Question tags (1) 
Les question tags sont des reprises interrogatives en fin de phrases qui correspondent au français "n’est-ce pas ?" (Ou encore, en langage familier "hein ?", "non ?").
Ils constituent aussi une manière polie de demander l’avis de l’interlocuteur.
Le question tag dépend de la phrase qui le précède.
- Si la phrase principale est affirmative, le tag est à la forme interro-négative.
Ex: Mary is French, isn’t she ? (Mary est française, n’est-ce pas ?)
Le nom est remplacé par le pronom correspondant (Mary = she). On garde le même auxiliaire.
- Si la phrase principale est négative, le tag est à la forme interrogative.
Ex: Mary isn’t French, is she ? (Mary n’est pas française, n’est-ce pas ?)
- Si la phrase principale ne comporte pas d’auxiliaire, on utilise celui que comporterait la forme interrogative.
Ex: John works very hard, doesn’t he ? (John travaille beaucoup, n’est-ce pas ?)
Quelques exemples concrets de phrases avec différents auxiliaires et temps.
| Phrases affirmatives |
Phrases négatives |
| Anne is a good pupil, isn't she? |
John isn't the best, is he? |
| It was so cold, wasn't it? |
It wasn't hot, was it? |
| They played too much, didn't they? |
They didn't work much, did they? |
| You will keep the house, won't you? |
You won't go away, will you? |
| You can drive a lorry, can't you? |
You can't drive a bus, can you? |
| They have been sleeping, haven't they? |
They haven't been working, have they? |
| We *have dinner at 7.30, don't we? |
We don't have dinner at 7.00, do we? |
Remarque: *'have dinner' = verbe 'dîner', se comporte comme n'importe quel verbe ordinaire et non comme le verbe 'have' ce qui explique le 'tag'.
Question tags (2)
Cas particuliers
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Repris par |
Exemples |
| There |
there |
There were nice people, weren't there ? |
| That / this |
it |
That is a good question, isn't it ? |
| Those |
they |
Those are his presents, aren't they ? |
| Dérivés de
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They ou One
(one peut s' employer dans le 'tag')
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- Everybody left early, didn't they?
- Someone will see you, won't they?
- One never knows, does one? => Langue soignée
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| (to) be
à la 1ère personne du singulier
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aren't I? |
I'm the best, arent' I ? |
| (to) have
(autre que present perfect et past perfect)
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do / did |
- You had the car repaired, didn't you?
- She has her hair cut every month, doesn't she?
- He had to go at once, didn't he?
- They have breakfast later, don't they?
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Remarque : 'have dinner' = verbe 'dîner', se comporte comme n'importe quel verbe ordinaire et non comme le verbe 'have' ce qui explique le 'tag'.
Question tags (3)
Cas particuliers
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Repris par
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Exemples
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Adverbe négatif
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Tag affirmatif
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He never sees his father, does he ?
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Adverbes semi-négatifs
- hardly, scarcely, seldom, barely
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Tag affirmatif
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There was hardly anybody in the streets, was there ?
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Pronoms négatifs :
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Tag affirmatif
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- Nobody screamed, did they?
- Neither of the two, smiled, did they?
- Nothing will be done, will it?
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Impératif
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- Open the door, will you?
- Let's have a birthday party, shall we?
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Plusieurs auxiliaires
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Tag sur le 1er auxiliaire
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She ought to have told her parents, oughtn't she ?
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Phrase commençant par un verbe exprimant une opinion personnelle
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Tag sur la 2ème partie de la phrase
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I think he should be congratulated, shouldn't he ?
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Phrases elliptiques
(absence de verbe)
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Le verbe sous-entendu
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- Splendid, isn't it?
- Bored, aren't you?
- Lovely, isn't she?
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'd = had
'd = would |
Tag négatif |
- You'd better change your wet shoes, hadn't you ?
- The boys'd rather go by air, wouldn't they ?
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Question tags (4)
Cas particulier de "to have"
HAVE peut être auxiliaire du Present Perfect et du Past Perfect.
Il peut être utilisé dans les formes appelées 'causatives'.
Il peut aussi remplacer 'must' s'il est suivi de "to" (obligation).
Il peut enfin exprimer la possession.
| Forme de 'have' |
Exemple |
Tags |
| Present perfect |
She has sold her house,
She hasn't moved yet,
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hasn't she ?
has she ?
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| Past perfect |
They had left the country,
They had never come back,
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hadn't they ?
had they ?
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| Possession |
You haven't got any money,
They have a fast car,
We don't have much time,
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have you ?
haven't they ?
do we ?
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| 'have causatif' |
She had her bedroom redone,
Ann is having her her cut,
Their son had his hand bitten,
She never had her name revealed,
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didn't she ?
isn't she ?
didn't he ?
did she?
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| Remplace 'must' (obligation) |
You have to phone a taxi,
She had to go back home,
It has to be done at once,
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don't you ?
didn't she ?
hasn't it ?
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| Verbe usuel |
I think you will be all right, |
won't you ? |
tag question"
I) Emplois
Ce sont de petites questions qu'on ajoute à la fin d'une phrase pour...
a) obtenir la confirmation de ce qu'on dit
You are from England, aren't you?
Tu viens d'Angleterre, n'est-ce pas?
On affirme quelque chose ("tu viens d'Angleterre"), mais on n'en est pas sûr et on demande la confirmation de la personne à qui on s'adresse.
Dans ce cas, l'intonation de la phrase est descendante (c'est-à-dire que - pour la prononciation - il faut faire un peu comme s'il y avait un point à la fin de la phase et non un point d'interrogation).
b) poser une vraie question alors qu'on ne connaît pas à l'avance la réponse:
You like football, don't you?
Tu aimes le football... n'est-ce pas?
C'est une autre manière de poser la question "Do you like football?"
Dans ce cas, l'intonation est montante, c'est-à-dire qu'il faut que la voix monte à la fin de la question, comme pour toute question.
II) Syntaxe
1) Il faut équilibrer les plateaux de la balance:
( + | - ) Si le premier morceau de la phrase est à la forme affirmative ( + ), le question tag sera à la forme négative ( - ):
exemple: You love English ( + ), don't you? ( - )
et vice-versa...
( - | + ) Si le premier morceau de la phrase est à la forme négative, le question tag sera à la forme affirmative.
exemple: He doesn't travel a lot ( - ), does he? ( + )
2) On utilise l'auxiliaire ou le modal correspondant au début de la phrase, et on reprend le même sujet:
You went to Australia, didn't you?
On a utilisé l'auxiliaire DID car "You went to Australia" est au prétérit.
On a mis le "tag" à la forme négative car "You went to Australia" est à la forme affirmative.
On a repris le même sujet "you".
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