“You’re coming, isn’t it?”: how question tags work
The tag copies the helper verb and the subject, and flips positive to negative: “You're coming, aren't you?”, “He finished, didn't he?”. If that is hard when you speak fast, “right?” works in casual speech.
You are coming tomorrow, isn't it?
You're coming tomorrow, aren't you?
Why Hindi speakers say it
Hindi has one tag for every sentence: न (“तुम कल आ रहे हो, न?”). Tamil does the same with இல்லையா. Indian English turns that one tag into “isn’t it?” everywhere. Standard English tags change with the sentence: they repeat the helper verb (are, did, can) and the pronoun, and flip positive to negative.
Three more examples
| Instead of | Say |
|---|---|
| He finished the project, isn't it? | He finished the project, didn't he? |
| They can join the call, isn't it? | They can join the call, can't they? |
| She doesn't eat meat, isn't it? | She doesn't eat meat, does she? |
Quick self-check
Answer in your head, then open the answer.
You've met Ravi, ___?
- isn't it
- haven't you
- didn't you
Show answer
b) haven't you The helper is have (’ve): haven’t you.
It's raining, ___?
- isn't it
- is it
- doesn't it
Show answer
a) isn't it Here isn’t it is exactly right, because the sentence is “It is…”.
They won't mind, ___?
- won't they
- will they
- isn't it
Show answer
b) will they Negative sentence, positive tag: will they.
Practise it out loud
Knowing the rule is not the same as saying it right under pressure. In WordSlick you practise sentences like these out loud with AskSlick, the AI tutor, and get corrections explained in Hindi. Mistakes you keep making come back in later sessions until they stop.
Questions
Is “isn’t it” always wrong?
No. It is correct when the sentence is about “it is”: “It’s cold, isn’t it?”. It is only wrong as a one-size tag for every sentence.
Is “right?” OK instead?
Yes, in casual speech and with colleagues: “You’re coming tomorrow, right?”. In formal writing, leave tags out.