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
First: What is the difference between:
1- I am late, am I not?
2- I am late, aren't I?
Second: Why this tag question is wrong?
I am late, am not I?
Hello KAKA,
The tag 'am I not' is much more formal and even old-fashioned; it is rarely used in modern English other than in a self-consciously formal manner or in extremely formal settings (speeches in court or parliament, for example).
Question tags use the inverted form verb+subject+negation unless they are contracted (they are usually contracted). Thus we have:
is he not / isn't he
would she not / wouldn't she
can he not / can't he
does he not / doesn't he
etc.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Paul,
This is actually a normal situation, though the sentence is a bit more complex than the examples on this page since it has two verbs. The question tag 'do you' refers to the verb 'I don't think'; since 'don't think' is negative, the question tag is affirmative 'do you'.
As you can see, the question tag doesn't refer to 'could get away with', but rather the verb 'think' that frames the sentence.
Does that make sense?
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Van,
Sure thing -- the last one is the best form here.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Tim,
I'd say 'right' here, which can be used as a kind of universal question tag, but you could also form it with the modal verb used in the sentence: 'mustn't you'. There's nothing grammatically wrong with using 'mustn't' as a question tag, but it's a bit unusual.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Tim,
Doesn't it have a laminated cover?
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team