' (Object question, needs 'did'). Finally, he asks, 'Who are you with?' (Prepositional, 'with' at the end).
Word Web
Challenge
Write 5 questions about your day using both subject and prepositional forms.
Cultural Notes
Prepositional stranding is standard and preferred in almost all contexts.
Similar to American, but 'whom' is slightly more common in formal settings.
Very casual; stranding is universal.
Prepositional stranding is a Germanic feature that survived in English while being lost in other languages.
Conversation Starters
Who are you going to the party with?
Who ate the last cookie?
What are you interested in?
Who is responsible for the project?
Journal Prompts
Common Mistakes
Test Yourself
Who ___ the cake?
___ are you talking to?
Find and fix the mistake:
Who did break the window?
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
¿Con quién hablas?
Answer starts with: Who...
What ___ you looking for?
Who ___ this book written by?
What / you / interested / in / are / ?
Score: /8
Practice Exercises
8 exercisesWho ___ the cake?
___ are you talking to?
Find and fix the mistake:
Who did break the window?
you / are / who / with / ?
¿Con quién hablas?
What ___ you looking for?
Who ___ this book written by?
What / you / interested / in / are / ?
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
Because the 'Wh-' word is the subject. We don't need an auxiliary to identify the subject.
It's not 'wrong', but it's very formal and often sounds unnatural.
Yes, but only in very formal writing. 'Who' is fine for everything else.
The verb stays in the past tense. 'Who ate the cake?'
Yes, mostly 'Who', 'What', and 'Which'.
It's more direct and fits the natural rhythm of English.
Adding 'do' to subject questions like 'Who do called?'
Try asking questions about your daily life using these patterns.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
¿Con quién hablas?
English strands the preposition; Spanish does not.
Avec qui parles-tu ?
English allows stranding; French requires the preposition at the start.
Mit wem sprichst du?
German uses case; English uses word order and stranding.
誰と話していますか？
Japanese is postpositional; English is prepositional.
مع من تتحدث؟
Arabic does not strand prepositions.
你和谁说话？
Chinese does not use auxiliary 'do' or prepositional stranding.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
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