Question Tags

What you’ll learn

Check information using short attached questions.

ប្រើសំណួរខ្លីនៅចុងប្រយោគដើម្បីផ្ទៀងផ្ទាត់។

Meaning and use

A common checking tag is negative after an affirmative statement and affirmative after a negative statement. Repeat the auxiliary and replace the subject with a pronoun. Without an auxiliary, use do, does, or did. Intonation can signal genuine uncertainty or a request for agreement.

Question tag ជាសំណួរខ្លីនៅចុងប្រយោគដើម្បីផ្ទៀងផ្ទាត់។ ជាទូទៅ ប្រយោគវិជ្ជមានមាន tag អវិជ្ជមាន ហើយប្រយោគអវិជ្ជមានមាន tag វិជ្ជមាន។

Grammar patterns

Pattern	Example or form
Auxiliary matching	She is ready, is she not? / She is ready, isn’t she?
Do-support	He works here, doesn’t he?

Examples

1. You are coming, are you not?

   អ្នកនឹងមក មែនទេ?

2. She has finished, has she not?

   នាងបានបញ្ចប់ហើយ មែនទេ?

3. They did not call, did they?

   ពួកគេមិនបានទូរស័ព្ទមក មែនទេ?

4. He likes coffee, does he not?

   គាត់ចូលចិត្តកាហ្វេ មែនទេ?

Everyday conversation

Dara: You have met Maly, haven’t you?

Maly: Yes, we met at the workshop.

Common mistakes

Instead of	Use	Why
She can swim, does she not?	She can swim, can she not?	Repeat the modal can in the tag.
They left early, did he not?	They left early, did they not?	The tag pronoun must refer to the statement subject.

Practice

Try these questions before opening the answers. Write or say each answer.

សាកល្បងឆ្លើយសំណួរទាំងនេះជាមុនសិន មុននឹងបើកមើលចម្លើយ។ អ្នកអាចសរសេរ ឬនិយាយចម្លើយរបស់អ្នក។

1. Add a common contracted tag: You are tired, ___?
2. Add a tag: He did not come, ___?
3. Add a tag: Maly works here, ___?

Answers and explanations

Show answers / បង្ហាញចម្លើយ

1. aren’t you

   An affirmative be statement takes a negative be tag.

2. did he

   A negative statement takes an affirmative tag.

3. doesn’t she

   Present simple with third-person singular uses does in the tag.

Quick recap

• Auxiliary matching: She is ready, is she not? / She is ready, isn’t she?
• Do-support: He works here, doesn’t he?