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B1grammar29 preguntas

Question tags

Una question tag convierte una afirmación en una comprobación y refleja la frase a la que se engancha. Aquí trabajas la regla de afirmación positiva con tag negativa, la elección del auxiliar y la excepción aren't I.

Aprendizaje rápido

Una question tag convierte una afirmación en una comprobación y refleja la frase a la que va enganchada.

Recuerda

  • Una afirmación positiva lleva tag negativa, y una negativa lleva positiva: you're coming, aren't you.
  • La tag reutiliza el auxiliar de la frase, o toma do cuando no hay ninguno.
  • El pronombre de la tag coincide con el sujeto de la frase.

Ejemplos

  1. 1You have lived in this coastal city for several years, haven't you?
  2. 2David works as an electrical engineer at the local power plant, doesn't he?

Error común que evitar

I am lleva aren't I, que rompe el reflejo del resto de la lengua y simplemente hay que memorizarlo.

Profundiza

La regla

  1. Checking and inviting agreement

    Question tags are brief grammatical questions attached to the end of a declarative statement in conversational English. They are used to confirm whether something is true, or to invite agreement and keep a dialogue flowing smoothly.

  2. Opposite polarity

    The Polarity Rule: Standard question tags operate on opposite polarity:

    (1) Positive Statement → Negative Tag:

    • You are from Canada, aren't you?
    • David works in finance, doesn't he?
    • They have lived here long, haven't they?

    (2) Negative Statement → Positive Tag:

    • You aren't tired, are you?
    • She doesn't eat seafood, does she?
    • We haven't met before, have we?

  3. Which helper to use

    Auxiliary Verb Matching:

    (1) When the statement contains an auxiliary or modal verb (be, have, will, can, should, must), repeat that exact auxiliary in the tag with opposite polarity:

    • Emma can drive, can't she?
    • The train will arrive on time, won't it?

    (2) When the statement uses a lexical verb in the Present Simple or Past Simple without an auxiliary, borrow the appropriate form of DO (do, does, did):

    • You like spicy food, don't you?
    • Sophia works at a pharmacy, doesn't she?
    • They attended the concert last night, didn't they?

  4. A pronoun in the tag

    Pronoun Rule: The subject of the tag must always be a personal pronoun matching the subject of the statement:

    • The children are asleep, aren't they?

Anatomía de la frase

Frases de esta lección, separadas en sus partes en el orden que exige el inglés.

  1. SujetoYouVerbo auxiliarhaveVerbolivedLugarin this coastal cityTiempofor several years,Oraciónhaven't you?

  2. SujetoYour parentsVerbo auxiliardon'tVerbospeakObjetoFrench,Oracióndo they?

  3. SujetoSheVerbo auxiliarwillMododefinitelyVerbojoinObjetousTiempofor Sunday afternoon dinner,Oraciónwon't she?

Guía visual

How to read this B1 topic

At B1, grammar links ideas: condition, result, reported meaning, experience, and narrative order.

1. Name the relationship

Ask whether the sentence gives a condition, contrast, cause, report, or result.

If it rains, we will stay home.

2. Separate time from aspect

Finished event, visible result, duration, and background action use different forms.

I had left before she arrived.

3. Test both clauses

In complex sentences, the second half often proves the first half.

I wish I knew.

Decision path before answering

Use these checks before choosing between close options.

  1. 1Mark the subject, main verb, object, and any connector.
  2. 2Underline the time expression or discourse clue.
  3. 3Reject any option with the wrong agreement, tense, article, pronoun case, or word order.
  4. 4Read the whole sentence once more for naturalness and register.

Contrasts that often decide the answer

Event or background

Simple forms move events forward; continuous forms show an action in progress.

I left while she was talking.

Fact or stance

Modals, hedges, and reporting structures show how certain or responsible the speaker sounds.

This may indicate a problem.

Clause or compressed phrase

Advanced writing often compresses full clauses into participle, noun, or prepositional phrases.

Having reviewed the data, we revised the plan.

Ejemplos

  1. 1You have lived in this coastal city for several years, haven't you?
  2. 2David works as an electrical engineer at the local power plant, doesn't he?
  3. 3The weather was wonderful throughout our weekend camping trip, wasn't it?
  4. 4Your parents don't speak French, do they?
  5. 5We can park our car in front of the community center, can't we?
  6. 6She will definitely join us for Sunday afternoon dinner, won't she?
  7. 7The train arrives at platform four in ten minutes, doesn't it?
  8. 8You haven't seen my reading glasses anywhere on the desk, have you?
  9. 9They attended the international conference in London last autumn, didn't they?
  10. 10It is a lovely sunny morning today, isn't it?

Excepciones

Three Idiomatic Question Tag Exceptions: (1) I am takes the negative tag aren't I: "I am right, aren't I?" (never "amn't I" or "am not I"). (2) Imperative commands take will you or would you for polite requests: "Please close the front door, will you?". (3) Suggestions with Let's take the tag shall we: "Let's take a fifteen-minute coffee break, shall we?". Statements with Negative Words: Sentences containing negative words like never, rarely, seldom, hardly, or nobody count as negative statements and take a positive tag: "He never drinks coffee, does he?", "Nobody called, did they?".

Errores frecuentes

  • Repeating the main verb instead of auxiliary do

    Error

    She speaks Spanish, speaksn't she?

    Correcto

    She speaks Spanish, doesn't she?

    Action verbs require do/does/did.

  • Same polarity error

    Error

    You are tired, are you?

    Correcto

    You are tired, aren't you?

    When checking agreement. Opposite polarity required.

  • Incorrect tag for I am

    Error

    I am late, am not I?

    Correcto

    I am late, aren't I?

    Idiomatic form is aren't I.

Repaso

Lo esencial de la lección en una tarjeta, antes de ponerte a prueba.

Recuerda

  1. Una afirmación positiva lleva tag negativa, y una negativa lleva positiva: you're coming, aren't you.
  2. La tag reutiliza el auxiliar de la frase, o toma do cuando no hay ninguno.
  3. El pronombre de la tag coincide con el sujeto de la frase.

Errores frecuentes

  • Error: She speaks Spanish, speaksn't she?

    Correcto: She speaks Spanish, doesn't she?

  • Error: You are tired, are you?

    Correcto: You are tired, aren't you?

  • Error: I am late, am not I?

    Correcto: I am late, aren't I?

Ponte a prueba

Añade una tag a diez afirmaciones en voz alta y luego practica este tema.

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