Question tags
Look at these examples to see how question tags are used.
You haven't seen this film, have you?
Your sister lives in Spain, doesn't she?
He can't drive, can he?
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
We can add question tags like isn't it?, can you? or didn't they? to a statement to make it into a question. Question tags are more common in speaking than writing.
We often use question tags when we expect the listener to agree with our statement. In this case, when the statement is positive, we use a negative question tag.
She's a doctor, isn't she?
Yesterday was so much fun, wasn't it?
If the statement is negative, we use a positive question tag.
He isn't here, is he?
The trains are never on time, are they?
Nobody has called for me, have they?
If we are sure or almost sure that the listener will confirm that our statement is correct, we say the question tag with a falling intonation. If we are a bit less sure, we say the question tag with a rising intonation.
Formation
If there is an auxiliary verb in the statement, we use it to form the question tag.
I don't need to finish this today, do I?
James is working on that, isn't he?
Your parents have retired, haven't they?
The phone didn't ring, did it?
It was raining that day, wasn't it?
Your mum hadn't met him before, had she?
Sometimes there is no auxiliary verb already in the statement. For example, when:
... the verb in the statement is present simple or past simple and is positive. Here we use don't, doesn't or didn't:
Jenni eats cheese, doesn't she?
I said that already, didn't I?
... the verb in the statement is to be in the present simple or past simple. In this case we use to be to make the question tag:
The bus stop's over there, isn't it?
None of those customers were happy, were they?
... the verb in the statement is a modal verb. Here we use the modal verb to make the question tag:
They could hear me, couldn't they?
You won't tell anyone, will you?
If the main verb or auxiliary verb in the statement is am, the positive question tag is am I? but the negative question tag is usually aren't I?:
I'm never on time, am I?
I'm going to get an email with the details, aren't I?
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
Dear teacher, I have a question for “This is David, isn’t it?” Or “This is David, isn’t he?”
Thanks
Hello KatherineThu,
The correct form here is '...isn't it?'
It is the pronoun for tag questions when the subject is this or that.
We would use '...isn't he?' if the subject were 'he': He is David, isn't he?
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
This is Lucy, isn't it?
He is Andy, isn't he?
She is Veena, isn't she?
I am Shetu, aren't I?
Shetu Yogme
isn’t he?
ℚ𝕦𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕥𝕒𝕘𝕤
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘸𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.
𝐸𝓍𝒶𝓂𝓅𝓁𝑒𝓈:
a- You're the doctor, aren’t you?
b-You aren’t the doctor, are you?
-You are the doctor / You aren’t the doctor : 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬
-aren’t you? / are you?: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬
𝒢𝑒𝓃𝑒𝓇𝒶𝓁 𝓇𝓊𝓁𝑒:
-If the statement is positive → the tag is negative:
You're the doctor (+) → aren’t you? (-)
-If the statement is negative → the tag is positive:
You aren’t the doctor (+)→ are you? (-)
𝘚𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 1:
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬'𝐬 Mr Brown, and I’m sure it’s him. But I just asked who that was to get more confirmation:
a- Fortunately, it really is Mr Brown:
—You’re Mr Brown, aren’t you?
—Yes, I am.
b-Unfortunately, it isn't Mr Brown:
—You’re Mr Brown, aren’t you?
—Sorry, I’m not.
𝘚𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 2:
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 Mr Brown, and I’m sure it isn't him. But I just asked who that was to get more confirmation:
a- In fact, it isn't Mr Brown:
—You aren’t Mr Brown, are you?
—No, I’m not.
b-In fact, it really is Mr Brown:
—You aren’t Mr Brown, are you?
—Yes, I am.
𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙪𝙭𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙗 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩:
-𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 remind you about the appointment, 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗲?
-𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 invited him yourself, 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂?
-𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙣’𝙩 so cold yesterday, 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙩?
𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙪𝙭𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙗 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩:
-You 𝘀𝗲𝗲 what happened, 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 you?
-You 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 loudly to your friend, 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 you?
-Mary 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣'𝙩 always 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙚 in class, 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙚?
𝙈𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙡 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙗𝙨:
-This job 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 be suitable for me, 𝙬𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙞𝙩?
-We 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 go through the city road, 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐞?
-They 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 come in on time, 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻’𝘁 they?
𝙄 𝙖𝙢:
-𝐈’𝐦 not late, 𝐚𝐦 𝐈?
-𝐈'𝐦 wrong about you, 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝗜? (̷a̷m̷ ̷I̷ ̷n̷o̷t̷)̷
Hello LearnEnglish Team,
I was wondering why the second option is incorrect in the following sentence:
The second option seems natural in this case. Could you help?
Shetu Yogme
Hello Shetu Yogme,
To form tag questions we have three options:
positive verb + negative tag (She went, didn't she?)
negative verb + positive tag (She didn't go, did she?)
positive verb + positive tag - shows surprise (She went, did she?)
However, your example is not a tag question. Rather, it is an echo question in which the responder simply echoes back the first speaker's statement as a question to show that it was an unexpected piece of information:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Peter,
Oh, I got it now. There are two speakers here:
That's why it is an example of an echo question.
Shetu Yogme
Hello LearnEnglish Team,
Why "is there?" is correct instead of "isn't there?" in the following sentence?
Shetu Yogme.
Hello again,
I think I have found the answer.
In the above sentence, scarcely expresses a negative idea. It's like saying "The train is so full! There isn't anywhere to sit down, is there?"
Am I right?
Shetu Yogme.