Perguntas (3): QUESTION TAGS

Tempo de leitura: menos de 1 minuto

.

A: I expect you’re ready for a cup of coffee, no? aren’t you?
B: Yes, please. That would be lovely.
A: You take sugar, yes? don’t you?
B: Yes, please. Three spoonfuls.
A: Three! Your dentist will get rich from you, will she? won’t she?
B: She’s rich enough already. I just like it sweet.

Forma

• As question tags (perguntas de confirmação) correspondem a “não é?”. São formadas pela repetição do verbo auxiliar.
  • You’re learning Spanish, aren’t you?
  • Ann has been to Ireland, hasn’t she?
  • It won’t be cold there in May, will it?
  • She must be Italian, mustn’t she?
  • Tom can’t speak Chinese, can he?
  
  
  Um verbo auxiliar/modal verb afirmativo (p. ex. has) fica no fim da frase na sua forma negativa (hasn’t).
  Um verbo auxiliar/modal verb negativo (p. ex. can’t) fica no fim da frase na sua forma afirmativa (can).
  
  
• Sem a presença de um verbo auxiliar/modal verb na pergunta, a question tag é formada com alguma das formas de do.
  • You read a lot, don’t you?
  • You don’t watch much TV, do you?
  • Tom plays tennis, doesn’t he?
  • He doesn’t play hockey, does he?
  • They flew, didn’t they?
  • They didn’t go by car, did they?
  
  
• Observe duas exceções:
  • 1. I am late, aren’t I (amn’t I) / I am getting better, aren’t I (amn’t I)
  • 2. Let’s (= Let us) go, shall we?

Entonação e uso

• You still love me, don’t you? ↑
• I’ve only got $20. It won’t cost too much, will it? ↑
• Tom doesn’t really speak Arabic, does he? ↑

A subida da melodia frasal no fim da frase significa: “Não tenho certeza. Diga-me se isso é verdade”. Ou às vezes expressa surpresa: “Isso me surpreende. É verdade?”

• Ann drives a VW, doesn’t she? ↓ She’s got a Golf.
• You don’t need me, do you? ↓ I can see that you have lots of help already.

A descida da melodia frasal no fim da frase significa: “Isso eu já sei, na verdade. Quero que você me diga que tenho razão”.

RESUMO

• Questions tags são inversamente refletidas: frase afirmativa com question tag negativa, e vice-versa
• Frase com verbo auxiliar/modal verb: o verbo é repetido na question tag
• Frase sem verbo auxiliar/modal verb: alguma das formas de do é usada na question tag.

Referência: “Grammar – No problem” – Christine House e John Stevens, Disal Editora, 2005. Leia a resenha.