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I get confused with this question. I want to ask some questions about a tradtional party. This party is something like an event, people gather together and wear specific clothes. Is it correct to ask "how many people dance at the party?" Or it necessarily needs "do"

M. Ali
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  • Welcome to EL&U. Unfortunately, it is not very clear what you are asking. Please [edit] the post to the describe the scenario and what you are trying to ask about, using different words, and why you do or do not think do might be required. Both How many people dance in the party? and How many people do dance in the party? are grammatical, but they would also both be very strange to hear except in some narrow circumstances, not least because party has different meanings. I strongly encourage you to take the site [tour] and review the [help] for additional guidance. – choster Nov 14 '18 at 18:26
  • Hi. I've just edited the text and I tried to make it clear. – M. Ali Nov 17 '18 at 09:10

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I'm assuming you're using party to mean the same thing as "celebration" and not "a group of people" (e.g. a wedding party). If so, it should be "at the party", not "in the party".

If the party is over, it should be: "How many people danced at the party?"

If the party is currently happening, it should be: "How many people are dancing at the party?"

If the party has not happened yet, it should be: "How many people will dance at the party?"

Only if the party is a regular event that has happened multiple times and will happen again in the future, it should be: "How many people dance at the party?"

mRotten
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  • Hi. Thanks for your explanation. I've changed the proposition, as you said it should be "at". And I explained why I used simple present tense. – M. Ali Nov 17 '18 at 09:11