Virtuous English AcademyQuestion Tags in English (A2)
- #A2
- #Grammar
- #Rules
- #Examples
Question tags are the short questions added to the end of a statement — You're Italian, aren't you? This lesson teaches the two rules that build every tag: reverse the polarity, and repeat the auxiliary.
A question tag is the short question added to the end of a statement: You're from Georgia, aren't you? It is not really asking for information — the speaker already believes the answer — it is asking for agreement, or checking something they are almost sure of. Tags are everywhere in spoken English, and a learner who never uses them sounds correct but oddly flat, because they are one of the main ways English softens a statement into a conversation.
Two rules build every tag, and they are applied in a fixed order. First, find the auxiliary in the statement and repeat it. Second, flip it: a positive statement takes a negative tag, and a negative statement takes a positive one. She has finished, hasn't she? She hasn't finished, has she? The subject in the tag is always a pronoun, never the original noun.
The only extra thing to learn is what to do when the statement has no auxiliary — and the answer is the one you already use for questions and negatives. Bring in do, does or did: He works here, doesn't he? You went home, didn't you? Beyond that there are exactly two irregular tags worth memorising, aren't I after I'm and shall we after let's, and everything else follows the two rules.
How to form Question Tags
| Statement | Auxiliary used | Tag | Full sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| You are ready | are | aren't you | You're ready, aren't you? |
| You aren't ready | aren't | are you | You aren't ready, are you? |
| She has left | has | hasn't she | She has left, hasn't she? |
| They can drive | can | can't they | They can drive, can't they? |
| He works here | none → does | doesn't he | He works here, doesn't he? |
| We went home | none → did | didn't we | We went home, didn't we? |
| I'm late | am → irregular | aren't I | I'm late, aren't I? |
| Let's start | fixed form | shall we | Let's start, shall we? |
Question Tags: the key rules
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A positive statement takes a negative tag; a negative statement takes a positive tag.
You're Italian, aren't you? You aren't Italian, are you?
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Repeat the auxiliary from the statement in the tag, with the matching pronoun.
She has finished, hasn't she? They can swim, can't they?
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If there is no auxiliary, the tag uses do, does or did.
He works here, doesn't he? You went home, didn't you?
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I am takes the irregular tag aren't I, and let's takes shall we.
I'm late, aren't I? Let's go, shall we?
When to use Question Tags
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Checking something you believe is true
The commonest use. Said with falling intonation, it expects agreement rather than information.
You've met Dilara before, haven't you?
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Asking a real question politely
Said with rising intonation, the same tag becomes a genuine question and softens the request.
You couldn't lend me five lira, could you?
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Keeping a conversation going
Tags invite the other person to respond, which is why small talk is full of them.
It's freezing today, isn't it?
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Making a request or suggestion gentler
With imperatives and let's, the tag turns an instruction into an invitation.
Close the window, will you? Let's take a break, shall we?
Falling tag vs. rising tag
The same six words can be a comment or a question, and only the intonation separates them. This is the part of the topic that a written exercise cannot teach, so it is worth saying both aloud.
Falling — I'm sure, agree with me
The speaker knows the answer and wants confirmation. Most tags in everyday small talk are this kind.
That was a great match, wasn't it? ↘
Rising — I'm not sure, please tell me
The speaker genuinely does not know, and the tag functions as a real question.
You haven't seen my keys, have you? ↗
Question Tags in example sentences
- You're coming tonight, aren't you?Positive statement, negative tag, auxiliary are repeated.
- She doesn't eat fish, does she?Negative statement, positive tag.
- They finished the report, didn't they?No auxiliary in the statement, so did appears in the tag.
- It won't rain, will it?Won't is negative, so the tag is positive.
- He never says sorry, does he?Never makes the statement negative even without not.
- I'm the last one, aren't I?The one irregular tag in the whole system.
- Nobody phoned, did they?Nobody, someone and everyone all take they in the tag.
- Pass me the salt, would you?Imperatives take will you, would you or can you.
Question Tags in a real conversation
Six tags, one of them irregular and one after a negative word. Try reading them with falling intonation first, then rising.
Ceren:You've been to this café before, haven't you?
Alex:Once. The coffee's good, isn't it?
Ceren:Very. They don't open on Sundays, do they?
Alex:No, they don't. I'm always here on Saturdays, aren't I?
Ceren:You are. Nobody told you they're moving, did they?
Alex:Moving? Let's ask at the counter, shall we?
Common mistakes (and how to fix them)
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You are from Baku, are you?
You are from Baku, aren't you?
A positive statement needs a negative tag; a positive tag after a positive statement sounds sarcastic or surprised.
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She never eats meat, doesn't she?
She never eats meat, does she?
Never already makes the statement negative, so the tag must be positive.
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Your sister is a doctor, isn't your sister?
Your sister is a doctor, isn't she?
The tag always uses a pronoun, never a repeated noun.
Practise Question Tags today
Speed is the goal — a tag produced three seconds late is not a tag. Work for automaticity rather than accuracy alone.
- Write ten statements about people you know and add the correct tag to each.
- Take five negative statements and check that every tag you wrote is positive.
- Correct these: You are Turkish, are you? — She never drives, doesn't she? — I'm right, amn't I?
- Say ten tags aloud, five with falling intonation and five with rising, and notice the change in meaning.
Question Tags: frequently asked questions
Why is it aren't I and not amn't I?
Because amn't does not exist in standard English. The contraction never formed, and the gap was filled by aren't, which is otherwise plural. So the tag after I'm is aren't I: I'm invited, aren't I? The uncontracted am I not is correct but very formal. Note that the positive tag after a negative is regular — I'm not late, am I? — so there is only one irregular form to remember, not two.
What happens after words like never, hardly and nobody?
They are negative in meaning even though they contain no not, so the tag is positive: He hardly ever calls, does he? Nothing arrived, did it? With nobody, somebody, everyone and no one, the pronoun in the tag is they, regardless of how many people are involved: Somebody left a message, didn't they? This is the same they English uses when the person's identity or gender is unknown.
How do I answer a negative tag question?
Answer the fact, not the tag. If somebody asks You don't drive, do you? and you do drive, say Yes, I do. If you do not drive, say No, I don't. English yes and no always follow the truth of the statement, never the politeness of the question — which differs from many languages, where you would agree with the questioner. Adding the short form after yes or no removes any ambiguity.
Do I have to use tags to sound natural?
You do not need them to be understood, but they carry a lot of social work in English, and their absence is noticeable in conversation. Start with the three that cover most situations — isn't it, aren't you and don't you — and add the rest as they come up. Using a handful of tags confidently is far better than attempting all of them and hesitating, because a tag delivered late sounds like a correction rather than an invitation.