Question tag: rumus, aturan khusus, dan contoh kalimat
Tim HarauKampung Inggris Sumatra
Question tag = kata kerja bantu + kata ganti, dipasang di ujung kalimat sesudah koma. Kalimat positif memakai tag negatif (It is hot, isn't it?), kalimat negatif memakai tag positif (It isn't hot, is it?). Kalau kalimatnya tidak punya kata kerja bantu, pakai do, does, atau did. Pengecualian yang wajib dihafal: I am menjadi aren't I? dan Let's menjadi shall we?
Isi artikel
- Apa itu question tag?
- Rumus question tag
- Question tag untuk tiap tense dan kata kerja bantu
- Aturan khusus question tag
- Intonasi: bertanya sungguhan atau minta diiyakan?
- Cara menjawab question tag
- Pengganti question tag dalam percakapan santai
- Kesalahan yang sering muncul
- Latihan soal question tag
- Langkah berikutnya
Question tag adalah pertanyaan pendek di ujung kalimat untuk meminta persetujuan atau memastikan sesuatu, seperti "kan?" dalam bahasa Indonesia. Rumusnya: kalimat positif diberi tag negatif, kalimat negatif diberi tag positif. Tag dibentuk dari kata kerja bantu dan kata ganti subjeknya: You are tired, aren't you? dan She doesn't smoke, does she?
Apa itu question tag?
Dalam bahasa Indonesia, kita sering menutup kalimat dengan "kan?", "ya?", atau "bukan?".
- "Kamu orang Padang, kan?"
- "Dia belum datang, ya?"
Kita mengucapkannya bukan karena tidak tahu, melainkan karena ingin lawan bicara mengiyakan. Bahasa Inggris melakukan hal yang sama dengan question tag, yang di sebagian buku disebut tag question.
- You are from Padang, aren't you?
- He hasn't arrived, has he?
Bedanya, "kan?" bisa dipakai untuk kalimat apa pun. Question tag harus dicocokkan dengan kata kerja bantu, tense, dan subjek kalimat di depannya. Itulah yang membuatnya terasa rumit di awal.
Susunannya selalu sama: pernyataan + koma + kata kerja bantu (+ n't) + kata ganti + tanda tanya.
Rumus question tag
Hanya ada dua rumus pokok.
| Kalimat | Tag | Contoh | Arti |
|---|---|---|---|
| positif (+) | negatif (−) | She is a nurse, isn't she? | Dia perawat, kan? |
| negatif (−) | positif (+) | She isn't a nurse, is she? | Dia bukan perawat, kan? |
Cara membuatnya, langkah demi langkah:
- Cari kata kerja bantu di kalimat: is, are, was, were, have, has, had, will, can, could, should, would, must, dan sejenisnya.
- Balik positif dan negatifnya. Kalimat positif mendapat tag negatif, selalu dalam bentuk singkat (isn't, bukan is not). Kalimat negatif mendapat tag positif.
- Ganti subjek dengan kata ganti: I, you, we, they, he, she, it, atau there. Nama orang tidak pernah diulang di tag.
- Tidak ada kata kerja bantu? Pakai do atau does untuk simple present, dan did untuk simple past.
Contoh penerapan: Rina can swim. Kata kerja bantunya can. Kalimatnya positif, jadi tag-nya negatif: can't. Subjek Rina diganti she. Hasilnya: Rina can swim, can't she?
Question tag untuk tiap tense dan kata kerja bantu
| Kalimat memakai | Positif → tag negatif | Negatif → tag positif |
|---|---|---|
| am, is, are | You are busy, aren't you? | You aren't busy, are you? |
| was, were | It was cold, wasn't it? | It wasn't cold, was it? |
| simple present (verb 1) | They live here, don't they? | They don't live here, do they? |
| simple present (verb + s) | He works hard, doesn't he? | He doesn't work hard, does he? |
| simple past (verb 2) | She called you, didn't she? | She didn't call you, did she? |
| have, has + verb 3 | You have eaten, haven't you? | You haven't eaten, have you? |
| had + verb 3 | They had left, hadn't they? | They hadn't left, had they? |
| will | He will come, won't he? | He won't come, will he? |
| can | You can drive, can't you? | You can't drive, can you? |
| could | She could hear us, couldn't she? | She couldn't hear us, could she? |
| should | We should go, shouldn't we? | We shouldn't go, should we? |
| would | You would help, wouldn't you? | You wouldn't lie, would you? |
| must | He must leave, mustn't he? | He mustn't leave, must he? |
| is, are + going to | It is going to rain, isn't it? | It isn't going to rain, is it? |
Dua hal yang sering tertukar di tabel ini:
- Won't adalah bentuk singkat will not. Tidak ada bentuk willn't.
- Untuk verb 1 dan verb 2 biasa, kata kerja utamanya tidak diulang di tag. He works hard, doesn't he?, bukan worksn't he?
Kalau kamu masih ragu membedakan kata kerja bantu tiap tense, buka dulu ringkasan 16 tenses. Kelompok can, should, must, dan kawan-kawannya dibahas di artikel modal verb.
Aturan khusus question tag
Bagian ini yang paling sering keluar di soal, karena tidak bisa ditebak dari rumus pokok.
1. I am → aren't I?
I'm your friend, aren't I? (Aku temanmu, kan?) Bukan amn't I? Untuk kalimat negatif, tag-nya biasa: I'm not late, am I?
2. Let's → shall we?
Let's take a break, shall we? (Kita istirahat dulu, yuk?) Aturan ini tetap, apa pun kata kerja sesudah let's.
3. Kalimat perintah → will you?
- Open the window, will you? (Tolong buka jendelanya, ya?)
- Don't tell anyone, will you? (Jangan bilang siapa-siapa, ya?)
- Pass me the salt, would you? (lebih halus)
Perintah positif maupun negatif sama-sama memakai will you?
4. Kata bermakna negatif → tag positif
Kalimat yang memuat never, hardly, seldom, rarely, barely, nobody, no one, nothing, few, atau little dihitung negatif, walaupun tidak ada kata not. Jadi tag-nya positif.
- He never calls, does he? (Dia nggak pernah menelepon, kan?)
- You can hardly see it, can you? (Kamu hampir nggak bisa melihatnya, kan?)
- Nothing happened, did it? (Nggak terjadi apa-apa, kan?)
- Few people know this, do they? (Hampir nggak ada yang tahu ini, kan?)
Hati-hati dengan a few dan a little. Keduanya bermakna positif ("ada beberapa", "ada sedikit"), sehingga tag-nya negatif: A few people know this, don't they?
5. Subjek yang kata gantinya perlu dipikirkan
| Subjek kalimat | Kata ganti di tag | Contoh |
|---|---|---|
| this, that | it | That is your bag, isn't it? |
| these, those | they | Those are yours, aren't they? |
| there is, there are | there | There is a problem, isn't there? |
| everybody, everyone, somebody, someone | they | Everyone is here, aren't they? |
| nobody, no one | they (tag positif) | Nobody called, did they? |
| everything, something | it | Everything is ready, isn't it? |
| nothing | it (tag positif) | Nothing is wrong, is it? |
Perhatikan everyone. Kata kerjanya di kalimat tunggal (is), tapi di tag menjadi jamak (aren't they), karena kata gantinya they. Daftar kata ganti selengkapnya ada di artikel pronoun.
6. Have: kata kerja bantu atau kata kerja biasa?
- Have sebagai kata kerja bantu (diikuti verb 3) diulang di tag: You have seen it, haven't you?**
- Have yang berarti "punya" memakai do: You have a brother, don't you? Bentuk haven't you? untuk arti ini masih terdengar di Inggris, tapi don't you? aman dipakai di mana saja.
- Have to (harus) juga memakai do: We have to go, don't we?**
- Used to memakai did: He used to live here, didn't he?**
7. Bentuk singkat 's dan 'd
Bentuk singkat bisa berarti dua hal. Lihat kata sesudahnya.
| Bentuk singkat | Diikuti | Artinya | Contoh |
|---|---|---|---|
| 's | verb + -ing, kata sifat, kata benda | is | She's sleeping, isn't she? |
| 's | verb 3 | has | She's finished, hasn't she? |
| 'd | verb 1 | would | You'd like some tea, wouldn't you? |
| 'd | verb 3 | had | He'd left before noon, hadn't he? |
| 'd better | verb 1 | had | We'd better go, hadn't we? |
8. Kalimat yang diawali I think
Tag mengikuti isi yang sedang dibicarakan, bukan I think-nya.
- I think he's right, isn't he? (bukan don't I?)
- I don't think she knows, does she? Kata don't membuat seluruh kalimat bermakna negatif, jadi tag-nya positif.
Intonasi: bertanya sungguhan atau minta diiyakan?
Tulisan yang sama bisa bermakna dua, tergantung nada suara di bagian tag.
| Nada di tag | Maksud | Contoh |
|---|---|---|
| turun ↘ | Kamu sudah yakin, hanya minta diiyakan. | It's a beautiful day, isn't it? ↘ |
| naik ↗ | Kamu benar-benar belum yakin dan ingin tahu. | You've locked the door, haven't you? ↗ |
Nada turun jauh lebih sering dipakai, terutama untuk basa-basi: membuka obrolan soal cuaca, makanan, atau acara yang sedang berlangsung. Karena menyangkut bunyi, bagian ini tidak bisa dilatih dari buku. Kamu perlu mendengar dan mengucapkannya, misalnya di kelas program Speaking.
Cara menjawab question tag
Inilah jebakan terbesar bagi orang Indonesia. Kita terbiasa menjawab "iya" untuk membenarkan ucapan lawan bicara. Dalam bahasa Inggris, yes dan no mengikuti faktanya.
| Pertanyaan | Fakta | Jawaban |
|---|---|---|
| You like durian, don't you? | suka | Yes, I do. |
| You like durian, don't you? | tidak suka | No, I don't. |
| You don't like durian, do you? | suka | Yes, I do. |
| You don't like durian, do you? | tidak suka | No, I don't. |
Lihat baris terakhir. Dalam bahasa Indonesia, jawaban yang wajar adalah "Iya, aku nggak suka." Kalau diterjemahkan mentah menjadi Yes, I don't, lawan bicaramu bingung. Pegangannya: sesudah yes selalu kalimat positif, sesudah no selalu kalimat negatif. Bentuk pertanyaannya tidak perlu dipikirkan.
Contoh percakapan pendek:
- A: You're new here, aren't you? (Kamu baru di sini, kan?)
- B: Yes, I am. I arrived on Sunday. (Iya. Aku datang hari Minggu.)
- A: You haven't met the tutors yet, have you? (Kamu belum ketemu para tutor, kan?)
- B: No, I haven't. Could you introduce me? (Belum. Bisa tolong kenalkan aku?)
Pengganti question tag dalam percakapan santai
Dalam obrolan sehari-hari, penutur asli sering memakai kata pendek yang tidak perlu dicocokkan dengan apa pun.
| Bentuk | Contoh | Catatan |
|---|---|---|
| right? | You're coming tonight, right? | paling umum, terutama di Amerika |
| OK? | I'll call you later, OK? | untuk meminta persetujuan atas rencana |
| yeah? | So we meet at eight, yeah? | santai |
| don't you think? | It's too expensive, don't you think? | meminta pendapat |
| eh? | Nice day, eh? | khas Kanada |
Kamu boleh memakai right? dalam obrolan. Tapi di soal ujian, di tulisan, dan saat ingin terdengar rapi, pakai question tag yang lengkap.
Kesalahan yang sering muncul
| Salah | Benar | Kenapa |
|---|---|---|
| You are a student, isn't it? | You are a student, aren't you? | Tag mengikuti subjek dan kata kerja bantu kalimatnya. Isn't it bukan tag serbaguna. |
| She can swim, can she? | She can swim, can't she? | Kalimat positif, tag negatif. |
| He likes coffee, isn't he? | He likes coffee, doesn't he? | Verb 1 + s memakai does. |
| They went home, weren't they? | They went home, didn't they? | Verb 2 memakai did. |
| Budi is late, isn't Budi? | Budi is late, isn't he? | Tag selalu memakai kata ganti. |
| I am right, amn't I? | I am right, aren't I? | Pengecualian untuk I am. |
| Let's go, will we? | Let's go, shall we? | Let's berpasangan dengan shall we. |
| She never lies, doesn't she? | She never lies, does she? | Never sudah bermakna negatif. |
| There is a test today, isn't it? | There is a test today, isn't there? | Kalimat there is memakai there di tag. |
| It is hot, is not it? | It is hot, isn't it? | Tag negatif selalu dalam bentuk singkat. |
Kesalahan pertama adalah yang paling khas. Karena "kan?" bisa menutup kalimat apa saja, banyak yang memakai isn't it? dengan cara yang sama. Di beberapa ragam bahasa Inggris, misalnya di India dan Singapura, pemakaian seperti itu memang lazim. Dalam bahasa Inggris baku dan di semua tes, tag harus cocok dengan kalimatnya.
Latihan soal question tag
A. Lengkapi dengan question tag yang tepat.
- Your sister works in Pekanbaru, ...?
- They weren't at home last night, ...?
- We can start now, ...?
- You have finished your homework, ...?
- He didn't come to class yesterday, ...?
- I am the next speaker, ...?
- Let's order some food, ...?
- Nobody knows the answer, ...?
B. Pilih jawaban yang sesuai dengan faktanya.
- You don't speak Japanese, do you? (Faktanya: kamu tidak bisa bahasa Jepang.) → (Yes, I do. / No, I don't.)
- The test wasn't difficult, was it? (Faktanya: tesnya sulit.) → (Yes, it was. / No, it wasn't.)
Kunci jawaban
- doesn't she?
- were they?
- can't we?
- haven't you?
- did he?
- aren't I?
- shall we?
- do they? (nobody bermakna negatif, kata gantinya they)
- No, I don't.
- Yes, it was.
Langkah berikutnya
Question tag cepat dikuasai kalau dilatih berpasangan. Minta temanmu membaca sepuluh pernyataan pendek, lalu kamu menambahkan tag-nya secepat mungkin: It's Monday... isn't it? You didn't sleep well... did you? Tukar peran sesudah sepuluh kalimat. Yang dilatih bukan pengetahuanmu, melainkan kecepatanmu.
Bahan untuk pernyataannya bisa kamu ambil dari artikel simple present tense dan present perfect tense, sedangkan stok katanya ada di halaman kosakata bahasa Inggris.
Kalau kamu belum punya teman latihan, itu yang kami sediakan. Di program Basic Kampung Inggris Sumatra, pola seperti ini dibahas dari dasar, lalu dipakai ngobrol dengan teman sekelas dan tutor sepanjang hari.
Question tag itu gampang di kertas, susah di mulut, kan?
Memilih isn't it, don't you, atau hasn't she harus terjadi dalam sepersekian detik. Itu soal kebiasaan, bukan hafalan. Di program Basic Kampung Inggris Sumatra, polanya dibahas dari dasar, lalu dipakai ngobrol dengan teman sekelas sampai keluar sendiri.
