Question tags – aren’t you? don’t you?
Table of Contents
Question tags - Exercises
These exercises focus on Question tags.
🎯 TLDR
✔️ Positive sentences → Negative tags (You like tea, don’t you?)
✔️ Negative sentences → Positive tags (She isn’t here, is she?)
✔️ Special cases: "I am" → "Aren’t I?", "Let’s" → "Shall we?"
✔️ Great for conversation – use them to sound natural and engaging!

📌 What Are Question Tags?
A question tag is a mini-question at the end of a statement. It is used to:
✔️ Confirm information → "You’re a student, aren’t you?"
✔️ Check for agreement → "It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?"
✔️ Encourage conversation → "You love music, don’t you?"
📌 Fun Fact: In British English, question tags are very common in speech!
🔹 How to Form Question Tags
1️⃣ Positive Statement → Negative Tag
If the main sentence is positive, use a negative question tag.
✔️ Examples:
-
You like pizza, don’t you?
-
He is your friend, isn’t he?
-
They have finished, haven’t they?
2️⃣ Negative Statement → Positive Tag
If the main sentence is negative, use a positive question tag.
✔️ Examples:
-
You don’t like pizza, do you?
-
She isn’t here, is she?
-
They haven’t finished, have they?
📌 Tip: "Not" contractions (isn’t, don’t, haven’t) are used in negative question tags.
🔄 Common Question Tags – Examples by Verb Type
Main Sentence |
Question Tag |
You are a teacher. |
Aren’t you? |
She isn’t busy. |
Is she? |
They like chocolate. |
Don’t they? |
He doesn’t play soccer. |
Does he? |
We have met before. |
Haven’t we? |
You haven’t seen this movie. |
Have you? |
She can swim. |
Can’t she? |
He can’t drive. |
Can he? |
📌 Note: If the sentence has "never," "nobody," "nothing," or "hardly", treat it as negative:
✔️ Example: "Nobody called you, did they?"
⚡ Special Rules for Question Tags
1️⃣ "I am" → "Aren’t I?"
✔️ Correct: "I am your friend, aren’t I?"
❌ Incorrect: "I am your friend, amn't I?"
📌 Tip: "Amn’t I" is NOT correct English!
2️⃣ Imperatives → "Will you?" or "Won’t you?"
For commands or requests, use "will you?" or "won’t you?"
✔️ Examples:
-
Open the door, will you? (Polite request)
-
Pass me the salt, won’t you? (Friendly)
3️⃣ Let’s… → "Shall we?"
When using "Let's", the correct tag is "shall we?"
✔️ Examples:
-
Let’s go to the beach, shall we?
-
Let’s not be late, shall we?
📌 Note: "Let us" (formal) follows the same rule:
✔️ Example: Let us pray, shall we?
❌ Common Mistakes with Question Tags
Mistake |
Incorrect |
Correct |
Wrong polarity |
She is coming, is she? |
She is coming, isn’t she? |
Wrong pronoun |
Tom is late, isn’t it? |
Tom is late, isn’t he? |
Wrong auxiliary verb |
She has a car, doesn’t she? |
She has a car, hasn’t she? |
"Amn’t I" (incorrect) |
I am right, amn’t I? |
I am right, aren’t I? |
📌 Tip: The verb in the question tag should match the main verb in the sentence!
🗣 How to Use Question Tags in Conversation
✔️ Checking information:
-
"You work here, don’t you?"
-
"She’s from Canada, isn’t she?"
✔️ Expressing surprise:
-
"You won the lottery, didn’t you? 😲"
✔️ Being friendly:
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"Lovely weather, isn’t it? 😊"
✔️ Asking for agreement:
-
"This movie is amazing, isn’t it?"
❓ FAQ: Common Questions About Question Tags
Do all questions need question tags?
➡️ No. Question tags are used to confirm, check, or engage in conversation.
What is the most common question tag?
➡️ "Isn’t it?" is widely used for general comments.
✔️ Example: "It’s a great day, isn’t it?"
Can you use question tags in formal writing?
➡️ Not usually. Question tags are more common in spoken English and informal writing.
What if the sentence has a modal verb (can, should, must)?
➡️ Use the same modal verb in the question tag.
✔️ Examples:
-
"You can swim, can’t you?"
-
"She must leave early, mustn’t she?"
How can I practice questions?
➡️ Have a look at exercises with Question Words and Question Forms.