didn't you vs did you not

Both "didn't you" and "did you not" are correct constructions in English, but "didn't you" is more commonly used in everyday language. Both phrases are used to form negative questions, with "didn't you" being the more natural and informal choice.

Last updated: April 08, 2024

didn't you

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

This phrase is used to form negative questions in a more informal and natural way.

Examples:

Didn't you go to the party last night?
Didn't you like the movie?
Didn't you hear what I said?
Didn't you finish your homework?
Didn't you see the sign?

Show examples from the web [+]

You kidnapped that prisoner, didn't you?
Why didn't you wait for me...
Why didn't you bring something?
Why didn't you bring more ammunition?
Why didn't you explain what happened?
Why didn't you continue your education?
Why didn't you take an earlier train?
Why didn't you take the deal Grimes offered you?
Why didn't you take the hat?
Why didn't you report Francesca then?
Why didn't you keep firing?
Why didn't you sound the horn?
Why didn't you include any names?
Why didn't you take the freeway?
Why didn't you let him catch me?
Why didn't you keep watch?
Why didn't you evacuate the compartment to space?
Why didn't you save my husband?
Corporal Paris, why didn't you leave the trenches?
Why didn't you burn that letter too?

Alternatives:

Did you not

did you not

This phrase is correct but less commonly used in everyday language.

This phrase is also used to form negative questions, but it is more formal and less common in everyday speech.

Examples:

Did you not receive my email?
Did you not understand the instructions?
Did you not see the warning?
Did you not hear the announcement?
Did you not notice the change?

Show examples from the web [+]

Why did you not accept the medal?
Why did you not get glasses for our guests?
Why did you not utilise the telephone?
How did you not subpoena that footage?
Why did you not unlock the doors?
And why did you not wed Thomas?
Why did you not shave his armpits?
Why did you not foresee this?
Why did you not wait at northern gate as ordered?
Why did you not seize opportunity?
Then why did you not dispatch a messenger?
And why did you not call for a trauma consult?
Reynaud, did you not hear Colbert addressing you in Council?
Why did you not defend yourself?
Which oddities did you not explore, and why?
Why did you not learn at school?
And did you not find such occurrences shocking, eminency?
Why did you not speak about this?
Why did you not confront these Danes?
Why did you not decide to adapt legislation instead?

Alternatives:

Didn't you

What Our Customers Are Saying

Our customers love us! We have an average rating of 4.79 stars based on 283,125 votes.
Also check out our 2,100+ reviews on TrustPilot (4.9).

"Thank you!"
Sachi Nakama July 2024
"I have literally been through chat, PI, claude, bard and bing and I got conflicting answers! Thank you! Human intelligence reigns!"
Retha July 2024
"Faster than AI"
CYNTHIA December 2023
"This was very helpful and I personally think this site is the best."
Kaden October 2023
"It was extremely thorough and very helpful!"
imperialelisa October 2023
"7 years without any disappointment. Always 100% satisfied. You guys are the best in the world at what you do. Thank you so much :)"
Zubair Alam October 2023
"In a world of text messages and online communication, this is great to have as a live tool. Thank you."
Selena October 2023
"Without textranch I would be stuck!"
宏祐 October 2023
"Accuracy and fast response. Personal comments from editor. Thank you."
Clh September 2023
"I wasn't aware of this service, it's fascinating and more reliable than standard IA tools available on the internet"
Arturo September 2023
"The fact that you can get reliable fast feedback on your texts."
Vinicius Antonio August 2023
"you guys are better than grammarly i'm being honest here"
ordinary July 2023
"OMG! This is really good than any other text correction tools I've used so far. Highly recommend this."
Vehan July 2023
"Very fast and accurate. thank you."
mojtaba July 2023
"I love this app because it's help to writing skills all of students ♥️"
Tarisini July 2023
"This was exactly the mistake I was looking for, the wording dind´t sound right at first. Better than grammarly!"
Ente July 2023
"The immediate help that I received was reassuring and very satisfactory. Thanks."
priiiyanshuu July 2023
"this helps A LOT for my studies."
kathnunez02 June 2023
"Woow!! I would never have expected such precision! Thank you soooo much!!"
Berta June 2023
"Real Time Editor and not AI. Many Thanks."
Priya June 2023
"The very first thing excites me about Textranch is how much your editors care."
sepideh June 2023
"The fact that texts are checked by human editors rather than by AI, etc. I appreciate this!"
Анна June 2023
"Feel welcome, immediate response, high quality feedback"
martin.roy June 2023
"This is the best app that I have ever seen"
Burulai May 2023