What did you say?
What you said.
How did you and mum guess I wanted Agnes?
how you and Mum guessed I wanted Agnes
What is the meaning of above two sentences?
When should I use "did + present tense" and the past tense of a verb?
Answer
"Did" is often used in English in questions to turn a statement into a question.
People who are learning English are often tempted to turn a statement into a question by simply adding an interrogative word like "how" or "why" to it.
Statement: You gave him the box.
Attempt at question - WRONG: Why you gave him the box?
To make a proper question, you must change the verb from past tense to "did" plus present.
Question - RIGHT: Why did you give him the box?
I can't give you a good reason why you need to do this. It's just how it's done in English.
Perhaps I should clarify that that's not the only way to phrase a question.
If the action is in the future, we are already using a helping verb like "will". In this case we move the word "will" to precede the subject, but otherwise keep the same verbs.
Statement: You will give him the box.
Question: When will you give him the box?
Likewise if the original statement is in the present continuous, like "are giving".
Statement: You are giving him the box.
Question: Why are you giving him the box?
If the statement is in the present tense, we add the word "do".
Statement: You think the box is full.
Question: Why do you think the box is full?
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