B1 Question tags are the short “tail” we add to the end of a statement in English to invite agreement or to check information. Native speakers use them constantly: “Jericho is one of the world’s oldest cities, isn’t it?” For Spanish speakers, the temptation is to reach for a single word — ¿no? or ¿verdad? — but English question tags follow a precise rule that changes with every verb. Once you understand the pattern, question tags become one of the most satisfying structures in English. In this guide you will learn the core rule, study a full formation table, explore five examples grounded in real facts about Palestine, avoid the most common Spanish-speaker mistakes, and test yourself with a short quiz.
📌 Core Rule: Opposite Polarity + Same Auxiliary
Every English question tag follows one fundamental rule:
- Positive statement → negative tag:
Palestine has ancient cities, doesn't it? - Negative statement → positive tag:
The Dead Sea isn't in Gaza, is it?
The tag verb must be the same auxiliary used in the main clause (or do/does/did when there is no auxiliary). The pronoun must match the subject.
| Main clause verb / tense | Tag form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| be — is / are | isn't it? / aren't they? |
Bethlehem is in the West Bank, isn’t it? |
| be — was / were | wasn't it? / weren't they? |
The harvest wasn’t difficult, was it? |
| have got / has got | haven't they? / hasn't it? |
Palestine has got a rich culture, hasn’t it? |
| Present simple (no auxiliary) | don't / doesn't + pronoun |
Farmers harvest olives every autumn, don’t they? |
| Past simple (no auxiliary) | didn't + pronoun |
UNESCO recognised Tatreez in 2021, didn’t it? |
| Present continuous | isn't / aren't + pronoun |
She is learning about Palestine, isn’t she? |
| will / won’t | won't / will + pronoun |
You’ll visit one day, won’t you? |
| can / can’t | can't / can + pronoun |
You can see the hills from here, can’t you? |
| should / shouldn’t | shouldn't / should + pronoun |
We should learn more, shouldn’t we? |
⚠️ Five Special Cases You Must Know
- “I am …” → the tag is always
aren't I?(never amn’t I?): I am right, aren’t I? - “There is / There are …” → use there (not it or they) as the subject of the tag: There are olive trees everywhere, aren’t there?
- “Let’s …” → the tag is always
shall we?: Let’s look at the map, shall we? - Imperative sentences → the tag is
will you?: Pass me the book, will you? - Nobody / nothing / never / no one → these are negative subjects, so the tag is positive: Nobody left early, did they?
🌿 English Through Palestine
Question tags come alive when you connect them to real facts. Each example below is anchored in a verified piece of knowledge about Palestine. Read them aloud — that is how you build fluency.
Jericho — one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities
“Jericho has been inhabited for over 10,000 years, hasn’t it?“
Archaeological excavations at Tell es-Sultan (ancient Jericho) place continuous human settlement from at least 9,000 BCE, making it one of the earliest cities in recorded human history.
“Jericho has been inhabited for over 10,000 years, hasn’t it?“
Archaeological excavations at Tell es-Sultan (ancient Jericho) place continuous human settlement from at least 9,000 BCE, making it one of the earliest cities in recorded human history.
Tatreez — Palestinian embroidery on the UNESCO heritage list
“UNESCO added Palestinian Tatreez to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2021, didn’t it?“
In December 2021 UNESCO inscribed Palestinian embroidery (Tatreez) on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, recognising the geometric hand-stitch craft passed down through generations of Palestinian women.
“UNESCO added Palestinian Tatreez to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2021, didn’t it?“
In December 2021 UNESCO inscribed Palestinian embroidery (Tatreez) on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, recognising the geometric hand-stitch craft passed down through generations of Palestinian women.
Olive cultivation in the West Bank
“Millions of olive trees grow across the West Bank, don’t they?“
Olive farming is central to Palestinian agricultural life. Millions of olive trees are cultivated across the West Bank, and communities gather every autumn for the seasonal harvest — a tradition that connects families to their land across generations.
“Millions of olive trees grow across the West Bank, don’t they?“
Olive farming is central to Palestinian agricultural life. Millions of olive trees are cultivated across the West Bank, and communities gather every autumn for the seasonal harvest — a tradition that connects families to their land across generations.
Bethlehem
“Bethlehem is located in the southern West Bank, isn’t it?“
Bethlehem, a city of significant historical and religious importance to multiple faiths, lies approximately 10 km south of Jerusalem in the southern part of the West Bank.
“Bethlehem is located in the southern West Bank, isn’t it?“
Bethlehem, a city of significant historical and religious importance to multiple faiths, lies approximately 10 km south of Jerusalem in the southern part of the West Bank.
The Dead Sea — lowest point on Earth
“The Dead Sea is the lowest naturally occurring point on Earth’s surface, isn’t it?“
At approximately 430 metres below sea level, the Dead Sea — whose western shore borders the West Bank — holds the record as the lowest exposed land surface on the planet. Its water is roughly ten times saltier than the ocean.
“The Dead Sea is the lowest naturally occurring point on Earth’s surface, isn’t it?“
At approximately 430 metres below sea level, the Dead Sea — whose western shore borders the West Bank — holds the record as the lowest exposed land surface on the planet. Its water is roughly ten times saltier than the ocean.
🚫 5 Mistakes Spanish Speakers Make with Question Tags
1
Using “¿no?” or “right?” as a fixed tag for everything
In Spanish, ¿no? works for almost any sentence. In English, the tag must match the auxiliary of the main clause — there is no single universal tag.
✗Palestine is fascinating, no?
✓ Palestine is fascinating, isn’t it?
Using “¿no?” or “right?” as a fixed tag for everything
In Spanish, ¿no? works for almost any sentence. In English, the tag must match the auxiliary of the main clause — there is no single universal tag.
✗
✓ Palestine is fascinating, isn’t it?
2
Using “do / does” after the verb “be”
Because Spanish ser and estar take ¿no?, learners often add does after is. The verb be is its own auxiliary and must appear in the tag — never do.
✗Jericho is ancient, doesn’t it?
✓ Jericho is ancient, isn’t it?
Using “do / does” after the verb “be”
Because Spanish ser and estar take ¿no?, learners often add does after is. The verb be is its own auxiliary and must appear in the tag — never do.
✗
✓ Jericho is ancient, isn’t it?
3
Repeating the same polarity (both positive)
The tag must be the opposite polarity. A positive statement needs a negative tag. Learners sometimes repeat the auxiliary without inverting it.
✗The olive harvest is important, is it?
✓ The olive harvest is important, isn’t it?
Repeating the same polarity (both positive)
The tag must be the opposite polarity. A positive statement needs a negative tag. Learners sometimes repeat the auxiliary without inverting it.
✗
✓ The olive harvest is important, isn’t it?
4
Wrong pronoun for places and things
Spanish tags need no pronoun. English always needs one — and for places, cities, and things it must be it, never he, she, or they.
✗Bethlehem is a beautiful city, aren’t they?
✓ Bethlehem is a beautiful city, isn’t it?
Wrong pronoun for places and things
Spanish tags need no pronoun. English always needs one — and for places, cities, and things it must be it, never he, she, or they.
✗
✓ Bethlehem is a beautiful city, isn’t it?
5
Forgetting “there” as the subject of the tag
When a sentence begins with There is / There are, the tag subject must also be there, not it or they.
✗There are many olive trees, aren’t they?
✓ There are many olive trees, aren’t there?
Forgetting “there” as the subject of the tag
When a sentence begins with There is / There are, the tag subject must also be there, not it or they.
✗
✓ There are many olive trees, aren’t there?
📚 16 Practice Examples
The question tag in each sentence is shown in highlighted text. Read each one aloud to build natural rhythm.
- Palestine has a very long history, doesn’t it?
- Jericho is one of the oldest cities in the world, isn’t it?
- You have visited the region before, haven’t you?
- They didn’t cancel the olive harvest, did they?
- UNESCO recognised Tatreez in December 2021, didn’t it?
- There are millions of olive trees in the West Bank, aren’t there?
- The Dead Sea isn’t fresh water, is it?
- I am learning a lot today, aren’t I?
- You can see the mountains from Bethlehem, can’t you?
- Let’s look at the map together, shall we?
- She should read more about Palestinian culture, shouldn’t she?
- Nobody forgot the harvest tradition, did they?
- The embroidery patterns are beautiful, aren’t they?
- He won’t miss the documentary about Palestine, will he?
- You mustn’t skip this chapter, must you?
- We haven’t finished yet, have we?
🎯 Quick Quiz — Choose the Correct Tag
1. “Jericho is an ancient city, ______?”
- a) doesn’t it
- b) isn’t it
- c) wasn’t it
- d) is it
✓ b) isn’t it — The auxiliary in “is an ancient city” is be (is). Positive statement → negative tag: isn’t it.
2. “There are many UNESCO heritage traditions in Palestine, ______?”
- a) aren’t they
- b) isn’t it
- c) aren’t there
- d) are they
✓ c) aren’t there — “There are …” requires there as the tag subject (not they). Positive → negative: aren’t there.
3. “UNESCO didn’t recognise Tatreez until 2021, ______?”
- a) did it
- b) didn’t it
- c) does it
- d) was it
✓ a) did it — Negative statement (“didn’t”) → positive tag (“did”). UNESCO is a thing → pronoun it.
4. “Farmers harvest olives every autumn, ______?”
- a) don’t they
- b) aren’t they
- c) doesn’t they
- d) do they
✓ a) don’t they — Present simple, plural subject (farmers) → auxiliary do. Positive → negative: don’t they.
5. “Let’s study the map of Palestine, ______?”
- a) will we
- b) don’t we
- c) shall we
- d) won’t we
✓ c) shall we — “Let’s …” always takes the fixed tag shall we? — no other form is correct here.
B1 English
Grammar
Question Tags
Palestine
CLIL
Spanish Speakers
Intermediate
Grammar
Question Tags
Palestine
CLIL
Spanish Speakers
Intermediate
Sources
- Bar-Yosef, O. (1986). The Walls of Jericho. Current Anthropology, 27(2). Continuous settlement at Tell es-Sultan from c. 9,000 BCE.
- UNESCO (2021). Palestinian embroidery (Tatreez) — Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, December 2021.
- UNOCHA / UNISPAL (2020). Olive Harvest in the West Bank. UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs — data on olive tree cultivation across the West Bank.
- United Nations Cartographic Section (2023). Geographic data: Bethlehem location, West Bank, Palestinian territories.
- NASA Earth Observatory & USGS data. Dead Sea surface elevation: approximately −430 m below mean sea level — Earth’s lowest exposed land surface.