Updated on March 02, 2025
by PushtoLearn
Test your English

Question tags – aren’t you? don’t you?

Question tags are short questions added to the end of a sentence. They help confirm information or keep a conversation going.

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!

Illustration of Question tags – aren’t you? don’t you?

📌 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:

  • "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.

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