Answer: A question tag is a short question added at the end of a statement to confirm information, seek agreement, or encourage a response. It usually uses an auxiliary verb and a pronoun that refers to the subject of the sentence.

Q: How to add question tags?

Answer: To add a question tag, first identify whether the main sentence is affirmative or negative. Use the same auxiliary or helping verb from the sentence, or add do/does/did if there is no auxiliary. Make the tag negative if the sentence is positive, and positive if the sentence is negative. Finally, use the correct subject pronoun in the tag.

Q: Give some examples of sentences with question tags.

Answer: Some examples of sentences with question tags: You weren’t told about the schedule change, were you? She rarely misses a deadline, does she? We’ll need extra chairs for the event, won’t we? He hadn’t locked the door before leaving, had he? It can’t be the right answer, can it?

When asking questions, have you ever used a short question such as “Isn’t it?”, “Aren’t you?”, “Is it?” at the end of a sentence to check if someone agrees with you? These are called question tags and are used when you want confirmation, agreement, or a response from the listener. In this guide, you will learn about question tags, how to form and use them, their rules, and types with examples.

What Is a Question Tag?

Question tags, also known as tag questions, are short questions added at the end of a statement. They are formed by using an auxiliary or modal verb and a subject pronoun.

Question tags are used to confirm something, check information, or seek agreement.

When you speak, question tags help you turn a statement into a quick question and invite a reply. That’s why you hear them a lot in daily conversations. In writing, you usually see them in dialogues or stories where people converse with each other.

Examples:

I completed the project on time, didn’t I?
You can help me with this exercise, can’t you?
We have studied this chapter before, haven’t we?
He likes playing chess, doesn’t he?
It is raining outside, isn’t it?

Forming and Using Question Tags in Sentences

Question tags may seem easy, but you need to follow a few important rules to use them correctly. Read the points below carefully and notice how each rule works with examples.

A sentence with a question tag follows this pattern: Statement + comma + question tag + question mark.
Example: She is ready for the test, isn’t she?
Always begin the sentence with a capital letter. Place a comma after the statement, and end the sentence with a question mark.
Example: We are early today, aren’t we?
Pay attention to pronouns.
If the subject of the statement is a pronoun, use the same pronoun in the tag.
If the subject is a noun or noun phrase, replace it with a suitable pronoun.
Example: Riya loves music, doesn’t she?
If the statement is positive, the question tag is usually negative, and if the statement is negative, the tag is positive.
Examples:
You enjoy maths, don’t you?
You don’t enjoy maths, do you?
When a sentence shows surprise, interest, or anger, the question tag stays positive, even if the statement is positive. This is common in sarcastic or expressive question tags.
Example: You call this good behaviour, do you?
If a sentence has both a main verb and a helping verb, form the question tag using the helping verb.
Example: She has been practising daily, hasn’t she?
When a modal verb (can, should, must, will, etc.) is used, form the question tag with the same modal verb.
Example: You must follow the rules, mustn’t you?
When have, has, or had is used as a main verb, form the question tag using do/does/did.
Example: They had enough time, didn’t they?
Sentences containing words like nobody, nothing, no one are treated as negative, so the tag should be positive.
Example: Nobody called you, did they?
Sentences with action verbs in the simple present tense use do/does in the question tag.
Example: She plays the guitar, doesn’t she?
Sentences in the simple past tense form question tags using did.
Example: We watched the movie yesterday, didn’t we?
For imperative sentences (commands or requests), use will or won’t in the question tag.
Examples: Close the door, will you? Don’t be late, will you?

Verbs and Their Corresponding Question Tags

The tables below show how different tenses and verbs change when you add question tags, along with easy examples to help you understand better.

Simple Present Tense
Type of Sentence (Positive/Negative)	Sentence (Subject + Verb)	Question Tag	Examples
Positive	I am	Aren’t I?	I am ready, aren’t I?
Negative	I am not	Am I?	I am not ready, am I?
Positive	You are	Aren’t you?	You are confident, aren’t you?
Negative	You are not	Are you?	You are not confident, are you?
Positive	He is	Isn’t he?	He is angry, isn’t he?
Negative	He is not	Is he?	He is not angry, is he?
Positive	She is	Isn’t she?	She is going, isn’t she?
Negative	She is not	Is she?	She is not going, is she?
Positive	It is	Isn’t it?	It is sunny today, isn’t it?
Negative	It is not	Is it?	It is not sunny today, is it?
Positive	We are	Aren’t we?	We are early, aren’t we?
Negative	We are not	Are we?	We are not going, are we?

Simple Past Tense
Type of Sentence (Positive/Negative)	Sentence (Subject + Verb)	Question Tag	Examples
Positive	I was	Wasn’t I?	I was right, wasn’t I?
Negative	I was not	Was I?	I was not rude, was I?
Positive	You were	Weren’t you?	You were there yesterday, weren’t you?
Negative	You were not	Were you?	You were not there yesterday, were you?
Positive	He was	Wasn’t he?	He was nervous, wasn’t he?
Negative	He was not	Was he?	He was not nervous, was he?
Positive	She was	Wasn’t she?	She was excited, wasn’t she?
Negative	She was not	Was she?	She was not excited, was she?
Positive	It was	Wasn’t it?	It was easy, wasn’t it?
Negative	It was not	Was it?	It was not easy, was it?
Positive	They were	Weren’t they?	They were invited, weren’t they?
Negative	They were not	Were they?	They were not invited, were they?
Positive	We were	Weren’t we?	We were classmates, weren’t we?
Negative	We were not	Were we?	We were not classmates, were we?

Simple Future Tense
Type of Sentence (Positive/Negative)	Sentence (Subject + Verb)	Question Tag	Examples
Positive	I will	Won’t I?	I will help you, won’t I?
Negative	I will not	Will I?	I will not forget, will I?
Positive	You will	Won’t you?	You will call me, won’t you?
Negative	You will not	Will you?	You will not go, will you?
Positive	He will	Won’t he?	He will join us, won’t he?
Negative	He will not	Will he?	He will not join us, will he?
Positive	She will	Won’t she?	She will agree, won’t she?
Negative	She will not	Will she?	She will not agree, will she?
Positive	It will	Won’t it?	It will rain today, won’t it?
Negative	It will not	Will it?	It will not fall, will it?
Positive	They will	Won’t they?	They will come soon, won’t they?
Negative	They will not	Will they?	They will not come, will they?
Positive	We will	Won’t we?	We will win, won’t we?
Negative	We will not	Will we?	We will not quit, will we?

Present Perfect Tense
Type of Sentence (Positive/Negative)	Sentence (Subject + Verb)	Question Tag	Examples
Positive	I have	Haven’t I?	I have completed it, haven’t I?
Negative	I have not	Have you?	I have not cheated, have I?
Positive	You have	Haven’t you?	You have tried before, haven’t you?
Negative	You have not	Have you?	You have not lied, have you?
Positive	He has	Hasn’t he?	He has arrived, hasn’t he?
Negative	He has not	Has he?	He has not arrived, has he?
Positive	She has	Hasn’t she?	She has practised well, hasn’t she?
Negative	She has not	Has she?	She has not complained, has she?
Positive	It has	Hasn’t it?	It has improved, hasn’t it?
Negative	It has not	Has it?	It has not stopped, has it?
Positive	They have	Haven’t they?	They have left early, haven’t they?
Negative	They have not	Have they?	They have not responded, have they?
Positive	We have	Haven’t we?	We have met before, haven’t we?
Negative	We have not	Have we?	We have not finished, have we?

Past Perfect Tense
Type of Sentence (Positive/Negative)	Sentence (Subject + Verb)	Question Tag	Examples
Positive	I had	Hadn’t I?	I had informed you, hadn’t I?
Negative	I had not	Had I?	I had not complained, had I?
Positive	You had	Hadn’t you?	You had prepared well, hadn’t you?
Negative	You had not	Had you?	You had not forgotten, had you?
Positive	He had	Hadn’t he?	He had studied, hadn’t he?
Negative	He had not	Had he?	He had not failed, had he?
Positive	She had	Hadn’t she?	She had warned us, hadn’t she?
Negative	She had not	Had she?	She had not argued, had she?
Positive	It had	Hadn’t it?	It had stopped raining, hadn’t it?
Negative	It had not	Had it?	It had not broken, had it?
Positive	They had	Hadn’t they?	They had finished early, hadn’t they?
Negative	They had not	Had they?	They had not finished, had they?
Positive	We had	Hadn’t we?	We had planned, hadn’t we?
Negative	We had not	Had we?	We had not decided, had we?

Future Perfect Tense
Type of Sentence (Positive/Negative)	Sentence (Subject + Verb)	Question Tag	Examples
Positive	I will have	Won’t I?	I will have completed it, won’t I?
Negative	I will not have	Will I?	I will not have time, will I?
Positive	You will have	Won’t you?	You will have to go, won’t you?
Negative	You will not have	Will you?	You will not have missed it, will you?
Positive	He will have	Won’t he?	He will have arrived, won’t he?
Negative	He will not have	Will he?	He will not have forgotten, will he?
Positive	She will have	Won’t she?	She will have arrived, won’t she?
Negative	She will not have	Will she?	She will not have failed, will she?
Positive	It will have	Won’t it?	It will have improved, won’t it?
Negative	It will not have	Will it?	It will not have stopped, will it?
Positive	They will have	Won’t they?	They will have returned, won’t they?
Negative	They will not have	Will they?	They will not have left, will they?
Positive	We will have	Won’t we?	We will have completed it, won’t we?
Negative	We will not have	Will we?	We will not have finished, will we?

Sentence with Modal Verbs
Type of Sentence (Positive/Negative)	Sentence (Subject: I, you, we, they, he, she, it)	Question Tag	Examples
Positive	Subject + would	Wouldn’t + subject	You would help me, wouldn’t you?
Negative	Subject + wouldn’t	Would + subject	She wouldn’t lie, would she?
Positive	Subject + could	Couldn’t + subject	He could finish early, couldn’t he?
Negative	Subject + couldn’t	Could + subject	They couldn’t hear you, could they?
Positive	Subject + must	Mustn’t + subject	We must leave now, mustn’t we?
Negative	Subject + mustn’t	Must + subject	You mustn’t be late, must you?
Positive	Subject + should	Shouldn’t + subject	She should apologise, shouldn’t she?
Negative	Subject + shouldn’t	Should + subject	He shouldn’t worry, should he?
Positive	Subject + can	Can’t + subject	You can swim, can’t you?
Negative	Subject + can’t	Can + subject	She can’t drive, can she?

Sentence with Action Verbs in the Simple Present Tense
Type of Sentence (Positive/Negative)	Sentence (Subject + Verb)	Question Tag	Examples
Positive	Subject + like (Subject: I, you, we, they)	Don’t + subject?	You like apples, don’t you?
Negative	Subject + do not like (Subject: I, you, we, they)	Do + subject?	We do not argue, do we?
Positive	He/she likes	Doesn’t he/she?	She likes music, doesn’t she?
Negative	He/she does not like	Doesn’t he/she?	He does not complain, does he?
Positive	It rings	Doesn’t it?	It rings loudly, doesn’t it?
Negative	It does not ring	Does it?	It doesn't ring, does it?

Sentence with Action Verbs in the Simple Past Tense
Type of Sentence (Positive/Negative)	Sentence (Subject + Verb)	Question Tag	Examples
Positive	Subject + liked (Subject: I, you, we, they )	Didn’t + subject?	They liked the movie, didn’t they?
Negative	Subject + did not like (Subject: I, you, we, they )	Did + subject?	We did not cheat, did we?
Positive	He/she liked	Didn’t he/she?	He liked the ice cream, didn’t he?
Negative	He/she did not like	Did he/she?	He did not like the food, did he?
Positive	It rang	Didn’t it?	It rang twice, didn’t it?
Negative	It did not ring	Did it?	It did not ring, did it?

Types of Question Tags

Question tags are classified into different types depending on why the question is asked. The types of question tags are:

Types of Question Tags	Use	Examples
Confirmative Tags	Used when you want to confirm something you already believe to be true.	You finished your homework, didn’t you? She enjoys singing, doesn’t she?
Negative-Positive Tags	Used when the main sentence is negative, and the question tag is positive.	They didn’t recognise you, did they? He hasn’t arrived yet, has he?
Imperative Tags	Used to make commands, requests, or suggestions sound polite or friendly.	Pass me the book, will you? Let’s take a break, shall we?
Sarcastic / Expressive Tags	Used to show disbelief, surprise, annoyance, or sarcasm.	Oh, you remembered at last, did you? That was very helpful, wasn’t it?

Examples of Sentences with Question Tags

Here are some examples of question tags based on both positive and negative sentences.

You are feeling better today, aren’t you?
She doesn’t enjoy spicy food, does she?
They have completed the project, haven’t they?
We were late for the meeting, weren’t we?
He will call you later, won’t he?
It isn’t very cold outside, is it?
You can solve this problem, can’t you?
She shouldn’t speak so loudly, should she?
Open the door gently, will you?
Let’s start the game now, shall we?
Nobody answered the phone, did they?
That was an interesting idea, wasn’t it?
You remembered to bring your ID card, didn’t you?
She has been practising every day, hasn’t she?
They weren’t expecting visitors, were they?
We should submit the form today, shouldn’t we?
He can’t stay late tonight, can he?
It looks like rain, doesn’t it?
You had already finished dinner, hadn’t you?
She won’t mind if we’re late, will she?
Everyone enjoyed the trip, didn’t they?
Nothing seems to be wrong, does it?
You must follow the safety rules, mustn’t you?
The train arrived on time, didn’t it?
We haven’t discussed this topic before, have we?
He was chosen as the team leader, wasn’t he?
Please wait here for a moment, will you?

Frequently Asked Questions on Question Tags

1. What is a question tag?

Answer: A question tag is a short question added at the end of a statement to confirm information, seek agreement, or encourage a response. It usually uses an auxiliary verb and a pronoun that refers to the subject of the sentence.

2. How to add question tags?

Answer: To add a question tag, first identify whether the main sentence is affirmative or negative. Use the same auxiliary or helping verb from the sentence, or add do/does/did if there is no auxiliary. Make the tag negative if the sentence is positive, and positive if the sentence is negative. Finally, use the correct subject pronoun in the tag.

3. Give some examples of sentences with question tags.

Answer: Some examples of sentences with question tags:

You weren’t told about the schedule change, were you?
She rarely misses a deadline, does she?
We’ll need extra chairs for the event, won’t we?
He hadn’t locked the door before leaving, had he?
It can’t be the right answer, can it?

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