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Grammatica
Questions and negation A1 A2 B1 B2

Short answers, echo responses, and question tags

Reply naturally by reusing auxiliaries in short answers, echo responses, and question tags.

We vertalen de uitleg...
Voorlopig zie je de originele Engelse les.
Visuele uitleg

Reuse the auxiliary

REPLY VERB = the small grammar verb you reuse
(auxiliary: do / does / did / is / have / can...)

        sentence / question
                │
        find the reply verb
                │
      ┌─────────┴─────────┐
      │                   │
 already visible       not visible
      │                   │
   reuse it          add do / does / did
      │                   │
She is at home.       Leo likes tea.
Is she?               Does he?
Yes, she is.          He does, doesn't he?

Same reply verb, 3 shapes:
  Yes/No + person + reply verb
  reply verb + person?
  ..., opposite reply verb + person?

Find the auxiliary; if there is none, use do/does/did, then reuse it in the reply.

Introduction

Small replies, big grammar

English conversation often avoids repeating a whole verb phrase. Instead, a short reply carries the meaning with an auxiliary: 'Do you work here?' 'Yes, I do.' The same small-word logic builds short answers, echo responses, and question tags. These forms sound natural because they link back to what was just said. Learn to hear the auxiliary, or add do when there is none, and you can answer, react, agree, and check information quickly.
Core Grammatica A1 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

Do you work here? Yes, I do.

Short answers usually reuse the auxiliary, not the whole verb phrase.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

Do you work here
question frame with do-support
Use do before the subject for a yes/no question with an ordinary present verb.
Leer als één geheel
Yes, I do
short positive answer
A positive short answer reuses do instead of repeating work here.
Core logic

Find the auxiliary

The key word is the auxiliary, also called the operator. If the sentence already has be, have, do, or a modal such as can, will, or should, reuse that word. 'She is at home.' 'Is she?' 'Yes, she is.' If the main verb has no auxiliary in the simple present or simple past, use do, does, or did. 'Leo likes tea.' 'Does he?' 'He does, doesn't he?' In tags and most short replies, replace the noun with a subject pronoun: Leo becomes he, the meeting becomes it.
Core Grammatica A1 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

She is at home. Is she? Yes, she is.

With be, reuse be in echo questions and short answers.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

She is at home
statement with be
Be is already the key auxiliary-like verb, so the reply can reuse is.
Is she
echo question
An echo question repeats the auxiliary before the pronoun to show interest or surprise.
Leer als één geheel
Yes, she is
short positive answer
The short answer keeps the same form of be.
Core Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

Leo likes tea. Does he? He does, doesn't he?

When there is no auxiliary, English supplies do, does, or did.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

Leo likes tea
ordinary present statement
There is no visible auxiliary in this statement.
Does he
echo with do-support
Use does for a third-person singular ordinary verb in the present simple.
Leer als één geheel
doesn't he
negative question tag
A positive ordinary-verb statement takes a negative tag with does.
Core pattern

Short answer pattern

Short answers answer yes/no questions with Yes or No + subject pronoun + auxiliary. Keep the same tense, person, and modality as the question. 'Are they late?' 'Yes, they are.' 'Did Sam call?' 'No, he didn't.' 'Have you finished?' 'Yes, I have.' 'Can we park here?' 'No, you can't.' A full sentence is possible when you want emphasis or clarity, but in normal conversation the short answer is lighter and more natural than repeating the whole predicate.
Question Grammatica A1 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

Are they late? Yes, they are.

The short answer matches the auxiliary in the question.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

Are they late
be question
The question starts with are, so the answer reuses are.
Yes, they are
short positive answer
This is the reusable frame Yes + pronoun + auxiliary.
Leer als één geheel
Negative Grammatica A1 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

Did Sam call? No, he didn't.

Past simple short answers use did or didn't.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

Did Sam call
past simple question
Did marks a past simple yes/no question with an ordinary verb.
No, he didn't
short negative answer
A negative short answer reuses did and adds not, usually contracted.
Leer als één geheel
Core Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

Have you finished? Yes, I have.

Perfect forms keep have in the short answer.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

Have you finished
present perfect question
The auxiliary have is already present in the question.
Yes, I have
short positive answer
Reuse have in a positive present perfect short answer.
Leer als één geheel
Negative Grammatica A1 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

Can we park here? No, you can't.

Modal questions reuse the modal in short answers.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

Can we park here
modal question
Can expresses permission or possibility in the question.
No, you can't
short negative modal answer
Reuse the modal can and make it negative.
Leer als één geheel
Contrast

Negative questions and contractions

With negative questions, answer according to the real fact, not according to the negative shape of the question. 'Don't you like coffee?' 'Yes, I do' means I like coffee. 'Don't you need one?' 'No, I don't' means I don't need one. Positive short answers usually do not end with a contracted auxiliary: say 'Are you ready?' 'Yes, I am,' not 'Yes, I'm.' Negative answers can contract naturally: 'No, I'm not,' 'No, he isn't,' or 'No, he's not.'
Contrast Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

Don't you like coffee? Yes, I do.

English yes/no answers to negative questions follow the fact, not the wording.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

Don't you like coffee
negative question
The question is negative in form, but the answer still reports the real fact.
Yes, I do
positive fact answer
After a negative question, Yes means the positive fact is true: I like coffee.
Leer als één geheel
Negative Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

Don't you need one? No, I don't.

Use No + negative auxiliary when the real answer is negative.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

Don't you need one
negative question
The speaker may expect or suggest a positive answer.
No, I don't
negative fact answer
No means the negative fact is true: I do not need one.
Leer als één geheel
Mistake Grammatica A1 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

Are you ready? Yes, I'm.

Positive short answers normally do not end with a contracted auxiliary.

Corrected Grammatica A1 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

Are you ready? Yes, I am.

Say Yes, I am, not Yes, I'm.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

Are you ready
be question
The question uses are, so the short answer uses am for I.
Yes, I am
uncontracted positive short answer
Keep the positive auxiliary full at the end of a short answer.
Leer als één geheel
Core pattern

Echo responses

Echo responses are not full answers; they show interest, surprise, or shared experience by echoing the auxiliary. A reaction echo sounds like a small question: 'I'm exhausted.' 'Are you?' With a negative statement, echo the negative auxiliary: 'I don't eat meat.' 'Don't you?' For agreement, use so + auxiliary + subject after a positive statement: 'I love this song.' 'So do I.' After a negative statement, use neither/nor + auxiliary + subject: 'I didn't understand.' 'Neither did I.' Informally, 'Me too' and 'Me neither' are common, but the auxiliary forms are more precise.
Spoken Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A2 Informal

I'm exhausted. Are you?

Echo questions react to what someone said.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

I'm exhausted
personal statement
The statement contains be: am.
Are you
reaction echo question
Use an echo question to show interest or surprise without giving an answer.
Leer als één geheel
Spoken Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

I don't eat meat. Don't you?

A negative statement usually gets a negative echo question when you are reacting.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

I don't eat meat
negative statement
The statement is negative and uses don't.
Don't you
negative echo question
Echo the negative auxiliary to react to a negative statement.
Leer als één geheel
Core Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

I love this song. So do I.

So do I is an auxiliary-based way to say Me too.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

I love this song
positive statement
The ordinary verb love has no visible auxiliary, so agreement uses do.
So do I
positive echo agreement
Use So + auxiliary + subject to agree with a positive statement.
Leer als één geheel
Negative Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A2 Neutral

I didn't understand. Neither did I.

Neither did I is an auxiliary-based way to say Me neither.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

I didn't understand
negative past statement
The statement is negative and past, so the agreement uses did.
Neither did I
negative echo agreement
Use Neither + auxiliary + subject to agree with a negative statement.
Leer als één geheel
Core pattern

Question tags

A question tag attaches a mini-question to the end of a statement. The usual pattern is positive statement + negative tag, or negative statement + positive tag. Use the same auxiliary, or do-support if the statement has no auxiliary. 'The meeting starts at nine, doesn't it?' 'You aren't angry, are you?' The subject in the tag is normally a pronoun, not the full noun again. A falling voice often asks for confirmation; a rising voice sounds more like a real question.
Question Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

The meeting starts at nine, doesn't it?

Question tags use do-support when the statement has no auxiliary.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

The meeting starts at nine
positive statement
The present simple verb starts has no visible auxiliary.
doesn't it
negative question tag with do-support
A positive present simple statement takes a negative tag with does.
Leer als één geheel
Negative Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

You aren't angry, are you?

Question tags normally reverse the polarity of the statement.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

You aren't angry
negative statement
The statement is negative and uses aren't.
are you
positive question tag
A negative statement usually takes a positive tag.
Leer als één geheel
Form variations

Useful tag variations

Some tags are fixed enough to learn as chunks. With I am, the normal tag is aren't I: 'I'm late, aren't I?' For suggestions with let's, use shall we in neutral or slightly formal speech: 'Let's take a break, shall we?' Imperatives often use will you, won't you, or can you depending on tone. Negative words such as nobody, never, and hardly make the statement negative in meaning, so the tag is usually positive. These are useful, but not every rare tag needs memorising at once.
Exception Grammatica B1 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

I'm late, aren't I?

I am has an irregular-looking tag: aren't I.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

I'm late
I am statement
The statement uses I am.
aren't I
special I am tag
The normal tag for I am is aren't I.
Leer als één geheel
Formal Grammatica B1 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

Let's take a break, shall we?

Let's often takes the tag shall we, especially in neutral or slightly formal speech.

Bouwstenen

Lees de zin in woordgroepen, niet woord voor woord.

Let's take a break
suggestion with let's
Let's makes a suggestion for you and me/us.
shall we
suggestion tag
Shall we is the common tag after let's.
Leer als één geheel
Danger zone

Do not ignore the auxiliary

Two common mistakes come from ignoring the auxiliary. Do not use a universal tag such as 'isn't it' after every statement. Mistake: 'You like coffee, isn't it?' Corrected: 'You like coffee, don't you?' The verb like has no auxiliary, so the tag needs do-support. Do not answer an ordinary-verb question with the main verb alone. Mistake: 'Do you like tennis?' 'Yes, I like.' Corrected: 'Yes, I do.' If you choose a full answer, say 'Yes, I like tennis,' but the short answer still uses do.
Mistake Grammatica A2 Woordenschat A1 Neutral

You like coffee, isn't it?

Do not use isn't it as a universal question tag. The tag must match the grammar of the statement.

Summary

One reusable skill

Short answers, echo responses, and tags all depend on the same skill: find the auxiliary and reuse it. If there is no auxiliary, use do, does, or did. Use pronouns in replies and tags, keep the real polarity clear, and avoid contracted positive auxiliaries at the end of short answers. Tags usually reverse polarity, while echo responses often keep or mirror what was just said. This one small system lets you sound responsive without repeating long sentences.
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