Tag Questions (好吗, 好不好, 对吗, 是吗) | Chinese (Mandarin) Grammar

English tag questions are a grammatical headache: the tag has to mirror the main verb in tense, polarity, and auxiliary — "you're coming, aren't you?", "he left, didn't he?", "you can't swim, can you?" Chinese spares you all of this. You make a plain statement, add a comma, and append one of a small fixed set of tags — 好吗, 好不好, 对吗, 对不对, 行吗, 可以吗, 是吗 — and the same tag works no matter what the sentence's verb is. The only choice you make is which tag, and that turns entirely on what you're doing: proposing something, or confirming something.

Two jobs: propose vs. confirm

The tags split cleanly into two families. 好吗 / 好不好 / 行吗 / 可以吗 ask the listener to agree to a proposal ("…, OK?"). 对吗 / 对不对 / 是吗 ask the listener to confirm a fact ("…, right?"). Match the tag to the job and you'll always sound natural.

Tag	Literal	Job
好吗？	good?	seek agreement to a proposal
好不好？	good-not-good?	same, a bit more coaxing
行吗？ / 可以吗？	OK? / allowed?	seek permission / agreement to do
对吗？	correct?	confirm a fact
对不对？	right-not-right?	confirm, pressing a little
是吗？	is that so?	confirm / react with mild surprise

我们走吧，好吗？

wǒmen zǒu ba, hǎo ma

Let's go, OK? (informal) — proposal softened with 好吗.

明天见，好不好？

míngtiān jiàn, hǎo bu hǎo

See you tomorrow, all right? (informal) — 好不好 is a hair more coaxing than 好吗.

你是学生，对吗？

nǐ shì xuésheng, duì ma

You're a student, right? (neutral) — confirming a fact with 对吗.

💡

好吗 and 好不好 both propose; 对吗 and 对不对 both confirm. The A-not-A versions (好不好, 对不对) sound a touch more insistent or coaxing — the shape you use with a child, or when gently pressing someone toward agreement.

Proposals and requests: 好吗 / 行吗 / 可以吗

When you're suggesting a plan or asking to do something, the tag turns a flat statement into a polite, collaborative request. 好吗 is the all-purpose choice; 行吗 and 可以吗 lean toward asking whether something is permitted or acceptable.

我先用一下你的电脑，行吗？

wǒ xiān yòng yíxià nǐ de diànnǎo, xíng ma

I'll use your computer for a moment, OK? (informal) — 行吗 asks whether it's acceptable.

我们改天再聊，可以吗？

wǒmen gǎitiān zài liáo, kěyǐ ma

Let's talk another day, is that OK? (informal) — 可以吗 checks for permission to postpone.

你把窗户关上，好吗？

nǐ bǎ chuānghu guān shàng, hǎo ma

Close the window, would you? (informal) — a command turned into a soft request.

借我一百块，好吗？

jiè wǒ yìbǎi kuài, hǎo ma

Lend me a hundred, OK? (informal) — note 一百, and 好吗 softening the ask.

Confirming and reacting: 对吗 / 是吗

To check that your understanding of a fact is right, use 对吗 / 对不对. And 是吗？ doubles as a standalone reaction token — "oh really? / is that so?" — where intonation carries whether you're genuinely surprised, politely interested, or quietly skeptical.

这是你第一次来，对不对？

zhè shì nǐ dì-yī cì lái, duì bu duì

This is your first time here, isn't it? (informal) — confirming a fact with 对不对.

——他们分手了。——是吗？

— tāmen fēnshǒu le. — shì ma

'They broke up.' 'Really?' (informal) — 是吗 as a surprised reaction.

真的吗？我不太相信。

zhēn de ma? wǒ bú tài xiāngxìn

Really? I'm not so sure I believe it. (informal) — 真的吗 registers doubt.

Common Mistakes

1. Calquing an English verb-mirroring tag. Chinese never builds a tag out of the main verb's negative. Reach for a fixed tag instead.

❌ 你去，不去吗？

Incorrect — don't mirror the verb English-style. Say 你去，好吗？ (proposal) or 你去，对吗？ (confirm).

✅ 我们走，好吗？

wǒmen zǒu, hǎo ma

Let's go, shall we? (informal) — a fixed tag, no verb agreement.

2. Using a fact-tag on a proposal. 对吗 confirms what's true; it can't ask someone to agree to a plan.

❌ 我们走吧，对吗？

Odd — a suggestion needs 好吗, not 对吗: 我们走吧，好吗？

✅ 我们走吧，好吗？

wǒmen zǒu ba, hǎo ma

Let's go, OK? (informal) — 好吗 for a proposal.

3. Stacking 吗 on an A-not-A tag. 好不好 / 对不对 are already questions; don't add 吗.

❌ 明天见，好不好吗？

Incorrect — 好不好 is already a question; drop 吗: 明天见，好不好？

✅ 明天见，好不好？

míngtiān jiàn, hǎo bu hǎo

See you tomorrow, all right? (informal) — one question marker.

4. Turning the main clause into a question too. The part before the tag is a statement; don't put 吗 on it as well.

❌ 我们走吗，好吗？

Incorrect — the lead clause is a statement, not a 吗-question: 我们走，好吗？

✅ 我们走，好吗？

wǒmen zǒu, hǎo ma

Let's go, OK? (informal) — statement + tag, only one 吗.

Key Takeaways

Append a fixed tag after a comma to soften a statement — the tag never has to agree with the main verb, unlike English.
好吗 / 好不好 / 行吗 / 可以吗 seek agreement to a proposal or request; 对吗 / 对不对 / 是吗 seek confirmation of a fact.
The A-not-A tags (好不好, 对不对) are a touch more coaxing or insistent than their 吗 counterparts.
是吗？ and 真的吗？ work as standalone reactions — "really? / is that so?" — colored by intonation.
Keep the lead clause a statement, and never double up (好不好吗 ✗).

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