عربي
In English, a tag question is a statement followed by a mini-question. The whole sentence is a "tag question", and the mini-question at the end is called a "question tag". We use question tags at the end of statements to check that something is true.
They mean something like: "Am I right?" or "Do you agree?"
They are very common in English.
Example tag questions :
Your name's Mary, isn't it?
They're getting married in July, aren't they?
You'd like to go to the theatre, wouldn't you?
Fred sat his exams last week, didn't he?
It's not going to rain this afternoon, is it?
You've been to London, haven't you?
She likes playing tennis, doesn't she?
Notice that in English we often use tag questions to ask for information or help, starting with a negative statement. This is quite a friendly/polite way of making a request.
Example questions :
Direct question : "Where is the police station?" (not very polite)
Indirect question : "Do you know where the police station is?" (slightly more polite)
Negative tag question : "You wouldn't know where the police station is, would you?" (very polite)
In English we can change the meaning of a tag question with the sound of our voice. With rising intonation, it sounds like a real question. But if our intonation falls, it sounds more like a statement that doesn't require a real answer.
How do we answer a tag question? Often, we just say Yes or No. Sometimes we may repeat the tag and reverse it (..., do they? Yes, they do).
Notes for use of question tags :
Be very careful about answering tag questions. In some languages, an opposite system of answering is used, and non-native English speakers sometimes answer in the wrong way. This can lead to a lot of confusion! In some languages, people answer a question like "It's not raining, is it?" with "Yes" (meaning "Yes, I agree with you"). This is the wrong answer in English! In English we would reply to that question with "No" or "No, it isn't" to agree that it isn't raining.
| Question tag example sentences | |
|---|---|
| You didn't print out that recipe in the year 2017, did you? | انتى لم تقومى بطباعة الوصفة فى عام 2017, اليس كذلك؟ |
| Why is it? I hope you are not homophobic, are you? | لماذا هو كذلك؟ أتمنى أن لا تكون كارهًا للمثليين، هل أنت كذلك؟ |
| But I see what you mean, that's interesting, isn't it? | لكني أفهم ماذا تعني، هذا شيق، أليس كذلك؟ |
| You are a weird man, aren't you? | أنت رجل غريب الأطوار، أليس كذلك؟ |
| Oh, he is such a nice friend, isn't he? | أوه، ياله من صديق لطيف، أليس كذلك؟ |
| Of course, but a pressure cooker is an extraordinary utensil, isn't it? | بالتأكيد، لكن إناء ضغط اداة غير عادية، أليس كذلك؟ |
| It's not for ships to approach, is it? | هذا ليس للسفن المقتربة، اليس كذلك؟ |
| Excuse me! But you said if we pay 100 more each... didn't you? | اعذرني! لكن انت قلت انه إذا دفع كل منا 100 إضافية...أليس كذلك؟ |
| Yes, I am, it's easy to spot an Australian accent, isn't it? | نعم, انا كذلك, من السهل ان تلاحظ اللهجة الاسترالية, أليس كذلك؟ |
| How amazing it is, isn't it? | ياله من شىء رائع، أليس كذلك؟ |
| I guess the front left burner is the biggest, isn't it? | أعتقد ان الواحدة فى أسفل اليسار هى الأكبر، أليس كذلك؟ |
| And bugs are not on the menu, are they? | والبق ليس موجودًا في القائمة، هل هو موجود؟ |
| But it seems you don't really want to, do you? | لكن يبدو أنك حقًا لا تريد ان تفعل، أليس كذلك؟ |
| We don't need a spoon, do we? | نحن لا نحتاج الى ملعقة، أليس كذلك؟ |
| I haven't seen her since the argument, have you? | لم أراها منذ الجدال، هل رأيتيها؟ |
| Because you didn't tell me you had an apron before, did you? | لأنك لم تخبرنى من قبل انه لديك مريلة، أليس كذلك؟ |
