Question tags

A question tag is the little "isn't it?" or "don't you?" that gets added to the end of a statement — it turns You're tired into You're tired, aren't you? Most of the time, question tags aren't asking something brand new; they check that what you just said is right, or invite the other person to agree. (With a different intonation, they can also become a real question — more on that below.)

The quick shortcut. A positive statement gets a negative tag; a negative statement gets a positive tag. The tag repeats the statement's auxiliary verb (or do/does/did) and its subject as a pronoun: You're tired, aren't you? · You don't smoke, do you?

The basic pattern: flip the polarity

The core rule is simple: if the statement is positive, the tag is negative; if the statement is negative, the tag is positive.

• The film was good, wasn't it? (positive statement → negative tag)
• The film wasn't very good, was it? (negative statement → positive tag)

In this standard checking/inviting-agreement pattern, the polarity usually changes: ✅ You're coming, aren't you? rather than You're coming, are you? — that second version is grammatical, but for this everyday meaning it sounds odd; a same-polarity tag like that one does exist in English, but it carries a different meaning — surprise or a reaction to news — so it's a separate topic from the pattern here.

Which verb goes in the tag

The tag reuses whatever auxiliary or modal verb is already in the statement — have, can, will, should, and so on. The verb be works the same way, whether it's an auxiliary (is studying) or the main verb of the sentence (was good):

• She is studying medicine, isn't she?
• They have finished, haven't they?
• We can park here, can't we?
• You will call me, won't you?

If the statement has no auxiliary — an ordinary verb in the present simple or past simple — the tag borrows do/does/did, exactly like a normal question would:

• You like coffee, don't you? (present simple, no auxiliary → do/does)
• She works from home, doesn't she?
• They arrived late, didn't they? (past simple → did)

One verb needs a closer look: have. In perfect tenses it's an auxiliary, so it stays in the tag (They've finished, haven't they?), but when have means possession, many speakers — especially in American English — treat it as an ordinary verb and use do/does/did instead: She has a car, doesn't she? British English also uses hasn't she? for possession, so both are worth recognizing. With have got, keep have/has: She's got a car, hasn't she?

The subject becomes a pronoun

The tag's subject is usually a pronoun that matches the statement's subject — never the full noun again:

• Your sister called, didn't she? — never ❌ didn't your sister?
• The keys are on the table, aren't they? (plural → they)
• Tom and Ana are coming, aren't they? (more than one person → they)

With existential there is/are (see below), the tag keeps there instead of switching to a pronoun.

Special cases

A handful of statements don't follow the plain pattern above and are worth learning as fixed forms:

• I am → aren't I? I'm right, aren't I? (the logical form would be amn't I, but standard English doesn't use it)
• Let's → shall we? Let's go, shall we?
• An imperative most often takes will you? (Close the door, will you?), with softer alternatives like would you?, can you? or could you? for a request, and won't you? for a friendly invitation: Have some more cake, won't you? A negative imperative also usually takes will you?: Don't forget, will you?
• There is/are/was/were and there has/have been all keep there in the tag: There's a problem, isn't there? · There aren't any tickets left, are there? · There was a delay, wasn't there? · There have been complaints, haven't there?
• A statement with a negative word (nobody, nothing, never, no one, hardly) already counts as negative, so the tag is positive: Nobody called, did they? · Nothing happened, did it? · You never eat meat, do you? Words like nobody, no one, everybody, everyone, someone aren't necessarily negative themselves, but when they're the subject, the tag pronoun is usually they: Nobody called, did they? (negative statement → positive tag) · Everybody is ready, aren't they? (positive statement → negative tag, same as any other subject).

Checking vs. asking: what your voice does

The words in a tag question stay the same whether you're genuinely unsure or just inviting agreement — the difference is intonation:

• Falling intonation (voice drops on the tag) = you're pretty sure, and you're really just confirming or inviting agreement: It's a beautiful day, isn't it? ↘
• Rising intonation (voice goes up on the tag) = you're genuinely not sure, and you're really asking: You locked the door, didn't you? ↗ (you actually want to know)

Both use exactly the same grammar — the intonation is what carries the extra meaning, and in writing the two uses usually look identical.

Common mistakes

• ❌ You're coming, are you? → ✅ You're coming, aren't you? (for this everyday checking meaning, a positive statement needs a negative tag)
• ❌ She doesn't like tea, doesn't she? → ✅ She doesn't like tea, does she? (negative statement needs a positive tag)
• ❌ Your parents are here, isn't it? → ✅ Your parents are here, aren't they? (pronoun must match the subject, not default to it)
• ❌ You speak French, isn't it? → ✅ You speak French, don't you? (no auxiliary in the statement → use do/does/did, not is/isn't)
• ❌ I am right, amn't I? → ✅ I am right, aren't I? (the fixed form after I am)

Quick check

Try adding the correct tag:

1. You've met my brother, ____?
2. She isn't from here, ____?
3. Let's have lunch, ____?
4. There aren't any tickets left, ____?
5. Tom can drive, ____?
6. Nobody saw the accident, ____?

Key takeaways

• Positive statement → negative tag; negative statement → positive tag.
• The tag reuses the statement's own auxiliary or modal (be, have, can, will…); with no auxiliary, it borrows do/does/did.
• The tag's subject is usually a pronoun matching the statement's subject, never the noun again (except there is/are, which keeps there).
• It helps to remember the fixed special cases: aren't I, shall we (after Let's), will you (after an imperative), and isn't/aren't/wasn't/weren't/haven't there.
• A statement with a negative word (nobody, never, nothing…) is already negative, so its tag is positive.
• The grammar of a tag doesn't change between checking and asking — only your intonation (falling vs. rising) does.