What is a question tag?

A question tag is a short question attached to the end of a statement, made of an auxiliary verb and a pronoun: You're a teacher, aren't you? It checks information or invites the listener to agree. The auxiliary matches the statement's verb, the pronoun matches its subject, and the polarity is reversed: positive statement, negative tag.

How do you form a question tag when there is no auxiliary verb?

Use do, does, or did in the tense of the statement, exactly as you would in a normal question. You live nearby, don't you? She likes tea, doesn't she? They arrived late, didn't they? The main verb itself never appears in the tag.

Why is the tag for I am aren't I?

Because standard English has no contracted negative of am: amn't exists only in some Scottish and Irish speech. Aren't fills the gap in the tag, so I'm right, aren't I? is the normal form. If you need to be very formal, say am I not, but never am I in a checking tag after a positive statement.

Does the intonation of a question tag change the meaning?

Yes. A falling tag means you expect agreement and are hardly asking: Nice weather, isn't it? A rising tag means you genuinely want to know: You haven't seen my phone, have you? The words are identical, so in speech the voice is the only clue, and in writing the context has to carry it.

Are question tags formal or informal?

They belong mainly to conversation and informal writing such as messages and dialogue. In formal writing they are rare, and when they do appear the negative is often uncontracted: It is agreed, is it not? American English uses tags less than British English, and right? or okay? often takes their place: You're coming, right?

English grammar · Intermediate

Question Tags: Formation Rules, Special Cases, and Intonation

Written by Eleanor Whitfield, Lead English Curriculum Editor · Reviewed September 2026

A question tag is a short question added to the end of a statement to check information or invite agreement: It's cold, isn't it? You didn't call, did you? The tag repeats the auxiliary verb of the statement with a pronoun, and its polarity is reversed: a positive statement takes a negative tag, and a negative statement takes a positive one.

You're coming to the meeting, aren't you?

positive statement, negative tag, checking something the speaker expects

What it is

A question tag turns a statement into a question without changing its word order. The speaker says what they believe (You live in Leeds) and then invites confirmation (don't you?). The tag is built from two pieces: the auxiliary verb that the statement uses, or do, does, or did if it has none, and a pronoun that matches the subject. The polarity flips, so a positive statement gets a negative tag and a negative statement gets a positive one. Tags are far more common in speech than in writing, and they carry a great deal of the social work of conversation: checking, softening, and inviting the other person to agree.

She can swim, can't she? (Statement positive with can, tag negative with can't.) They haven't left, have they? (Statement negative, tag positive.)

How to spot it

A tag has two or three words: an auxiliary (with n't in the negative) and a subject pronoun, with not spelt out only in formal style. It refers back to the main clause, never to a new subject, and it ends with a question mark.

It's late, isn't it? (be repeated, pronoun it)
You don't eat meat, do you? (negative statement, positive tag)
Tom will be there, won't he? (modal repeated, Tom becomes he)
She works here, doesn't she? (no auxiliary in the statement, so does supplies one)

The tag copies the first auxiliary only. She has been working, hasn't she? uses has, not been. A positive tag after a positive statement (You're leaving, are you?) is possible but means something different: surprise, suspicion, or sarcasm.

Question Tags Quick Reference

Tags that do not follow the plain rule

Statement	Tag	Why
I am right	aren't I?	amn't does not exist in standard English, so aren't fills the gap
Let's go	shall we?	let's is a suggestion, and shall we invites agreement to it
Open the window / Don't be late	will you? (also can you?, could you?, won't you?)	an imperative has no auxiliary, so will or a modal does the asking; after a negative imperative only will you fits
Nobody called / Everyone came	did they? / didn't they?	indefinite pronouns for people take they; nobody counts as negative
Nothing is ready / Everything is ready	is it? / isn't it?	indefinite pronouns for things take it; nothing counts as negative
This is yours / These are yours	isn't it? / aren't they?	this and that become it; these and those become they
There's time	isn't there?	there stays as the subject of the tag
She used to live here	didn't she?	used to behaves like a past simple verb

Common Question Tags Examples in English

Tags do several jobs in conversation. These examples are grouped by what the speaker is trying to do:

Checking What You Believe

You've locked the back door, haven't you?: expecting yes, wanting confirmation
The meeting isn't until three, is it?: expecting no
Your brother lives in Canada, doesn't he?: checking a remembered fact
We met at Sara's party, didn't we?: checking a shared memory

Said with a falling voice, these are barely questions: the speaker is fairly sure and wants a nod.

Inviting Agreement and Making Small Talk

Lovely day, isn't it?: the classic conversation opener
That was a great film, wasn't it?: sharing an opinion, inviting agreement
It's a bit expensive, isn't it?: softening a criticism
She's done well, hasn't she?: praise that invites a shared reaction

In this use the tag is a social move. The speaker does not need information; they want the listener to join in.

Asking a Real Question

You haven't seen my keys, have you?: rising voice: a genuine request for information
You couldn't lend me ten pounds, could you?: a tentative request
This isn't the train to Bristol, is it?: worried, not sure of the answer
You don't happen to know the wifi password, do you?: polite, indirect asking

Negative statement plus positive tag is the natural shape for polite requests: it lets the listener say no easily.

Requests, Suggestions, and Orders

Pass me the salt, will you?: imperative + will you: a casual request
Let's take a break, shall we?: let's + shall we: a suggestion
Don't be late, will you?: negative imperative: only will you fits
Have another slice, won't you?: won't you: a warm invitation

Will you after an order can sound impatient; could you or would you softens it: Give me a hand, would you?

How Question Tags Work

Four steps build any tag, and a fifth rule governs how it is written and said.

Copy the Auxiliary

The tag uses the same auxiliary or modal as the statement: be, have, will, would, can, could, should, must. If the statement has two auxiliaries, only the first one appears in the tag.

She has been waiting, hasn't she?

has is copied, been is ignored

First auxiliary, and only that.

No Auxiliary? Use Do

Present simple and past simple statements have no auxiliary, so do, does, or did carries the tag, in the same tense and person as the statement. The main verb itself never appears in the tag.

He plays chess, doesn't he? They left early, didn't they?

does for present third person, did for past

Do fills the gap, in the right tense.

Turn the Subject into a Pronoun

The subject of the tag is always a pronoun that matches the subject of the statement: Maria becomes she, the children become they, the car becomes it, this becomes it, and there stays there.

The neighbours are away, aren't they?

the neighbours become they

Nouns become pronouns.

Flip the Polarity

A positive statement takes a negative tag, and a negative statement takes a positive one. Statements with never, hardly, seldom, nobody, nothing, or no count as negative even though they contain no not, so their tags are positive.

You never listen, do you?

never makes the statement negative, so the tag is positive

Positive, negative. Negative, positive.

Contract the Negative Tag

Negative tags are almost always contracted (isn't, don't, won't), with the pronoun after the contraction. The full form is very formal or emphatic and puts not after the pronoun: is it not? Learners who avoid contractions elsewhere should still use them in tags.

It's true, isn't it? (formal: It's true, is it not?)

the contracted tag is the norm; the full form is marked

n't, then the pronoun.

Common Mistakes with Question Tags

Incorrect: You like coffee, isn't it?

Correct: You like coffee, don't you?

The tag has to copy the verb of the statement. Like has no auxiliary, so do supplies one: don't you. Isn't it as a universal tag is common in several world Englishes but is not standard.

Incorrect: She can swim, can she?

Correct: She can swim, can't she?

A positive statement takes a negative tag when you are checking or seeking agreement. A positive tag after a positive statement is a different move, expressing surprise or suspicion.

Incorrect: Nobody came, didn't they?

Correct: Nobody came, did they?

Nobody makes the statement negative, so the tag must be positive. Nobody, nothing, never, and hardly all count as negatives for this purpose.

Incorrect: Let's start, don't we?

Correct: Let's start, shall we?

Let's is a suggestion, not a statement about we, so its tag is shall we, which invites agreement to the suggestion.

Question Tags Across Tenses

The same statement (she works) run through the main tenses, with the tag attached. Notice that do, does, and did appear only where the statement has no auxiliary of its own.

Statement and tag by tense

Left: a positive statement with its negative tag. Right: the negative statement with its positive tag.

Pronoun	Positive statement, negative tag	Negative statement, positive tag
present simple	She works here, doesn't she?	She doesn't work here, does she?
present continuous	She's working today, isn't she?	She isn't working today, is she?
past simple	She worked late, didn't she?	She didn't work late, did she?
past continuous	She was working, wasn't she?	She wasn't working, was she?
present perfect	She has worked abroad, hasn't she?	She hasn't worked abroad, has she?
past perfect	She had worked there before, hadn't she?	She hadn't worked there before, had she?
will	She'll work tomorrow, won't she?	She won't work tomorrow, will she?
be going to	She's going to work, isn't she?	She isn't going to work, is she?
modal	She can work from home, can't she?	She can't work from home, can she?

With be as a main verb the tag copies be directly: She's a nurse, isn't she? She was late, wasn't she?

Intonation and Meaning

The words of a tag stay the same; the voice decides whether it is a real question, a request for agreement, or something sharper.

Falling intonation: seeking agreement

When the voice falls on the tag, the speaker is confident and expects the listener to agree. It is closer to a statement than a question.

It's been a long week, hasn't it?: you both know it has
He's very good, isn't he?: expecting yes
You weren't listening, were you?: a gentle accusation, answer already known

Most tags in everyday conversation fall. If you rise on every tag, you sound less sure than you mean to.

Rising intonation: a real question

When the voice rises on the tag, the speaker is genuinely unsure and wants information.

You haven't seen Anna today, have you?: I really don't know
The shop's open on Sundays, isn't it?: checking before setting off
This isn't your coat, is it?: unsure, and it might be

A rising negative-statement tag (You couldn't help me, could you?) is the polite way to ask a favour.

Same-polarity tags: surprise, interest, or sarcasm

A positive statement with a positive tag is not a checking question. It reacts to something just learned or implied, and can be friendly or hostile depending on tone.

Oh, so you're the new manager, are you?: interest, or a challenge
You think that's funny, do you?: sarcastic, not a question
He's getting married, is he? I didn't know that.: surprised interest

Learners rarely need to produce these, but recognising them matters: an angry You did, did you? is not asking for confirmation.

Quick Check: Question Tags

Add the correct question tag to each sentence.

1. You're from Ireland, ___?

Answer: aren't you

be copied, polarity flipped

2. He didn't pass the test, ___?

Answer: did he

negative statement, positive tag with did

3. Let's order pizza, ___?

Answer: shall we

let's always takes shall we

4. I'm late again, ___?

Answer: aren't I

no amn't in standard English

5. Nobody phoned while I was out, ___?

Answer: did they

nobody is negative and takes they

6. Turn the music down, ___?

Answer: will you (or would you / could you)

an imperative takes will you or a softer modal

Question Tags FAQs

What is a question tag?: A question tag is a short question attached to the end of a statement, made of an auxiliary verb and a pronoun: You're a teacher, aren't you? It checks information or invites the listener to agree. The auxiliary matches the statement's verb, the pronoun matches its subject, and the polarity is reversed: positive statement, negative tag.
How do you form a question tag when there is no auxiliary verb?: Use do, does, or did in the tense of the statement, exactly as you would in a normal question. You live nearby, don't you? She likes tea, doesn't she? They arrived late, didn't they? The main verb itself never appears in the tag.
Why is the tag for I am aren't I?: Because standard English has no contracted negative of am: amn't exists only in some Scottish and Irish speech. Aren't fills the gap in the tag, so I'm right, aren't I? is the normal form. If you need to be very formal, say am I not, but never am I in a checking tag after a positive statement.
Does the intonation of a question tag change the meaning?: Yes. A falling tag means you expect agreement and are hardly asking: Nice weather, isn't it? A rising tag means you genuinely want to know: You haven't seen my phone, have you? The words are identical, so in speech the voice is the only clue, and in writing the context has to carry it.
Are question tags formal or informal?: They belong mainly to conversation and informal writing such as messages and dialogue. In formal writing they are rare, and when they do appear the negative is often uncontracted: It is agreed, is it not? American English uses tags less than British English, and right? or okay? often takes their place: You're coming, right?