Question Tags (Las preguntas coletillas)

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? ¿en serio?
 Ejemplos:
 Play
You eat meat, don't you? (Comes carne, ¿verdad?)
 Play
She doesn't like to dance, does she? (No le gusta bailar, ¿no?)
 Play
Alex and Sergio are friends, aren't they? (Alex y Sergio son amigos, ¿no?)

Grammatical Rules (Reglas gramaticales)

Para formar esta pregunta corta utilizaremos el auxiliar de la frase principal y su sujeto pero de
signo contrario. Si no tuviera auxiliar entonces utilizaríamos el auxiliar "to do".
Si la oración es afirmativa, la pregunta coletilla es negativa y viceversa.

 Ejemplos:
 Oraciones afirmativas
 Play
Your brother is older than you, isn't he? (Tu hermano es mayor que tú, ¿no es así?)
 Play
You can help me, can't you? (Puedes ayudarme, ¿verdad?)
 Play
John is getting married, isn't he? (John se casará, ¿verdad?)
 Play
You worked yesterday, didn't you? (Trabajaste ayer, ¿no?)
 Play
Sarah likes ice cream, doesn't she? (A Sarah le gusta el helado, ¿no?)
 Oraciones negativas
 Play
You're not from here, are you? (No eres de aquí, ¿no?)
 Play
Kate's not American, is she? (Kate no es americana, ¿verdad?)
 Play
Peter never liked Susan, did he? (A Peter nunca le gustó Susan, ¿verdad?)
 Play
They didn't go to class yesterday, did they? (No fueron a la clase ayer, ¿verdad?)
 Play
You can't dance, can you? (No puedes bailar, ¿no?)
Nota: Cuidado con los verbos "to have" y "to have got":
 Ejemplos:
 To have got:
 Play
They've got a dog, haven't they? (Tienen un perro, ¿no?)
 To have:
 Play
They have a dog, don't they? (Tienen un perro, ¿no?)
Excepción:

Con el verbo "to be" en la primera persona de oraciones affirmatives, se usa la tercera persona
("aren't") en la pregunta coletilla.
 Ejemplos:
 Play
I am not wrong, am I?
 Play
I am wrong, aren't I?

Tag Questions
"Tag questions" son preguntas que se usan para confirmar lo que
piensas que es verdad.

You speak Spanish, don't you?

Para formar un "tag question" empiezas con la oración que piensas que
es verdad ("You speak Spanish" en el ejemplo arriba). El "tag" (la parte
de la oración que hace que sea una pregunta) se forma usando un verbo
auxiliar en el negativo si la oración fue afirmativa o un verbo auxiliar en
el afirmativo si la oración fue negativa. Ve los ejemplos en la tabla
abajo.

Oraciones Afirmativas Oraciones Negativas

to be

You're a teacher, aren't you? You aren't a teacher, are you?

He's tired, isn't he? He isn't tired, is he?

Tiempo Presente

You speak English, don't you? You don't speak English, do you?
 He swims, doesn't he? He doesn't swim, does he?

Tiempo Pasado

He went to school, didn't he? He didn't go to school, did he?

Presente Perfecto

You have finished, haven't you? You haven't finished, have you?

He has left, hasn't he? He hasn't left, has he?

Futuro

She will cook, won't she? She won't cook, will she?

*El único que no sigue el patrón arriba es la forma afirmativa de "am".

I'm tall, aren't I?

Práctica
Selecciona el "tag" correcto para cada oración.

1. They are students,

2. She is a teacher,

3. We are ready,

4. He isn't from China,

5. They aren't tall,

6. I'm not on the list,

8. She sings beautifully,

9. They live in France,

10. He doesn't like movies,

11. You don't cook well,

12. They moved,

13. She didn't leave,

14. You saw the show,

15. He has finished,

16. They haven't read the book,

17. You've gone there,

18. She hasn't written the article,

19. You will go to the party,

21. She'll buy the present,

22. They can speak English,

23. Jennifer's a good friend,

24. She wouldn't be a good teacher,

25. He uses the computer a lot,

26. You can't ride a bike,

27. They'll love the gift,

28. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are from Maine,

29. Kim has worked in that building,

30. We don't have class tomorrow,

Práctica
Escribe el "tag" en el espacio.
ejemplo
isn't she?
She is a nurse,

1. You are an accountant,

2. You aren't tired,

3. He is sick,

4. She isn't from Japan,

5. They live in an apartment,

6. They don't like Mexican food,

7. He speaks Chinese,

8. She doesn't live in that house,

9. They called her,

10. She didn't call him,

11. You have cleaned the house,

12. They haven't read the book,

13. She has written the letter,

14. He hasn't exercised,

15. They will finish the project,

16. She won't do the homework,

17. He's bought a new car,

19. They're nice people,

20. He likes Italian food,

Instrucciones
Busca el error en las siguientes oraciones. Escribe la oración
corregida.

ejemplo
He are a student. - He is a student.

1. You aren't Chinese, aren't you?

2. They speak French, doesn't they?

3. You'll finish, will you?

4. I'm smart, isn't I?

5. I want to acheive my goals.