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March 19, 2026

You’re Coming, Aren’t You? How to Master Question Tags

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Question tags are those short questions we add at the end of sentences. They turn a statement into a question and are used constantly in spoken English. Mastering them makes you sound more natural and fluent.

Table of Contents

What Are Question Tags?
The Golden Rule of Question Tags
How to Form Question Tags: Step by Step
Complete Guide with Tense-by-Tense Examples
Special Cases and Exceptions
Intonation: The Secret to Meaning
- 1. Falling Intonation (Voice goes down)
- 2. Rising Intonation (Voice goes up)
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Quick Reference Table
Practice Exercises
- Exercise 1: Add the correct question tag
- Exercise 2: Identify the mistake and correct it
Summary: The 5 Rules of Question Tags
Final Tip

What Are Question Tags?

A question tag is a mini-question attached to the end of a sentence. We use them to:

Confirm information (like asking “Is that right?”)
Seek agreement
Keep a conversation going

Examples:

You’re coming to the party, aren’t you?
She speaks Hindi, doesn’t she?
They won’t be late, will they?

The Golden Rule of Question Tags

Positive statement → Negative tag
Negative statement → Positive tag

Statement Type	Example	Tag
Positive	You are Indian	aren’t you?
Negative	You aren’t Indian	are you?

How to Form Question Tags: Step by Step

Step 1: Identify the auxiliary (helping) verb

Look at the main sentence and find the auxiliary verb (be, have, do, modals).

Step 2: Use the same auxiliary in the tag

If there’s an auxiliary, use it: is, are, was, were, have, has, had, can, could, will, would, shall, should, may, might, must
If there’s no auxiliary, use do/does/did

Step 3: Make it negative or positive (opposite of the statement)

Positive statement → Negative tag (add n’t)
Negative statement → Positive tag (remove n’t)

Step 4: Use the correct pronoun

Replace the subject with a pronoun (I, you, he, she, it, we, they).

Complete Guide with Tense-by-Tense Examples

1. Present Simple Tense

With Verb “To Be” (am/is/are)

	Statement	Question Tag	Hindi Translation
1	You are Indian	aren’t you?	तुम भारतीय हो, है ना?
2	She is a doctor	isn’t she?	वह डॉक्टर है, है ना?
3	It is a beautiful day	isn’t it?	यह सुंदर दिन है, है ना?
4	We are late	aren’t we?	हम देर से आए हैं, है ना?
5	They are at home	aren’t they?	वे घर पर हैं, है ना?
6	I am your friend	aren’t I?	मैं तुम्हारा दोस्त हूं, है ना?
7	You aren’t tired	are you?	तुम थके नहीं हो, है ना?
8	She isn’t married	is she?	वह शादीशुदा नहीं है, है ना?
9	It isn’t expensive	is it?	यह महंगा नहीं है, है ना?
10	We aren’t ready	are we?	हम तैयार नहीं हैं, है ना?

With Other Verbs (Use do/does)

	Statement	Question Tag	Hindi Translation
11	You like coffee	don’t you?	तुम्हें कॉफी पसंद है, है ना?
12	She speaks Hindi	doesn’t she?	वह हिंदी बोलती है, है ना?
13	He works in Mumbai	doesn’t he?	वह मुंबई में काम करता है, है ना?
14	We need help	don’t we?	हमें मदद चाहिए, है ना?
15	They live nearby	don’t they?	वे पास में रहते हैं, है ना?
16	You don’t eat meat	do you?	तुम मांस नहीं खाते, है ना?
17	She doesn’t smoke	does she?	वह धूम्रपान नहीं करती, है ना?
18	He doesn’t drive	does he?	वह गाड़ी नहीं चलाता, है ना?
19	We don’t have time	do we?	हमारे पास समय नहीं है, है ना?
20	They don’t know	do they?	वे नहीं जानते, है ना?

2. Past Simple Tense

With Verb “To Be” (was/were)

	Statement	Question Tag	Hindi Translation
21	You were at home	weren’t you?	तुम घर पर थे, है ना?
22	She was happy	wasn’t she?	वह खुश थी, है ना?
23	It was a good movie	wasn’t it?	यह अच्छी फिल्म थी, है ना?
24	We were late	weren’t we?	हम देर से आए थे, है ना?
25	They were there	weren’t they?	वे वहाँ थे, है ना?
26	You weren’t sick	were you?	तुम बीमार नहीं थे, है ना?
27	She wasn’t angry	was she?	वह नाराज नहीं थी, है ना?
28	It wasn’t expensive	was it?	यह महंगा नहीं था, है ना?
29	We weren’t invited	were we?	हमें आमंत्रित नहीं किया गया था, है ना?
30	They weren’t ready	were they?	वे तैयार नहीं थे, है ना?

With Other Verbs (Use did)

#	Statement	Question Tag	Hindi Translation
31	You liked the movie	didn’t you?	तुम्हें फिल्म पसंद आई, है ना?
32	She called you	didn’t she?	उसने तुम्हें फोन किया था, है ना?
33	He finished the work	didn’t he?	उसने काम खत्म कर लिया, है ना?
34	We met yesterday	didn’t we?	हम कल मिले थे, है ना?
35	They arrived on time	didn’t they?	वे समय पर पहुंच गए, है ना?
36	You didn’t see him	did you?	तुमने उसे नहीं देखा, है ना?
37	She didn’t understand	did she?	वह समझी नहीं, है ना?
38	He didn’t apologize	did he?	उसने माफी नहीं मांगी, है ना?
39	We didn’t forget	did we?	हम भूलते नहीं, है ना?
40	They didn’t complain	did they?	उन्होंने शिकायत नहीं की, है ना?

3. Present Continuous Tense

	Statement	Question Tag	Hindi Translation
41	You are coming	aren’t you?	तुम आ रहे हो, है ना?
42	She is working	isn’t she?	वह काम कर रही है, है ना?
43	It is raining	isn’t it?	बारिश हो रही है, है ना?
44	We are waiting	aren’t we?	हम इंतजार कर रहे हैं, है ना?
45	They are leaving	aren’t they?	वे जा रहे हैं, है ना?
46	You aren’t listening	are you?	तुम सुन नहीं रहे हो, है ना?
47	She isn’t sleeping	is she?	वह सो नहीं रही है, है ना?
48	It isn’t working	is it?	यह काम नहीं कर रहा है, है ना?
49	We aren’t joking	are we?	हम मजाक नहीं कर रहे, है ना?
50	They aren’t watching	are they?	वे देख नहीं रहे हैं, है ना?

4. Past Continuous Tense

	Statement	Question Tag	Hindi Translation
51	You were sleeping	weren’t you?	तुम सो रहे थे, है ना?
52	She was cooking	wasn’t she?	वह खाना बना रही थी, है ना?
53	It was snowing	wasn’t it?	बर्फ गिर रही थी, है ना?
54	We were talking	weren’t we?	हम बात कर रहे थे, है ना?
55	They were waiting	weren’t they?	वे इंतजार कर रहे थे, है ना?
56	You weren’t listening	were you?	तुम सुन नहीं रहे थे, है ना?
57	She wasn’t wearing a coat	was she?	उसने कोट नहीं पहना था, है ना?
58	It wasn’t working	was it?	यह काम नहीं कर रहा था, है ना?
59	We weren’t joking	were we?	हम मजाक नहीं कर रहे थे, है ना?
60	They weren’t playing	were they?	वे खेल नहीं रहे थे, है ना?

5. Present Perfect Tense

	Statement	Question Tag	Hindi Translation
61	You have finished	haven’t you?	तुमने खत्म कर लिया है, है ना?
62	She has arrived	hasn’t she?	वह आ गई है, है ना?
63	It has stopped raining	hasn’t it?	बारिश रुक गई है, है ना?
64	We have met before	haven’t we?	हम पहले मिले हैं, है ना?
65	They have left	haven’t they?	वे चले गए हैं, है ना?
66	You haven’t eaten	have you?	तुमने नहीं खाया है, है ना?
67	She hasn’t called	has she?	उसने फोन नहीं किया है, है ना?
68	It hasn’t arrived	has it?	यह नहीं आया है, है ना?
69	We haven’t decided	have we?	हमने फैसला नहीं किया है, है ना?
70	They haven’t seen it	have they?	उन्होंने यह नहीं देखा है, है ना?

6. Past Perfect Tense

	Statement	Question Tag	Hindi Translation
71	You had finished	hadn’t you?	तुमने खत्म कर लिया था, है ना?
72	She had left	hadn’t she?	वह जा चुकी थी, है ना?
73	It had stopped	hadn’t it?	यह रुक गया था, है ना?
74	We had met	hadn’t we?	हम मिल चुके थे, है ना?
75	They had arrived	hadn’t they?	वे आ चुके थे, है ना?
76	You hadn’t eaten	had you?	तुमने नहीं खाया था, है ना?
77	She hadn’t called	had she?	उसने फोन नहीं किया था, है ना?
78	It hadn’t started	had it?	यह शुरू नहीं हुआ था, है ना?
79	We hadn’t known	had we?	हम नहीं जानते थे, है ना?
80	They hadn’t seen it	had they?	उन्होंने यह नहीं देखा था, है ना?

7. Future Simple Tense (will)

	Statement	Question Tag	Hindi Translation
81	You will come	won’t you?	तुम आओगे, है ना?
82	She will help	won’t she?	वह मदद करेगी, है ना?
83	It will work	won’t it?	यह काम करेगा, है ना?
84	We will win	won’t we?	हम जीतेंगे, है ना?
85	They will agree	won’t they?	वे सहमत होंगे, है ना?
86	You won’t forget	will you?	तुम नहीं भूलोगे, है ना?
87	She won’t mind	will she?	उसे कोई आपत्ति नहीं होगी, है ना?
88	It won’t break	will it?	यह टूटेगा नहीं, है ना?
89	We won’t regret	will we?	हमें पछतावा नहीं होगा, है ना?
90	They won’t notice	will they?	वे ध्यान नहीं देंगे, है ना?

	Statement	Question Tag	Hindi Translation
91	You can swim	can’t you?	तुम तैर सकते हो, है ना?
92	She could come	couldn’t she?	वह आ सकती थी, है ना?
93	He should try	shouldn’t he?	उसे कोशिश करनी चाहिए, है ना?
94	We must leave	mustn’t we?	हमें जाना होगा, है ना?
95	They might come	mightn’t they?	वे शायद आएं, है ना?
96	You can’t swim	can you?	तुम तैर नहीं सकते, है ना?
97	She couldn’t hear	could she?	वह सुन नहीं सकी, है ना?
98	He shouldn’t smoke	should he?	उसे धूम्रपान नहीं करना चाहिए, है ना?
99	We mustn’t be late	must we?	हमें देर नहीं करनी चाहिए, है ना?
100	They might not know	might they?	वे शायद नहीं जानते, है ना?

Special Cases and Exceptions

1. I am → aren’t I?

With “I am,” we don’t use “amn’t I.” Instead, we use aren’t I.

	Statement	Question Tag	Hindi Translation
101	I am your friend	aren’t I?	मैं तुम्हारा दोस्त हूं, है ना?
102	I am right	aren’t I?	मैं सही हूं, है ना?
103	I am on time	aren’t I?	मैं समय पर हूं, है ना?
104	I am not late	am I?	मुझे देर नहीं हुई है, है ना?
105	I am not disturbing you	am I?	मैं तुम्हें परेशान नहीं कर रहा हूं, है ना?

2. Imperatives (Commands/Requests)

With imperatives, we use will you? / won’t you? / would you? / can you? / can’t you?

	Statement	Question Tag	Hindi Translation
106	Open the door	will you?	दरवाजा खोलो, करोगे?
107	Sit down	won’t you?	बैठ जाओ, नहीं बैठोगे?
108	Pass me the salt	can you?	मुझे नमक दो, दे सकते हो?
109	Don’t be late	will you?	देर मत करना, करोगे?
110	Help me	can’t you?	मेरी मदद करो, नहीं कर सकते?

3. Let’s (Suggestions)

With “Let’s,” we use shall we?

	Statement	Question Tag	Hindi Translation
111	Let’s go for a walk	shall we?	चलो टहलने चलते हैं, चलें?
112	Let’s eat dinner	shall we?	चलो रात का खाना खाते हैं, खाएं?
113	Let’s start the meeting	shall we?	चलो मीटिंग शुरू करते हैं, करें?
114	Let’s not argue	shall we?	चलो बहस न करें, करें?
115	Let’s take a break	shall we?	चलो आराम करते हैं, करें?

4. There is / There are

	Statement	Question Tag	Hindi Translation
116	There is a solution	isn’t there?	एक समाधान है, है ना?
117	There are many options	aren’t there?	कई विकल्प हैं, हैं ना?
118	There isn’t any problem	is there?	कोई समस्या नहीं है, है ना?
119	There aren’t any seats	are there?	कोई सीट नहीं हैं, हैं ना?
120	There was a mistake	wasn’t there?	एक गलती थी, थी ना?

5. This / That / These / Those

	Statement	Question Tag	Hindi Translation
121	This is your book	isn’t it?	यह तुम्हारी किताब है, है ना?
122	That was a great movie	wasn’t it?	वह बहुत अच्छी फिल्म थी, थी ना?
123	These are fresh	aren’t they?	ये ताजे हैं, हैं ना?
124	Those were expensive	weren’t they?	वे महंगे थे, थे ना?
125	This isn’t working	is it?	यह काम नहीं कर रहा है, है ना?

6. Negative Words (never, no, nobody, etc.)

When the statement contains negative words like never, no, nobody, nothing, hardly, scarcely, the statement is considered negative, so the tag is positive.

	Statement	Question Tag	Hindi Translation
126	You never call me	do you?	तुम मुझे कभी फोन नहीं करते, करते हो?
127	She has no money	does she?	उसके पास पैसे नहीं हैं, हैं?
128	Nobody came	did they?	कोई नहीं आया, आया?
129	He hardly works	does he?	वह मुश्किल से काम करता है, करता है?
130	They rarely eat out	do they?	वे शायद ही कभी बाहर खाते हैं, खाते हैं?

Intonation: The Secret to Meaning

Question tags can have two different meanings depending on how you say them:

1. Falling Intonation (Voice goes down)

Meaning: You’re asking for agreement, and you expect the answer to be “yes.”

“It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?” (You know it is, just making conversation)

2. Rising Intonation (Voice goes up)

Meaning: You’re asking a real question; you’re not sure of the answer.

“You haven’t seen my keys, have you?” (You genuinely want to know)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Forgetting the auxiliary

❌ You like coffee, like you?
✅ You like coffee, don’t you?

Mistake 2: Wrong pronoun

❌ Your brother is tall, isn’t your brother?
✅ Your brother is tall, isn’t he?

Mistake 3: Double negative in tag

❌ She isn’t coming, isn’t she? (Both negative)
✅ She isn’t coming, is she?

Mistake 4: Using “do” with “be”

❌ You are tired, don’t you?
✅ You are tired, aren’t you?

Mistake 5: Forgetting “I am” exception

❌ I am right, am not I?
✅ I am right, aren’t I?

Quick Reference Table

Tense/Auxiliary	Positive Statement	Negative Tag	Negative Statement	Positive Tag
Present Simple (be)	You are…	aren’t you?	You aren’t…	are you?
Present Simple (do)	You like…	don’t you?	You don’t like…	do you?
Past Simple (be)	You were…	weren’t you?	You weren’t…	were you?
Past Simple (did)	You liked…	didn’t you?	You didn’t like…	did you?
Present Continuous	You are going…	aren’t you?	You aren’t going…	are you?
Past Continuous	You were going…	weren’t you?	You weren’t going…	were you?
Present Perfect	You have seen…	haven’t you?	You haven’t seen…	have you?
Past Perfect	You had seen…	hadn’t you?	You hadn’t seen…	had you?
Future (will)	You will go…	won’t you?	You won’t go…	will you?
Can	You can swim…	can’t you?	You can’t swim…	can you?
Could	You could come…	couldn’t you?	You couldn’t come…	could you?
Should	You should try…	shouldn’t you?	You shouldn’t try…	should you?
Must	You must go…	mustn’t you?	You mustn’t go…	must you?

Practice Exercises

Answers:

aren’t you
does she
haven’t they
aren’t I
shall we
will you / can you
does he
isn’t there
will you
couldn’t she

Exercise 2: Identify the mistake and correct it

You are tired, don’t you?
She doesn’t like coffee, doesn’t she?
I am late, am not I?
Your sister is beautiful, isn’t your sister?
Let’s eat, don’t we?

Answers:

You are tired, aren’t you?
She doesn’t like coffee, does she?
I am late, aren’t I?
Your sister is beautiful, isn’t she?
Let’s eat, shall we?

Summary: The 5 Rules of Question Tags

Opposite polarity: Positive statement + negative tag / Negative statement + positive tag
Same auxiliary: Use the same helping verb in the tag
Use do/does/did: If no auxiliary, use do/does/did
Pronoun replacement: Replace the subject with a pronoun
Special cases: Remember “I am → aren’t I”, “Let’s → shall we”, imperatives → will you?

Final Tip

Question tags are like seasoning in food—use them to add flavor to your conversations. They make you sound friendly, engaged, and natural. Practice by listening to native speakers in movies or conversations, and soon you’ll use them without thinking.

Now you’re ready to master question tags, aren’t you? 😊