questions tags (
endaspurningar
)
Examples:
• You’re not hungry, are you?
• They’ve already done the washing up, haven’t they?
• Be quiet, will you?
USE: Questions like the underlined ones above are used either to invite agreement (with falling
intonation), or to ask for confirmation of facts (falling intonation).
Examples: It’s lovely today, isn’t it? (Don’t you agree?)
1
You didn’t tell her our secret, did you? (Can you confirm/verify?)
Form: Question tags consist of an auxiliary verb (do, does, is, are, have, has, must, can, etc.) and a
personal pronoun (he, she, it, we, they, you, etc.) There are a few basic rules:
• If there’s an auxiliary (do/does, be, have) or modal auxiliary verb (can, must, need, etc.) in the
main clause, this is repeated in the question tag.
Examples: Katla isn’t coming, is she? Jóhann will be furious, won’t he?
• If there is an ordinary verb in the main clause, do is used in the question tag.
Examples: Sam likes (= does like) bananas, doesn’t she?
They went (= did go) to Russia last year, didn’t they?
He had (= did have) an accident a week ago, didn’t he?
• Normally an affirmative statement has a negative question, and vice versa:
Statement Question tag
affirmative negative You’re coming, aren’t you
negative affirmative He doesn’t like heavy metal music, does he?
Exercise 1. Match the two halves of the sentences below. An example is given.
a) You usually catch the 9 o’clock train, 1. aren’t you?
b) You can’t speak Spanish, 2. couldn’t you?
c) You haven’t got a car, 3. had you?
d) You’d better answer the telephone, 4. will you?
e) You could always borrow the money, 5. can you?
f) You won’t tell anyone, 4 6. don’t you?
g) You didn’t wear that to the party, 7. hadn’t you?
h) You’re going to see him tomorrow, 8. haven’t you?
i) You hadn’t been to an opera before, 9. have you?
j) You’ve got some time to spare, 10. did you?
Special points
• I am is followed by the question tag aren’t I? (I’m lucky, aren’t I?)
• After an imperative (boðháttur), will you? Or would you? Are the most common forms. Use will
you? After a negative imperative:
Example: Pay attention, will you? Shut the door, would you?
But Don’t be late, will you? (not would you?)
• Negative expressions like no, nothing, nowhere, and nobody in the main clause are followed by an
affirmative question tag.
