Is it 'It's cold, isn't it?' or 'It's cold, is it?'

A positive statement takes a negative tag, so say 'It's cold, isn't it?' Flip the polarity: positive statement, negative tag; negative statement, positive tag.

What question tag goes with 'I am'?

With 'I am' the standard tag is 'aren't I?', as in 'I'm late, aren't I?' The form 'amn't I?' is not standard English.

Which auxiliary do you use when the statement has no auxiliary verb?

If there is no auxiliary (a present or past simple verb), use do, does or did: 'She sings well, doesn't she?', not 'isn't she?'

Grammar Level A2

Question Tags: isn't it?, don't you?, right?

Question tags made simple: repeat the auxiliary and flip the polarity — positive statement, negative tag; negative statement, positive tag.

statement + short question · flip the polarity · check or confirm

A question tag is a short question added to the end of a statement to check it or invite a reply: You're coming, aren't you? The whole thing runs on one simple idea: take the auxiliary verb and flip the polarity — a positive statement gets a negative tag, and a negative statement gets a positive tag.

The two-part rule

Positive statement → negative tag. Negative statement → positive tag. The tag repeats the auxiliary and uses a pronoun for the subject.

She's ready, isn't she? · You've met him, haven't you? · They'll help, won't they?

He isn't here, is he? · You don't smoke, do you? · She can't drive, can she?

Which auxiliary?

If the statement already has an auxiliary or a form of be (is, are, was, have, will, can, should…), reuse it. If there's no auxiliary — a present or past simple verb — use do / does / did.

You work here, don't you? · She sings well, doesn't she? · They left early, didn't they?

One irregular case worth memorizing: I am takes aren't I? in the tag — I'm next, aren't I? (amn't isn't standard English.)

Falling vs rising — what the tag means

The same tag can do two jobs, and your voice decides which. A falling tone means you expect the other person to agree — you're not really asking. A rising tone makes it a real question you're unsure about.

It's a lovely day, isn't it? (falling — just making conversation)
You locked the door, didn't you? (rising — really checking)

This is why tags are everywhere in small talk: they turn a flat statement into a friendly invitation to reply.

A few special tags

A handful of patterns don't follow the plain rule and are best learned as fixed pairs.

Let's go, shall we? (suggestions take shall we)

Open the window, will you? (an order or request)

There's a problem, isn't there? · Nobody called, did they? (everyone/nobody → they)

Words like never, nothing, hardly count as negative, so the tag goes positive: She never calls, does she?

Common mistakes

Not flipping the polarity. To invite agreement, a positive statement needs a negative tag.

✕You're coming, are you?
✓You're coming, aren't you?

A same-polarity tag isn't always wrong — Oh, you're coming, are you? can show surprise or interest. But for the normal "please confirm" meaning, flip it.

Wrong auxiliary. A simple-tense verb needs do/does/did, not be.

✕She sings well, isn't she?
✓She sings well, doesn't she?

"amn't I?" With I am, the standard tag is aren't I? — I'm late, aren't I?, not amn't I?

Quick exercise

Add the right question tag.

It's cold today, ___?
You've met Sara before, ___?
She doesn't eat meat, ___?
Let's take a break, ___?
Tom can swim, ___?
I'm next, ___?

Answer key

isn't it? (positive statement → negative tag; auxiliary is)
haven't you? (reuse the auxiliary have, flip to negative)
does she? (negative statement → positive tag; simple verb → does)
shall we? (fixed tag for Let's)
can't he? (reuse can, flip to negative)
aren't I? (the standard tag for I am)

Practice this in Recursio

Question tags are small, automatic chunks — which is exactly why spaced review helps. Recursio's AI Coach drills the auxiliary-and-flip pattern in real sentences, and daily review brings "isn't it?", "don't you?" and "did they?" back until the right tag comes to you gradually, without stopping to think.

Practice grammar in Recursio → · Free to start, on iOS and Android.