• What they are (qué son)
• The rule (la regla)
• How to form them (cómo formarlas)
  • With be
  • With modals
  • With have (as auxiliary)
  • With do/does/did
• Intonation matters (la entonación importa)

What they are (qué son)

A question tag is a short question at the end of a sentence. In Spanish, you use ¿verdad? or ¿no? English question tags are more complex because they change depending on the sentence.

🔹 Una question tag es una pregunta corta al final de una oración. En español, usamos ¿verdad? o ¿no? Las question tags del inglés son más complejas porque cambian según la oración.

The rule (la regla)

Positive sentence => negative tag. Negative sentence => positive tag.

🔹 Oración positiva => tag negativo. Oración negativa => tag positivo.

You are coming, aren't you? (Vienes, ¿no?)

She doesn't like coffee, does she? (A ella no le gusta el café, ¿verdad?)

He is a doctor, isn't he? (Es médico, ¿no?)

They haven't finished, have they? (No han terminado, ¿verdad?)

How to form them (cómo formarlas)

Use the auxiliary verb or modal from the sentence. If the verb is be, use be. If there is none of these, use do/does/did:

🔹 Usamos el verbo auxiliar o modal de la oración. Si el verbo es be, usamos be. Si no hay ninguno de estos, usamos do/does/did:

With be

She is happy, isn't she?

They were late, weren't they?

I'm not late, am I?

With modals

He can swim, can't he?

You would help me, wouldn't you?

She should go, shouldn't she?

They will come, won't they?

You won't forget, will you?

With have (as auxiliary)

You have been to Paris, haven't you?

She has finished, hasn't she?

With do/does/did

You like pizza, don't you?

She speaks French, doesn't she?

They went home, didn't they?

He doesn't work here, does he?

You have a car, don't you?

With I am, the negative tag is aren't I? (not amn't I?). In formal English you can also say am I not? I'm right, aren't I? / I'm right, am I not?

🔹 Con I am, el tag negativo es aren't I? (no amn't I?). En inglés formal también se puede decir am I not? I'm right, aren't I? / I'm right, am I not?

Intonation matters (la entonación importa)

Rising intonation (the voice goes up): the question tag is a genuine question. You don't know the answer.

🔹 Entonación ascendente (la voz sube): la question tag es una pregunta genuina. No sabes la respuesta.

You don't have a car, do you? (Rising. I'm not sure)

Falling intonation (the voice goes down): the question tag is just seeking confirmation. You expect agreement.

🔹 Entonación descendente (la voz baja): la question tag simplemente busca confirmación.

It's a nice day, isn't it? (Falling. I expect you to agree)

In general, most question tags in casual conversation use falling intonation.

🔹 En general, la mayoría de las question tags en conversación informal usan entonación descendente.