Mastering Question Tags

English Dojo Podcast - Episode 88: Mastering Question Tags

Host: Welcome back to the English Dojo! I’m [Your Name], and today we’re talking about question tags—those little phrases at the end of a sentence that turn a statement into a question. Sounds easy, right?

But be careful! If you don’t use them correctly, they can be tricky, can’t they?

So, what exactly are question tags? They are short questions we add to the end of a sentence to check information or ask for agreement. For example:

• You’re learning English, aren’t you?

• She doesn’t like coffee, does she?

See how the main sentence and the tag are opposites? If the main part is positive, the tag is negative. And if the main part is negative, the tag is positive.

Let’s break it down:

1. Positive sentence, negative tag

   • You love learning English, don’t you?

   • He’s from Spain, isn’t he?

2. Negative sentence, positive tag

   • You don’t like Mondays, do you?

   • She isn’t coming to class, is she?

Pretty simple, right? Now, here’s something special. If your sentence starts with I am, the tag is aren’t I?

• I’m your favorite podcast host, aren’t I?

Also, when using modal verbs like can, should, will, the tag matches the modal verb:

• You can swim, can’t you?

• We should practice more, shouldn’t we?

Now, let’s practice! I’ll say a sentence, and you complete the tag. Ready?

• She’s coming to the party, … (wait for listener response) … isn’t she?

• You don’t like pineapple on pizza, … (wait) … do you?

• They will help us, … (wait) … won’t they?

Great job! Question tags are very useful in conversation because they help keep the conversation going and sound more natural. So go out there and start using them, won’t you?

That’s it for today’s episode! If you enjoyed this, share it with a friend and follow English Dojo for more! See you next time!