Question Tags

Use question tags when you think you know the answer to the question already:

Pierre is French so I can say:

• "You speak French, don't you?"

because I think he speaks French (because he is French)

I might also ask him:

• "You don't speak Japanese, do you?"

because I think it is not very probable that he speaks Japanese.

So, when you hear this kind of question, the speaker is really telling you that he already has an opinion about the answer.

Structure:

A negative statement + an affirmative tag. (He's not here, is he?)

or

An affirmative statement + a negative tag. (He's here , isn't he)

Simple present: Do you? Don't you, Does he, doesn't he, etc.

Examples:

• The Smiths don't live here, do they?
• We don't have enough money, do we?
• It doesn't rain much in North Africa, does it?
• Mary has a car, doesn't she?

Simple past:

• I saw you yesterday, didn't I?
• You didn't see Jim last week, did you?

The verb "to be" and the present progressive

• You're American, aren't you?
• You're not English, are you?
• He's here, isn't he?
• She's not here , is she?
• That isn't the time, is it?
• It's after midnight, isn't it?
• They're all working, aren't they?
• We're not staying long, are we?

Exception: The first person with the verb "to be" in the present. We say

• "I'm not standing on your foot, am I?"
  But
  "I'm standing on your foot, aren't I?

Future:

• I'll see you next week, won't I?
• You won't eat too much, will you?

Modals:

• You can swim, can't you?
• Neither John nor Mary can drive, can they?
• We mustn't work to long, must we?
• All students must take the exam, mustn't they?
• You have to show a passport at the frontier, don't you?
• We don't have to accept the invitation, do we?

The verb "To have"

Most people now ask the ordinary questions with the "do or does" form .

• Do you have? Does he have? etc

The British inversion is still used however,

• Have you? Has she?

Consequently, if you begin a question tag with

• You haven't a car ... The tag will be "have you?"

but if you begin with

• You don't have a car ... the tag will be "do you?"

In the affirmative:

• You have a watch ... the tag can be "haven't you" or "don't you". They are both correct.

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