Asking and answering: how to say questions and short answers
Short answer: Yes/no questions usually rise at the end (Do you have a pet? ↗), while question-word questions (What do you like?) usually fall (↘). Short answers fall and stress the key word: I like MANgoes. Stress the question word and the main word, say the small words weakly, and keep final consonants clear.
▶ Open the sound card Practice →
At a glance
| Type | Melody | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yes/no question | rises ↗ | Do you have a pet? |
| question-word question | falls ↘ | What do you like? |
| answer | falls ↘ | I like mangoes. |
How to make the sound
- Decide the type of question: yes/no or question word.
- Stress the main words: WHAT, LIKE; PET.
- Rise at the end for yes/no, fall for question-word questions and answers.
- Say do and you softly: /də ju/ or /dʒə/.
Examples in sentences
- What do you like?
Falls at the end. Stress WHAT and LIKE. - I like mangoes.
Falls. Stress MAN-goes. - Do you have a pet?
Rises at the end. Stress PET. - Yes, I do.
Falls. Stress DO. - Where do you live?
Falls. Stress WHERE and LIVE. - I live in Hanoi.
Falls. Stress HA-noi.
Common problems
- Rising on every question: What do you like? usually falls. Rise for yes/no questions.
- Stressing do and you: Say them softly: /də ju/.
- No clear answer stress: Stress the key word: I like MANgoes.
For Vietnamese speakers
- Vietnamese marks questions with particles such as không or à. English uses the melody and word order.
- Final consonants in like and live need to stay clear.
Check yourself
- How does a yes/no question end?
Show the answer
Rising ↗. Do you have a pet?
- How does “What do you like?” end?
Show the answer
Falling ↘. A question-word question.
- Which word is stressed in “I like mangoes”?
Show the answer
mangoes The key information.
Questions
Do all questions rise?
No. Yes/no questions usually rise; question-word questions usually fall.
Can I use a rise on a statement?
A rise can make a statement sound like a question.
Where can I practice?
Use the sound card to repeat the question and answer pairs.
More lessons in this part
- Greetings & Introductions
- Requests & Politeness
- Describing People & Things
- Telling Short Stories
- Real-Life Speaking Challenge
Part of the 👄 Pronunciation tool: Speaking & Communication. See also the English pronunciation guide. Đọc bằng tiếng Việt.
Written for English learners by the English for Fun team. How we write our lessons · Last updated 2026-11-05.
Reviewed by Chinh Q. Hoang, PhD, founder, English for Fun · 2026-10-30