Temas

Intermediate

Question Tags & Echo Responses

How speakers seek confirmation, express doubt, or echo statements in Spanish, English and Chinese.

Comparar idiomas

English has grammaticalized question tags that invert polarity. Spanish uses verdad/que no. Chinese uses 吗ma/吧bā/对duì不bù对duì/是shì不bù是shì/是shì吧bā.

Overview

Question tags turn statements into questions seeking confirmation. Echo questions repeat part of a previous utterance with rising intonation to express surprise or request clarification.

Spanish: Uses invariable tags (¿verdad?, ¿no?, ¿cierto?) rather than verb inversion. The tag is a separate word or phrase.
English: Has a grammaticalized system where the tag copies the auxiliary and inverts polarity (positive → negative tag, negative → positive tag). Intonation determines whether it’s a real question or a statement.
Chinese: Uses sentence-final particles (吗ma, 吧bā) or reduplicative structures (对duì不bù对duì, 是shì不bù是shì, 对duì吧bā). Echo questions simply repeat the key element with surprise intonation.

Spanish

Verdad / no (standard tags)

Spanish does not invert the verb. The tag is a separate invariable word:

Vienes, ¿verdad? (You’re coming, right?)
Está aquí, ¿no? (He’s here, isn’t he?)
No viene, ¿verdad? (He’s not coming, right?)
No está aquí, ¿o sí? (He’s not here, is he? — surprise)

Cierto / correcto / a que sí

Ella ganó, ¿cierto? (She won, right?)
Tienes razón, ¿correcto? (You’re right, correct?)
Va a llover, ¿a que sí? (It’s going to rain, isn’t it?)

Regional variants

Variant	Region	Example
¿vale?	Spain	Vienes, ¿vale?
¿o?	Mexico, Central America	Vienes, ¿o?
¿o no?	General	Vienes, ¿o no?
¿no es cierto?	Formal	Es verdad, ¿no es cierto?

Echo questions

¿Cómo dices? (What did you say?)
¿Qué hiciste? (You did what?)
¿A dónde fuiste? (You went where?)

Rhetorical tags

¿A que no sabes? (I bet you don’t know.)
¿O qué? (Or what? — confrontational)

Intonation

Spanish question tags always use question intonation (rising pitch). There is no distinction between “real question” and “statement with tag” intonation as in English.

English

Standard question tags

The tag copies the auxiliary (or uses do/does/did) and inverts polarity:

Statement	Tag
You’re coming,	aren’t you?
He’s here,	isn’t he?
She can swim,	can’t she?
They have left,	haven’t they?
He likes it,	doesn’t he?
You went there,	didn’t you?

Negative statement + positive tag

Statement	Tag
You’re not coming,	are you?
He isn’t here,	is he?
She can’t swim,	can she?
They haven’t left,	have they?
He doesn’t like it,	does he?
You didn’t go,	did you?

Intonation distinction

Falling intonation (statement, expecting agreement):

You’re coming, aren’t you. ↘

Rising intonation (real question, unsure):

You’re coming, aren’t you? ↗

Exceptions

Let’s uses shall we:

Let’s go, shall we?

Imperatives:

Open the door, will you?
Don’t be late, will you?
Have a seat, won’t you?

I am uses aren’t I (not amn’t I):

I’m late, aren’t I?

This/That uses it:

This is good, isn’t it?

Non-standard tags

Tag	Register	Example
innit?	British non-standard	He’s late, innit?
right?	informal	You’re coming, right?
yeah?	very informal	You like it, yeah?
huh?	informal US	You’re done, huh?
eh?	Canadian/informal	It’s cold, eh?

Echo questions

Stress the wh-word with rising pitch:

You did WHAT?
You went WHERE?
You paid HOW MUCH?
You saw WHO?

Statement of opinion tags

It’s a nice day, isn’t it?
The film was terrible, wasn’t it?
You’d agree, wouldn’t you?

Chinese

吧bā (soft confirmation)

吧ba at the end of a statement softens it into a request for confirmation:

你nǐ会huì来lái，对duì吧ba？(You’ll come, right?)
很hěn好hǎo，是shì吧ba？(It’s good, isn’t it?)
他tā不bù在zài，是shì吧ba？(He’s not here, right?)

Note: 吧bā implies the speaker expects agreement. It is softer than 吗ma.

吗ma (neutral yes/no)

吗ma turns a statement into a yes/no question:

你nǐ会huì来lái吗ma？(Will you come?)
他tā在zài吗ma？(Is he here?)

对duì不bù对duì / 是shì不bù是shì / 好hǎo吗ma

Reduplicative tag structures:

你nǐ明míng白bái，对duì不bù对duì？(You understand, right?)
他tā是shì老lǎo师shī，是shì不bù是shì？(He’s a teacher, isn’t he?)
你nǐ好hǎo，好hǎo不bù好hǎo？(You’re well, aren’t you?)

是shì吧bā / 对duì吧bā

Shortened forms common in spoken Chinese:

很hěn好hǎo，对duì吧ba？(Good, right?)
他tā不bù知zhī道dào，是shì吧ba？(He doesn’t know, right?)

Echo questions

Chinese echo questions simply repeat the key element:

A: 我wǒ花huā了le一yì千qiān块kuài。(I spent a thousand.)
B: 多duō少shǎo？(什shén么me？) (How much? [What?])
A: 我wǒ去qù了le北běi京jīng。(I went to Beijing.)
B: 哪nǎ儿er？(Where?)

Rhetorical confirmation

不bù是shì吗ma？(Isn’t that so?)
对duì不bù对duì？(Right or wrong?)
难nán道dào不bù是shì吗ma？(Could it not be? — rhetorical)

啊ā / 呀yā / 啦lā (intonation)

你nǐ会huì来lái啊a？(You’ll come, huh?)
是shì吗ma？(Is it? / Really?)

Comparison at a glance

Type	Spanish	English	Chinese
Neutral confirmation	¿verdad?	isn’t it? / doesn’t he?	对duì吗ma？
Soft confirmation	¿no?	right? / yeah?	对duì吧bā？
Negative statement tag	¿verdad? / ¿o sí?	is he? / does he?	是shì吧bā？
Echo question	¿Cómo dices?	You did WHAT?	你nǐ说shuō什shí么mó？
Rhetorical	¿A que sí?	Isn’t that so?	不bù是shì吗ma？
Imperative tag	¿vale?	will you? / won’t you?	好hǎo吗ma？
Let’s tag	¿no?	shall we?	好hǎo吗ma？

Examples in context

You’re coming, aren’t you?

ES: Vienes, ¿verdad?
EN: You’re coming, aren’t you?
ZH: 你nǐ会huì来lái，对duì吧ba？

He isn’t here, is he?

ES: No está aquí, ¿verdad?
EN: He isn’t here, is he?
ZH: 他tā不bù在zài，是shì吧ba？

You did WHAT?

ES: ¿Qué hiciste?
EN: You did WHAT?
ZH: 你nǐ做zuò了le什shén么me？

Common mistakes

Spanish speakers learning English: You’re coming, no? → You’re coming, aren’t you? (verb inversion required)
English speakers learning Spanish: Vienes, ¿no vienes? → Vienes, ¿verdad? (no verb inversion)
English speakers learning Chinese: 你nǐ会huì来lái吗ma？ when seeking soft confirmation → 你nǐ会huì来lái，对duì吧bā？ (吧bā for expected agreement)
Chinese speakers learning English: You are come, yes? → You’re coming, aren’t you?

Questions: How yes/no and wh-questions work
Sentence-Final Particles: How particles encode speaker stance
Hedges: How softening works
Formal vs Informal: How register affects tag choice

Ejemplos

You're coming, aren't you?

Vienes, ¿verdad? / Vienes, ¿no?

He's not here, is he?

No está aquí, ¿verdad? / No está aquí, ¿o sí?

You understand, right?

Entiendes, ¿verdad?

It's hot, isn't it?

Hace calor, ¿verdad? / Hace calor, ¿no?

Echo question (You did WHAT?)

¿Cómo dices? / ¿Qué hiciste?

Rhetorical confirmation

¿A que sí? / ¿No es cierto?

Tag based on verb

No (uses invariable tag)

Universal tag (eh?)

¿no? / ¿vale? (Spain) / ¿o? (some regions)

Ejemplos

You're coming, aren't you?

He's not here, is he?

You understand, right?

You understand, right? / You understand, don't you?

It's hot, isn't it?

Echo question (You did WHAT?)

You did WHAT? / You went WHERE?

Rhetorical confirmation

Isn't that so? / Don't you think?

Tag based on verb

Yes (tag matches auxiliary: is, do, have, modals)

Universal tag (eh?)

innit? (non-standard) / right? / yeah?

Ejemplos

You're coming, aren't you?

你nǐ会huì来lái，对duì吧ba？ / 是shì吧ba？

He's not here, is he?

他tā不bù在zài，是shì吧ba？

You understand, right?

你nǐ明míng白bái，对duì不bù对duì？

It's hot, isn't it?

很hěn热rè，是shì吧ba？ / 对duì吧ba？

Echo question (You did WHAT?)

你nǐ说shuō什shén么me？ / 什shén么me？

Rhetorical confirmation

不bù是shì吗ma？ / 对duì不bù对duì？

Tag based on verb

No (uses 吗ma/吧bā/对duì不bù对duì)

Universal tag (eh?)

对duì吧ba？ / 是shì吧ba？

Comparación rápida

Conceptos gramaticales	Español	Inglés	Chino
You're coming, aren't you?	Vienes, ¿verdad? / Vienes, ¿no?	You're coming, aren't you?	你nǐ会huì来lái，对duì吧ba？ / 是shì吧ba？
He's not here, is he?	No está aquí, ¿verdad? / No está aquí, ¿o sí?	He's not here, is he?	他tā不bù在zài，是shì吧ba？
You understand, right?	Entiendes, ¿verdad?	You understand, right? / You understand, don't you?	你nǐ明míng白bái，对duì不bù对duì？
It's hot, isn't it?	Hace calor, ¿verdad? / Hace calor, ¿no?	It's hot, isn't it?	很hěn热rè，是shì吧ba？ / 对duì吧ba？
Echo question (You did WHAT?)	¿Cómo dices? / ¿Qué hiciste?	You did WHAT? / You went WHERE?	你nǐ说shuō什shén么me？ / 什shén么me？
Rhetorical confirmation	¿A que sí? / ¿No es cierto?	Isn't that so? / Don't you think?	不bù是shì吗ma？ / 对duì不bù对duì？
Tag based on verb	No (uses invariable tag)	Yes (tag matches auxiliary: is, do, have, modals)	No (uses 吗ma/吧bā/对duì不bù对duì)
Universal tag (eh?)	¿no? / ¿vale? (Spain) / ¿o? (some regions)	innit? (non-standard) / right? / yeah?	对duì吧ba？ / 是shì吧ba？

Comparación lado a lado

Conceptos gramaticales	Español	Inglés	Chino
You're coming, aren't you?	Vienes, ¿verdad? / Vienes, ¿no?	You're coming, aren't you?	你nǐ会huì来lái，对duì吧ba？ / 是shì吧ba？
He's not here, is he?	No está aquí, ¿verdad? / No está aquí, ¿o sí?	He's not here, is he?	他tā不bù在zài，是shì吧ba？
You understand, right?	Entiendes, ¿verdad?	You understand, right? / You understand, don't you?	你nǐ明míng白bái，对duì不bù对duì？
It's hot, isn't it?	Hace calor, ¿verdad? / Hace calor, ¿no?	It's hot, isn't it?	很hěn热rè，是shì吧ba？ / 对duì吧ba？
Echo question (You did WHAT?)	¿Cómo dices? / ¿Qué hiciste?	You did WHAT? / You went WHERE?	你nǐ说shuō什shén么me？ / 什shén么me？
Rhetorical confirmation	¿A que sí? / ¿No es cierto?	Isn't that so? / Don't you think?	不bù是shì吗ma？ / 对duì不bù对duì？
Tag based on verb	No (uses invariable tag)	Yes (tag matches auxiliary: is, do, have, modals)	No (uses 吗ma/吧bā/对duì不bù对duì)
Universal tag (eh?)	¿no? / ¿vale? (Spain) / ¿o? (some regions)	innit? (non-standard) / right? / yeah?	对duì吧ba？ / 是shì吧ba？

Ejemplos en contexto

You're coming, aren't you?

Español

Vienes, ¿verdad? / Vienes, ¿no?

Inglés

You're coming, aren't you?

Chino

你nǐ会huì来lái，对duì吧ba？ / 是shì吧ba？

He's not here, is he?

Español

No está aquí, ¿verdad? / No está aquí, ¿o sí?

Inglés

He's not here, is he?

Chino

他tā不bù在zài，是shì吧ba？

You understand, right?

Español

Entiendes, ¿verdad?

Inglés

You understand, right? / You understand, don't you?

Chino

你nǐ明míng白bái，对duì不bù对duì？

It's hot, isn't it?

Español

Hace calor, ¿verdad? / Hace calor, ¿no?

Inglés

It's hot, isn't it?

Chino

很hěn热rè，是shì吧ba？ / 对duì吧ba？

Echo question (You did WHAT?)

Español

¿Cómo dices? / ¿Qué hiciste?

Inglés

You did WHAT? / You went WHERE?

Chino

你nǐ说shuō什shén么me？ / 什shén么me？

Rhetorical confirmation

Español

¿A que sí? / ¿No es cierto?

Inglés

Isn't that so? / Don't you think?

Chino

不bù是shì吗ma？ / 对duì不bù对duì？

Tag based on verb

Español

No (uses invariable tag)

Inglés

Yes (tag matches auxiliary: is, do, have, modals)

Chino

No (uses 吗ma/吧bā/对duì不bù对duì)

Universal tag (eh?)

Español

¿no? / ¿vale? (Spain) / ¿o? (some regions)

Inglés

innit? (non-standard) / right? / yeah?

Chino

对duì吧ba？ / 是shì吧ba？

Puntos clave

Spanish: Uses invariable tags (¿verdad?, ¿no?, ¿cierto?) rather than verb inversion. The tag is a separate word or phrase.

English: Has a grammaticalized system where the tag copies the auxiliary and inverts polarity (positive → negative tag, negative → positive tag). Int...

Chinese: Uses sentence-final particles (吗ma, 吧bā) or reduplicative structures (对duì不bù对duì, 是shì不bù是shì, 对duì吧bā). Echo questions simply repeat the k...

Key concepts compared: You're coming, aren't you?, He's not here, is he?, You understand, right?.

Lee esto primero

questions yes-no-questions

Última actualización: 4 de junio de 2026

Overview

Spanish

Verdad / no (standard tags)

Cierto / correcto / a que sí

Regional variants

Echo questions

Rhetorical tags

Intonation

English

Standard question tags

Negative statement + positive tag

Intonation distinction

Exceptions

Non-standard tags

Echo questions

Statement of opinion tags

Chinese

吧bā (soft confirmation)

吗ma (neutral yes/no)

对duì不bù对duì / 是shì不bù是shì / 好hǎo吗ma

是shì吧bā / 对duì吧bā

Echo questions

Rhetorical confirmation

啊ā / 呀yā / 啦lā (intonation)

Comparison at a glance

Examples in context

You’re coming, aren’t you?

He isn’t here, is he?

You did WHAT?

Common mistakes

Related topics

Ejemplos

Ejemplos

Ejemplos

Comparación rápida

Comparación lado a lado

Ejemplos en contexto

Puntos clave