Question Tags in English

Question Tags in English: Rules, Examples and Common Mistakes

Question tags in English are one of the most characteristic features of spoken language. We use question tags to check information, ask for agreement, and keep conversations flowing naturally.

Let’s start with a simple situation.

An example situation

Sarah is at a party. She thinks she recognises a man standing near the drinks, but she isn’t 100% sure.

She says:

You’re Mark’s brother, aren’t you?

What does this tell us?

The real situation: Sarah believes he is Mark’s brother, but she wants him to confirm it.

The structure: She makes a positive statement and attaches a short negative “tag” at the end.

The Basic Rule for Question Tags (Positive & Negative Forms)

The most important thing to remember about question tags is that they usually work like a mirror. If the first part of the sentence is positive, the tag is negative. If the first part is negative, the tag is positive.

1. Positive statement / negative tag

“It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?” (The speaker expects you to agree.)

“You’ve been to London before, haven’t you?“

2. Negative statement / positive tag

“You haven’t seen my keys, have you?” (The speaker is looking for information.)

“It won’t rain today, will it?“

How to Choose the Correct Verb in Question Tags

To choose the right tag, you need to look at the main verb in the sentence.

If the sentence has an auxiliary verb (be, have, can, will, must, etc.), use that same verb for the tag:

“They are coming tonight, aren’t they?”

“You can swim, can’t you?”

“We should call them, shouldn’t we?”

If the sentence does not have an auxiliary verb (Present Simple or Past Simple), use do/does/did:

“You play the guitar, don’t you?” (Present Simple)

“She lives near the park, doesn’t she?” (Present Simple)

“They went to the cinema, didn’t they?” (Past Simple)

Common Question Tag Exceptions and Tricky Cases

Just like with if and wish, English has a few little surprises when it comes to tags:

I am… / aren’t I? (We don’t say “amn’t I”)

Example: “I’m late again, aren’t I?“

Let’s… /shall we?

Example: “Let’s go for a coffee, shall we?“

Negative words (never, nobody, hardly): Even if the verb looks positive, these words make the sentence negative, so the tag must be positive.

Example: “You never listen to me, do you?”

It’s all in the voice (intonation)

The meaning of a question tag actually changes depending on how your voice moves at the end of the sentence:

• If your voice goes DOWN: You aren’t really asking a question. You are just inviting the other person to agree with you.
  • “It’s a nice day, isn’t it?” (Falling tone = “I know it’s nice, and I’m sure you agree.”)
• If your voice goes UP: You are asking a real question because you aren’t sure of the answer.
  • “You haven’t seen my phone, have you?” (Rising tone = “I’m actually asking because I’ve lost it!”)

Quick Summary Table

Question Tags in B2 First and C1 Advanced

Question tags are especially useful in:

• Speaking Part 1 (natural interaction)
• Speaking Part 3 (discussion tasks)
• Informal emails and articles

Example:

“It’s becoming more common, isn’t it?”

Practice makes perfect

Using question tags correctly is a sign of a truly confident English speaker. It shows you aren’t just reciting memorised sentences—you are interacting with the person in front of you.

Download the question tags exercise worksheet in PDF here

FAQ

What is a question tag?

A question tag is a short question added to the end of a statement to check information or ask for agreement.

Why do question tags use the opposite form?

Because they balance the statement, a positive sentence takes a negative tag and vice versa.

Is “amn’t I” correct?

No. Standard English uses “aren’t I?”

Do Americans use question tags?

Yes, but they are slightly less frequent than in British English.

Related posts:

Auxiliary verbs in English

How to prepare for the Cambridge B2 First exam

50 expressions to sound more fluent

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