A helping verb, also called an auxiliary verb, is a verb that works together with the main verb in a sentence. It helps the main verb show time, possibility, ability, necessity, emphasis, or whether something is happening.
Compare these two sentences:
- She runs every morning.
- She is running now.
In the first sentence, runs is the main verb. In the second sentence, is is a helping verb and running is the main verb. The helping verb is tells us that the action is happening now.
Helping verbs are extremely important because they allow us to create different verb tenses and ask questions or make negative sentences.
The Three Most Common Helping Verbs
The three basic helping verbs are:
BE, HAVE, and DO
These verbs can also be used as main verbs, depending on the sentence.
1. BE
The forms of be include:
am, is, are, was, were, be, been, being
The verb be is commonly used to form continuous tenses.
Examples:
- I am studying English.
- She is working today.
- They are playing soccer.
- He was sleeping when I called.
- We were watching television.
In each sentence, am, is, are, was, and were are helping verbs. The main verbs are studying, working, playing, sleeping, and watching.
2. HAVE
The forms of have include:
have, has, had
Have is commonly used to form perfect tenses.
Examples:
- I have finished my homework.
- She has eaten lunch.
- They have visited Kyoto.
- He had left before I arrived.
Here, have, has, and had are helping verbs. The main verbs are finished, eaten, visited, and left.
The helping verb tells us that the action happened before another time or has a connection with the present.
3. DO
The forms of do include:
do, does, did
Do is often used to make questions and negative sentences.
Examples:
- Do you like coffee?
- Does he play tennis?
- Did they go to school?
- I do not understand.
- She does not like fish.
- We did not see him.
Notice an important rule: after do, does, or did, the main verb stays in its base form.
Correct:
- Does she like English?
Incorrect:
- Does she likes English?
Correct:
- Did he go home?
Incorrect:
- Did he went home?
Modal Helping Verbs
Another important group of helping verbs is called modal verbs. Modal verbs express ideas such as ability, possibility, permission, advice, or necessity.
Common modal helping verbs include:
can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would
Examples:
- I can swim.
- She could help you.
- You may leave now.
- It might rain tomorrow.
- You must study.
- We should exercise.
- He will call later.
- They would like some coffee.
A modal helping verb is followed by the base form of the main verb.
For example:
- She can drive.
- He should study.
- We must leave.
- They will arrive soon.
We do not say:
- She can drives.
- He should studies.
- We must leaves.
Helping Verbs in Questions
Helping verbs are especially useful when making questions.
Compare:
You are studying English.
Question:
Are you studying English?
The helping verb are moves to the beginning of the sentence.
More examples:
- She is working. → Is she working?
- They have finished. → Have they finished?
- He can swim. → Can he swim?
- You like pizza. → Do you like pizza?
Helping Verbs in Negative Sentences
Helping verbs are also used to make negative sentences.
Examples:
- I am not sleeping.
- She is not working.
- They have not arrived.
- He does not understand.
- We cannot go.
- You should not worry.
The word not usually comes after the helping verb.
Helping Verbs Can Be Main Verbs
Remember that be, have, and do are not always helping verbs.
For example:
- She is happy.
- I have a car.
- They do their homework.
Here, is, have, and do are main verbs because they are not helping another verb.
Compare:
- She is happy. → is = main verb
- She is studying. → is = helping verb
A Simple Way to Identify a Helping Verb
When you see two verbs together, ask:
Is the first verb helping the second verb?
For example:
He is running.
- is = helping verb
- running = main verb
She has finished her work.
- has = helping verb
- finished = main verb
They can speak English.
- can = helping verb
- speak = main verb
Summary
Helping verbs are verbs that work with main verbs to give us more information about an action or situation. The most common helping verbs are be, have, and do. Modal verbs such as can, could, may, might, must, should, and will are also helping verbs.
They help us form different tenses, questions, negative sentences, and expressions of ability, possibility, permission, advice, and necessity.
Remember these basic patterns:
BE + -ing
- She is studying.
HAVE + past participle
- She has finished.
DO + base verb
- Does she like coffee?
MODAL + base verb
- She can speak English.
Helping verb（助動詞）とは、文の中でメインの動詞（main verb）を助ける動詞です。Helping verb は、動作の時制、可能性、能力、必要性、強調などを表します。また、質問文や否定文を作るときにも使われます。
次の2つの文を比べてみましょう。
- She runs every morning.
→ 彼女は毎朝走ります。 - She is running now.
→ 彼女は今走っています。
1つ目の文では、runs がメインの動詞です。
2つ目の文では、is が Helping verb で、running がメインの動詞です。
Helping verb の is によって、「今、走っている」という意味になります。
Helping verb は、英語のさまざまな時制を作ったり、質問文や否定文を作ったりするために非常に重要です。
代表的な3つの Helping Verbs
基本的な Helping verb には、次の3つがあります。
BE、HAVE、DO
ただし、これらの動詞は文によっては Helping verb ではなく、**main verb（主要動詞）**として使われることもあります。
1. BE
be の形には次のようなものがあります。
am, is, are, was, were, be, been, being
BE は、特に進行形を作るために使われます。
例：
- I am studying English.
→ 私は英語を勉強しています。 - She is working today.
→ 彼女は今日働いています。 - They are playing soccer.
→ 彼らはサッカーをしています。 - He was sleeping when I called.
→ 私が電話したとき、彼は寝ていました。 - We were watching television.
→ 私たちはテレビを見ていました。
これらの文では、am, is, are, was, were が Helping verb です。
メインの動詞はそれぞれ、studying, working, playing, sleeping, watching です。
2. HAVE
have の形には次のものがあります。
have, has, had
HAVE は、特に完了形を作るために使われます。
例：
- I have finished my homework.
→ 私は宿題を終えました。 - She has eaten lunch.
→ 彼女は昼食を食べました。 - They have visited Kyoto.
→ 彼らは京都を訪れたことがあります。 - He had left before I arrived.
→ 私が到着する前に、彼は出発していました。
ここでは、have, has, had が Helping verb です。
メインの動詞は、finished, eaten, visited, left です。
Helping verb によって、その動作がいつ起こったのか、また別の時点との関係が分かります。
3. DO
do の形には次のものがあります。
do, does, did
DO は、特に質問文や否定文を作るときに使われます。
例：
- Do you like coffee?
→ あなたはコーヒーが好きですか。 - Does he play tennis?
→ 彼はテニスをしますか。 - Did they go to school?
→ 彼らは学校へ行きましたか。 - I do not understand.
→ 私は分かりません。 - She does not like fish.
→ 彼女は魚が好きではありません。 - We did not see him.
→ 私たちは彼を見ませんでした。
ここで、とても重要なルールがあります。
do, does, did の後では、メインの動詞は原形を使います。
正しい：
- Does she like English?
→ 彼女は英語が好きですか。
間違い：
- Does she likes English?
正しい：
- Did he go home?
→ 彼は家に帰りましたか。
間違い：
- Did he went home?
Modal Helping Verbs（助動詞）
Helping verb のもう1つの重要なグループが、**modal verbs（法助動詞）**です。
Modal verb は、能力、可能性、許可、アドバイス、必要性などを表します。
代表的なものは：
can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would
例：
- I can swim.
→ 私は泳ぐことができます。 - She could help you.
→ 彼女はあなたを手伝えるかもしれません。 - You may leave now.
→ あなたは今帰ってもいいです。 - It might rain tomorrow.
→ 明日は雨が降るかもしれません。 - You must study.
→ あなたは勉強しなければなりません。 - We should exercise.
→ 私たちは運動したほうがよいです。 - He will call later.
→ 彼は後で電話するでしょう。 - They would like some coffee.
→ 彼らはコーヒーを飲みたいです。
Modal helping verb の後には、動詞の原形を使います。
例えば：
- She can drive.
- He should study.
- We must leave.
- They will arrive soon.
次の形は間違いです。
- She can drives.
- He should studies.
- We must leaves.
Helping Verb を使った疑問文
Helping verb は、質問文を作るときに特に重要です。
普通の文：
You are studying English.
→ あなたは英語を勉強しています。
疑問文：
Are you studying English?
→ あなたは英語を勉強していますか。
Helping verb の are を文の最初に移動させます。
その他の例：
- She is working.
→ Is she working? - They have finished.
→ Have they finished? - He can swim.
→ Can he swim? - You like pizza.
→ Do you like pizza?
Helping Verb を使った否定文
Helping verb は、否定文を作るときにも使われます。
例：
- I am not sleeping.
→ 私は寝ていません。 - She is not working.
→ 彼女は働いていません。 - They have not arrived.
→ 彼らはまだ到着していません。 - He does not understand.
→ 彼は理解していません。 - We cannot go.
→ 私たちは行くことができません。 - You should not worry.
→ あなたは心配しないほうがいいです。
通常、not は Helping verb の後ろに置きます。
Helping Verb が Main Verb になる場合
be、have、do は、いつも Helping verb というわけではありません。
例えば：
- She is happy.
→ 彼女は幸せです。 - I have a car.
→ 私は車を持っています。 - They do their homework.
→ 彼らは宿題をします。
ここでは、is, have, do が他の動詞を助けていないので、main verb です。
比較してみましょう。
- She is happy.
→ is = main verb - She is studying.
→ is = helping verb
Helping Verb の見つけ方
Helping verb を見つける簡単な方法があります。
「最初の動詞は、次の動詞を助けていますか？」
と考えてみましょう。
例えば：
He is running.
- is = Helping verb
- running = Main verb
She has finished her work.
- has = Helping verb
- finished = Main verb
They can speak English.
- can = Helping verb
- speak = Main verb
まとめ
Helping verb は、メインの動詞を助けて、文にさまざまな情報を加える動詞です。
代表的な Helping verb は、be、have、do です。また、can、could、may、might、must、should、will などの modal verbs も重要な Helping verb です。
Helping verb は、次のような働きをします。
時制を作る
- She is studying.
→ 彼女は勉強しています。
完了形を作る
- She has finished.
→ 彼女は終えました。
疑問文・否定文を作る
- Does she like coffee?
→ 彼女はコーヒーが好きですか。
能力や必要性などを表す
- She can speak English.
→ 彼女は英語を話すことができます。
基本的なパターンを覚えておくと便利です。
BE + -ing
→ She is studying.
HAVE + 過去分詞
→ She has finished.
DO + 動詞の原形
→ Does she like coffee?
MODAL + 動詞の原形
→ She can speak English.
