Grammar · Free lesson
Who called Mia? Or who did Mia call?
Two calls happened, but your notes are incomplete. Someone called Mia; later Mia called someone. Those missing names need different questions.
Professor Scott MendozaThe short answer
Who called Mia? asks for the caller: who is the subject. Who did Mia call? asks for the person Mia called: Mia is the subject, so this past-simple question uses did + call.
Ask who did the action or who received it.
In Who called Mia?, who takes the place of the person doing the calling. Keep the past form called. In Who did Mia call?, Mia is still doing the action. Put did before Mia and use the base form call after the subject.
Follow the direction of the call
Who called Mia?
Who did Mia call?
Mia called Leo.
Both questions are grammatical, but they ask for different people. Did is not a word to add automatically after every who.
Find the missing role
Start with an unknown caller
Someone called Mia.
Ask about that caller
Who called Mia?
Ask instead about the person Mia called
Who did Mia call?
Try it now
Choose the question that finds the missing name.
Read all answers and explanations
Someone called Mia. You do not know the caller. Which direct question asks for that person?
Who called Mia?Who is the unknown caller, so Who called Mia? fits. Who did Mia call? reverses the direction; Who Mia called? is not the ordinary direct-question form.
Mia called someone. You know Mia was the caller. Which question asks for the person she called?
Who did Mia call?Who did Mia call? keeps Mia as the caller. After did, use call, not called. Who called Mia? asks about a different direction.
Leo called someone. Ask who he called, using an ordinary past-simple direct question.
Who did Leo call?Use did + Leo + call. Did already marks the past here; called after did repeats that marking.
Put it into practice
Keep the two questions in the right order.
First ask who called Mia. Then ask who Mia called. Keep that order and correct the verb form in the second question.
Who called Mia? Who did Mia called?
See a model answer
Who called Mia? Who did Mia call?
The form and the role both matter. A grammatical question can still ask for the wrong person or be in the wrong place for this task.
A little more clarity
Common questions
A few useful details before you move on.
What about a present-simple subject question?
The same role distinction applies. In an ordinary question about the person doing a repeated action, who can be the subject without an extra do or does.
Who calls Mia every Friday?
Can I answer with just a name?
Often, yes, when the context is clear. A full sentence makes the direction explicit and is useful while practising this contrast.
Leo called Mia.
Take it into your day
Who called Mia? asks for the caller. Who did Mia call? asks for the person she called.
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The English Grammar and English Speaking course includes a Question Words section with sentence-building, vocabulary and American- and British-accent conversation practice. Continue from this caller-or-recipient distinction to a wider range of useful questions.
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