Question Tags Practice Tests with B1 Grammar Rules & Examples

Question Tags in English

A question tag is a short question that we add to the end of a statement. We use question tags to check information, to ask for agreement, or to invite someone to respond. They are very common in spoken English.

Look at these examples:

• It's a beautiful day, isn't it?
• You like coffee, don't you?
• She doesn't live here, does she?

The short question at the end — isn't it?, don't you?, does she? — is the question tag. It refers back to the main part of the sentence.

In this lesson, you will learn how to form question tags correctly, when to use them, and the most common mistakes to avoid.

How Question Tags Work

A sentence with a question tag has two parts:

• Part 1: The main statement (positive or negative)
• Part 2: The question tag (a short auxiliary verb + pronoun)

Here is the key rule:

Positive statement → Negative question tag
You are tired, aren't you?

Negative statement → Positive question tag
You aren't tired, are you?

Think of it like a seesaw — when one side goes up (positive), the other side goes down (negative), and vice versa.

The Structure of a Question Tag

A question tag is made of two things:

• An auxiliary verb (a helping verb such as is, are, was, were, do, does, did, will, can, have)
• A subject pronoun (such as I, you, he, she, it, we, they)

The auxiliary verb in the question tag must match the auxiliary verb in the main sentence. If there is no auxiliary verb in the main sentence, we use do, does, or did.

The pronoun in the question tag must match the subject of the main sentence.

Example:
Sarah is happy, isn't she?
→ The verb is is, so we use isn't.
→ The subject is Sarah, so we use she.

Positive Statements with Negative Question Tags

When the main statement is positive, the question tag is negative. The negative tag uses a contraction (a short form like isn't, aren't, don't).

Main Statement (Positive)	Question Tag (Negative)	Full Sentence
You are a student	aren't you?	You are a student, aren't you?
She is friendly	isn't she?	She is friendly, isn't she?
They were late	weren't they?	They were late, weren't they?
He can drive	can't he?	He can drive, can't he?
We have met before	haven't we?	We have met before, haven't we?
You will come	won't you?	You will come, won't you?
She likes tea	doesn't she?	She likes tea, doesn't she?
They play football	don't they?	They play football, don't they?
He worked yesterday	didn't he?	He worked yesterday, didn't he?

Negative Statements with Positive Question Tags

When the main statement is negative, the question tag is positive. Positive tags do not use contractions.

Main Statement (Negative)	Question Tag (Positive)	Full Sentence
You aren't a teacher	are you?	You aren't a teacher, are you?
She isn't ready	is she?	She isn't ready, is she?
They weren't invited	were they?	They weren't invited, were they?
He can't swim	can he?	He can't swim, can he?
We haven't finished	have we?	We haven't finished, have we?
You won't forget	will you?	You won't forget, will you?
She doesn't know	does she?	She doesn't know, does she?
They don't agree	do they?	They don't agree, do they?
He didn't call	did he?	He didn't call, did he?

Choosing the Correct Pronoun in the Question Tag

The pronoun in the question tag must refer to the subject of the main sentence. Here is a simple guide:

Subject in Main Sentence	Pronoun in Question Tag	Example
I	I	I'm late, aren't I?
you	you	You understand, don't you?
he / a man's name	he	Tom is kind, isn't he?
she / a woman's name	she	Emma plays piano, doesn't she?
it / a thing / an animal	it	The film was good, wasn't it?
we	we	We should leave, shouldn't we?
they / plural nouns	they	The shops are open, aren't they?
everybody / everyone / nobody	they	Everyone enjoyed it, didn't they?
somebody / someone / nobody / no one	they	Nobody came, did they?

Using "Do, Does, Did" When There Is No Auxiliary Verb

Many sentences in the present simple and past simple do not have an auxiliary verb. In these cases, we use do, does, or did in the question tag.

Present simple with he / she / it → does / doesn't
She works in a hospital, doesn't she?
He doesn't cook, does he?

Present simple with I / you / we / they → do / don't
You speak French, don't you?
They don't drive, do they?

Past simple (all subjects) → did / didn't
She called you, didn't she?
They didn't arrive on time, did they?

Special Cases in Question Tags

The Special Case of "I am"

When the subject is I and the verb is am, the question tag is aren't I? — not amn't I?

I'm right, aren't I?
I'm invited, aren't I?

This is a fixed, irregular form. Always use aren't I?

The Case of "There is / There are"

When the statement begins with there is or there are, we use there (not it) in the question tag.

There's a problem, isn't there?
There are no seats, are there?

The Case of "Nobody, Nothing, No one"

Subjects like nobody, nothing, no one, nowhere already have a negative meaning. So the question tag is positive, even though the sentence looks positive.

Nobody called, did they?
Nothing happened, did it?
No one was hurt, were they?

Imperatives (Commands and Requests)

After an imperative (a sentence that gives an instruction or request), we often use will you? or won't you? as a question tag. This makes the request sound more polite.

Close the door, will you?
Pass me the salt, won't you?
Don't be late, will you?

The Case of "Let's"

After let's, the question tag is always shall we?

Let's go for a walk, shall we?
Let's have a break, shall we?

Intonation: Rising or Falling?

The way your voice moves on the question tag tells the listener what you want.

Falling intonation (voice goes down ↘)
You are quite sure about what you are saying and you are simply inviting the other person to agree. You already know the answer.

"It's hot today, isn't it? ↘" (You know it's hot. You want them to agree.)

Rising intonation (voice goes up ↗)
You are not sure about what you are saying. You are genuinely asking for information.

"You've been to Paris, haven't you? ↗" (You're not sure. You want to check.)

At B1 level, it is most useful to remember that falling intonation shows you expect agreement, and rising intonation shows you are less certain.

Common Mistakes with Question Tags

❌ She is happy, isn't she is?
✅ She is happy, isn't she? — The question tag only has the auxiliary verb + pronoun, not the full verb again.

❌ You like pizza, isn't it?
✅ You like pizza, don't you? — The tag must match the subject and tense of the main verb. Use don't you, not isn't it.

❌ They played well, didn't they played?
✅ They played well, didn't they? — Never use the main verb in the question tag. Only use the auxiliary verb.

❌ I'm your teacher, amn't I?
✅ I'm your teacher, aren't I? — The question tag for I am is always aren't I?

❌ There is a problem, isn't it?
✅ There is a problem, isn't there? — Use there, not it, in the tag.

❌ She doesn't work here, doesn't she?
✅ She doesn't work here, does she? — A negative statement needs a positive tag.

❌ Nobody came, didn't they?
✅ Nobody came, did they? — Nobody already has a negative meaning, so the tag must be positive.

Quick Reference: Contractions Used in Question Tags

Negative question tags almost always use a contraction. Here are the most common ones:

Full Form	Contraction
is not	isn't
are not	aren't
was not	wasn't
were not	weren't
do not	don't
does not	doesn't
did not	didn't
will not	won't
would not	wouldn't
can not	can't
could not	couldn't
should not	shouldn't
have not	haven't
has not	hasn't
had not	hadn't

Question Tags: Quick Summary

Here are the key rules to remember about question tags:

• A question tag is a short question added to the end of a statement.
• A positive statement takes a negative question tag: She's kind, isn't she?
• A negative statement takes a positive question tag: She isn't kind, is she?
• The tag uses an auxiliary verb that matches the main sentence.
• If there is no auxiliary verb, use do, does, or did.
• The pronoun in the tag must match the subject of the main sentence.
• After I am, the tag is always aren't I?
• After there is / there are, use there in the tag: isn't there? / aren't there?
• Words like nobody, nothing, no one are negative, so they need a positive tag.
• After let's, always use shall we?
• Negative question tags use contractions (e.g. isn't, don't, didn't).

Now practise question tags in the exercises below.