English IV

En inglés es frecuente terminar las frases con otra frase corta, de signo contrario, la
cual tiene la intención de pedir la opinión o buscar la aprobación del interlocutor: son las
llamadas ‘Question Tags’ (preguntas coletillas).

Estas frases equivalen a: ¿verdad?, ¿no es verdad?, ¿no?, ¿no es así?

• You eat meat, don’t you?

• She doesn’t like to dance, does she?
• Alex and Sergio are friends, aren’t they?

Grammatical Rules
Rule 1: Para formar esta pregunta corta utilizaremos el auxiliar de la frase principal y
su sujeto que convertiremos a pronombre personal, de ser necesario.

• You were trying to help me, weren’t you?

• Sarah and Tim can’t go to class today, can they?
• Tom will dance with her, won’t he?
• Maria would help me, wouldn’t she?

AUXILIARY VERBS
To Be Would / Wouldn’t
To Do Should / Shouldn’t
To Have Ought to / Ought not / Oughtn’t to
Will / Won’t May / May not
Can / Can’t Might / Mightn’t / Might not
Must / Mustn’t / Must not Shall / Shan’t / Shall not
Could / Couldn’t

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Lic. Yanin Mancera S.
English IV

Rule 2: Si la oración es afirmativa, la pregunta coletilla es negativa y viceversa.

Positive sentence Negative tag question
• She danced with George last night, didn’t she?
Negative sentence Positive tag question
• She didn’t dance with George last night, did she?

Rule 3: Si la oración no tiene verbo auxiliar, entonces utilizaremos el auxiliar “To do”
para la tag question negativa en presente y pasado simple.

• You worked yesterday, didn’t you?

• Sarah likes ice cream, doesn’t she?
• The Lakers play today, don’t they?

Rule 4: Si utiliza el verbo “To be,” no es necesario el uso del auxiliar “To do.”
• Your brothers are older than you, aren’t they? (are they not?)
Your brothers were older than you, weren’t they? (were they not?)
• John is getting married, isn’t he? (is he not?)
John was getting married, wasn’t he? (was he not?)
• Claudia isn’t coming today, is she?
Claudia wasn’t coming yesterday, was she?
• You’re not from here, are you?
You were not from there, were you?
• I’m not wrong, am I?

OJO: Con el verbo “To be” en la primera persona del singular, en oraciones negativas,
se usa “aren’t” en la pregunta coletilla.

• I am wrong, aren’t I? (am I not)

Rule 5: Ten cuidado con los verbos “To Have” y “To Have Got”:
1. Con “To Have Got” el verbo “Have” se utiliza como auxiliar, de manera
que se utilizaremos para la tag question.

• They have got a dog, haven’t they?

2. Con “To Have” el verbo “Have” se utiliza como verbo principal, por lo
que tendremos que utilizar el auxiliar “To Do” en la tag question.

• They have a dog, don’t they?

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Lic. Yanin Mancera S.