A Simple Guide To Question Tags In English

You may know how to form direct questions such as “Do you like coffee?” or “What’s your job?” 

But what about question tags? English speakers use them all the time! Why? Because question tags are often the most natural way of asking something.

In this post, you’ll learn what they are, how they’re used, how you can respond to them, and what you can do to learn them.

Ready? Let’s begin.

What Are Question Tags?

A question tag is a short question that English speakers add to the end of a statement.

Here are some examples of question tags.

• She plays the piano, doesn't she?
• Your mom can't play video games, can she?
• They visited Paris last year, didn't they?
• You don’t like travelling, do you?
• You are studying for your exams, aren't you?
• We should buy a new car, shouldn’t we?
• He’s finished his homework, hasn't he?
• They aren’t married, are they?
• She will come to the party, won't she?
• You can’t play the guitar, can you?
• It’s nice, isn’t it?

How To Form Question Tags

The formula for most question tags is easy. 

positive/negative statement + comma + auxiliary verb in positive/negative form + subject pronoun + ?

Like this:

Positive/negative statement + comma	Positive/negative auxiliary verb (be, have, do, modal verbs)	Subject pronoun +?
He likes you,	doesn’t	he?
She can’t swim,	can	she?
It’s nice	isn’t	it?
They didn’t go home	did	they?
I should go	shouldn’t	I?
We wouldn’t do it	would	we?

There’s something important I need to tell you about the form of question tags. 

1. If the statement is positive, the question tag is negative and vice versa (e.g. You love it, don’t you? You don’t love it, do you?).
2. If the statement includes an auxiliary verb, this is repeated in the question (e.g. She can swim, can’t she?)
3. If the statement has no auxiliary, the question tag includes “do,” “does,” or “did” (e.g. She went to the park swim, didn’t she? They always have breakfast together, don’t they?)
4. When the statement includes “I am,” the question tag is “aren’t I” (e.g. I’m beautiful, aren’t I?)
5. If the statement has “there” as a subject, we repeat that in the question (e.g. There’s something that’s not quite right, isn’t there?)
6. After “let’s” we use “shall we?” in the question (e.g. Let’s go to the cinema, shall we?)
7. If the statement has “nothing” as a subject, we use “it” in the question tag (e.g. Nothing can go wrong, can it?)
8. “They” is the personal pronoun to use in the question tag when the statement has “nobody,” “somebody,” “no one,” etc. as a subject (e.g. Nobody wants that, do they?)
9. When we use negative words in the statement (“never,” “nobody,” “no,” “hardly,” etc.) we use positive tags (e.g. She never goes to the gym, does she?  That’s no good, is it?)
10. Sometimes we don’t include the subject in the statement (e.g. Great movie, isn’t it? Instead of It’s a great movie, isn’t it?)
11. When we start the statement with “I (don’t) think,” “I suppose,” “I imagine,” “I guess,” etc., we don’t form the question tag using “I” (e.g. I think you’re famous, aren’t you? I imagine he’ll be there tomorrow, won’t he?)
12. In British slang, native speakers, especially in London and other urban areas, use “innit,” an informal way of saying “isn’t it,” for all question tags (e.g. You’re a doctor, innit?)
13.  If the statement includes the verb “have” as a main verb (not as an auxiliary), you can use “do” or “have” in the question tag (e.g. You have 3 kids, don’t you? or You have 3 kids, haven’t you?) 
14.  If the main clause verb is “used to,” we use “did” in the question tag (e.g. They used to work there, didn’t they?)

Let’s now look at when we use question tags.

When To Use Question Tags

We use question tags when we want the listener to confirm that what we said is true or when we want the listener to agree with what we said. We also use them to ask genuine questions.

Let me explain.

Question Tags To Seek Confirmation Or Agreement

Imagine the following situation.

Someone told me you have a degree in medicine, you work in a hospital, and you work long hours. I’ve also seen you wear a white gown once. Something is telling me you’re a doctor. In fact, I’m almost sure you are. But how can I confirm that what I believe is true? 

I could ask you a real question like “Are you a doctor?” but I don’t want to do that because I’m almost sure this is your job.

What I really want to ask you is “I think you’re a doctor but I’m not entirely sure about this, so can you please confirm that what I believe is true?” 

That’s too long, though.

Here’s a better question: “You’re a doctor, aren’t you?”

I would ask you this question using a falling intonation. Why? Because this isn’t a real question. It’s more of a way to say, “I believe this is true. Please confirm I’m right.” 

Let me ask you other questions about you which I believe to be true. Please confirm I am right.

• You love StoryLearning, don’t you? (↘)
• You’re a learner of English, aren’t you? (↘)
• You can read in English, can’t you? (↘)
• You enjoy listening to stories in English, don’t you? (↘)
• You would like to speak English fluently, wouldn’t you? (↘)
• You don’t want to study grammar rules for years, do you? (↘)
• You didn’t burn any of my books, did you? (↘)
• You’ve already checked out my YouTube channel, haven’t you? (↘)
• You weren’t born in the UK, were you? (↘)
• English isn’t your first language, is it? (↘)

The symbol (↘) indicates that the intonation is falling. 

We use question tags with falling intonation also when we want people to agree with us. Some examples.

• That’s ugly, isn’t it? (↘)
• The StoryLearning blog is amazing, isn’t it? (↘)
• I don’t look smart in this photo, do I? (↘)
• He’s an awesome man, isn’t he? (↘)
• They were really nice people, weren’t they? (↘)

When we use question tags for genuine questions, we use a rising intonation at the end. if you need a reminder about intonation, read my post about intonation in English.

Let’s talk about this now.

Question Tags For Genuine Questions

“Genuine questions” are questions we ask when we don’t know what answer the speaker will give us.

Let’s say I’ve invited you to my birthday party but you haven’t yet told me whether you’re coming or not.

I don’t know if you’ll be able to make it, so I can ask you, “You’re coming to the party, aren’t you?” with a rising intonation (↗) to signal this is a real question.  

The form of the question doesn’t change. It’s still a statement + a question tag. What changes is how I pronounce it. 

Here are some other examples of genuine questions.

• You study English every day, don’t you? (↗)
• You have a strong passion for this language, haven’t you? (↗)
• Your favourite book is 101 Conversations in Simple English, isn’t it? (↗)
• You were born in Italy, weren’t you? (↗)
• Your best friend is a man, isn’t he? (↗)

When question tags are written, how do you know if they’re being used to ask real questions or checking questions? No one indicates if the question has a rising or falling intonation at the end. 

Don’t worry. 

Usually you can understand the nature of the question by looking at the context.

Let’s now look at other uses of question tags.

Other Uses Of Question Tags 

For requests and commands

English speakers use question tags to make polite requests or soften commands. In this case, the tag is formed using an imperative plus “will you?” “would you?” “can you?” or “could you?” 

Some examples:

• Close the door, will you?
• Pass me the salt, will you?
• Help me with this, would you?
• Give me a hand, would you?
• Don’t be late, will you?
• You couldn’t give me a hand, could you?

To express surprise

Occasionally we use “same-way” question tags. These are question tags where both the statement and the tag are in positive form. English speakers use them to express surprise about something that’s just been said. 

Here’s an example:

Speaker A: “I’m getting a promotion.”

Speaker B: “So you’re getting a promotion, are you? Congratulations!”

To engage the listener and keep the conversation going

In conversation, question tags help you invite a response from the listener. Some examples:

• “You’re enjoying the party, aren’t you?”
• “Nice to see you! We haven’t met before, have we?”
• “Beautiful day, isn’t it?” (in the elevator)

Let’s move on to how you can respond to question tags.

How To Respond To Question Tags

Without going into complicated grammar rules, here are some examples of how you can respond to question tags:

Question: “You’re coming, aren’t you?” 

Possible answers:

• “No, I’m not”
• “Yes, I am.”
• “I am.”
• “I can’t come, sorry.”

Question: “You don’t like coffee, do you?”

Possible answers:

• “No, I don’t.”
• “Yes, I do.”
• “I don’t, you’re right.”
• “No, not really.”
• “I love coffee!”
• “Yeah, it’s not my favourite drink, really.”

Question: “They weren’t with you, were they?” 

Possible answers:

• “Yes, they were.”
• “No, they weren’t.”
• “They were.”
• “They weren’t”

Easy, isn’t it?

Learning them is easy too.

By the way, if you're curious about questions in English and how to answer them, then you'll enjoy my post about 182 English questions and answers.

FAQs About Question Tags

3 Ways To Learn Question Tags

Here are 3 things you can do:

1. Use them! 

If you know you’re going to have a conversation in English, promise yourself you’re going to use at least 1 question tag. Create mini challenges and do your best to complete them.

2. Use online resources

Many websites and apps to learn English offer exercises, quizzes, and interactive tools specifically designed to help you practice question tags. Do a bit of research and you’ll be on your way.

3. Notice them in context

Pay attention to how question tags are used in real conversations, movies in English, stories, books, or TV shows. Notice the intonation. Does it go up or down? Why? Also, pay attention to the context and responses. 

The StoryLearning method is great for learning question tags in context! So go read some short stories in English to see tag questions in action. You'll soon be able to use them with confidence thanks to reading.

Last but not least, have fun and be patient. 

This post was useful, wasn’t it? (Genuine question – intonation rising)