When answering questions in English, it is useful to use common expressions like “I am” or “I do”. These common verbs are used to respond to questions that require a positive or negative answer, giving you a simple, easy response to questions. However, they are used in different contexts, and it is important to know when “I am” is appropriate, and when to choose “I do”. For example, you would answer “Are you driving home?” with “I am”, and “Do you want some cake?” with “I do”. So how do you know which to use?
Matching verbs in questions and answers
The clearest, and simplest way, to understand the relationship between these answers and questions is that questions using to be should be answered with to be (Are you…? / I am), while questions with to do are answered with to do (Do you…? / I do). But what if you did not hear the question clearly, or it was framed differently? Think about why we use the different verbs.
We use to be in English in 2 main ways – either as part of a continuous tense, describing on ongoing action, or to describe a condition or state. This can be quite a complex point, when you get into the detail of it, but it essentially means the answer I am usually relates to current or ongoing activities or states, conditions. For example:
- Are you still eating? I am. (It is ongoing)
- Are you tired? I am. (A state/condition)
What does this mean grammatically? Usually, I am answers current/ongoing activities, signalled by present participles (I am cooking, I am walking, I am going) or states and conditions, signalled by adjectives (I am hungry, I am sad, I am certain)
On the other hand, we use to do to answer general activities or to answer simple questions – ones that would normally formed with the auxiliary verb, to do. This means that to do is mostly for general responses, or – more trickily – to answer states or conditions that relate to a verb rather than an adjective (to feel, to live).
- Do you cycle often? I do.
- Do you feel okay? I do.
Grammatically, you’ll often find I do answering questions that relate to a verb – if it involves an infinitive or bare infinitive, I do will be appropriate instead of I am. This is important because you may be in a situation where both answers seem possible, but one will be more appropriate. Consider these sentences:
- I am feeling okay.
- I do feel okay.
Even when the meaning could essentially be the same, the choice between I am and I do will depend on how the question was framed – with a present participle, or with a bare infinitive.
- Are you feeling okay?
- Do you feel okay?
As always, any questions about this, let me know in the comments!
But if I say, “take care.” What is more appropriate? I do or I am? Because I know it is implied to the sentence to have a “do” word – “do take care.” Is it appropriate to reply I do than I am. Since you can say. “I am taking care.”
Hi Jaeen, good question because this is a different matter – ‘take care’ is an imperative statement which suggests a future action, so it actually requires a future response such as ‘I will.’
Why do we use am when we say “I am sorry” but not when we say “I love you” same does when we say like “I envy you” “I really envy you” I am damn confused someone asked me this question and I can’t find a perfect answer and a little confused with your answer above that adjective and verb thing
Hi Aksh, it’s because to be sorry is a state, a condition we are in, so we use the verb ‘to be’ (am), describing our state. Love and envy are things we actively do, to an external object, so we use them as verbs. Both of these could be reversed for different purposes – we can put a state of being sorry into action when we say sorry, ‘I apologise’, or we can describe our love as state, ‘I am in love.’
I hope this helps.
Hello,
Sir,
If I say, ” Please forward this message”.
And the other person replies
Sure sir, I do.
Is this reply correct
I mean just using I do is ok?
Hi Akshay,
No, that’s not correct as it is a request for a future activity (i.e. Forward this message later/when you can), so it should be framed according to reflect the task. ‘I do’ in this case would only be possible as a general confirmation here, as in something you do regularly/as a rule (e.g. ‘Please forward all the messages you receive.” – “I do.”)
In this example, though, to respond to the future task it would more appropriate to say “I will.” or something similar, unless you have completed the task since responding, in which case “I have done.” or “I did.” would work.
Thank you sir. I have another query.
If I say, ” please do this work”.
And the respondent replies ,” Yes, I do”.
Is this response correct. As far as I feel it is wrong. It has to be yes, I will do it or something similar.
Thanks and regards
Hi,
Yes you’re correct, “I do.” would not work as it is in the present simple and the request is for a future action, so the response needs to be in a future tense: “Yes, I will [do it].”, “Yes, I am going to do it.” The present for future here doesn’t really work because it would imply a plan already in place or a schedule, e.g. “I do the same work every week.”, “I am doing it this evening [as I already planned this].”
Phil
Can we use “I do” for replying but in interrogative statement? For example, “You look sad” and we reply it with “I do?”
Hi Ki, yes that works fine.
Hello sir, my query is that I watched a American show and the host asked a kid that ” you are not telling me that your mother helped you” and the kid replies “I do” but I think it should be “I am” so what’s the correct one or both are correct?
Hi,
You’re right; the correct response should have been “I am”, to agree with the form of the question.
Phil