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The Business Lunch: question tags for small talk at a business lunch

Question tags and short answers are the grammar of this B2 Business English lesson plan on hosting a business lunch.

Grammar
Positive statements with negative tags and the reverse (It's a lovely spot, isn't it?), special cases like aren't I? and shall we?, rising and falling tones, and short answers.
Topic
Hosting a business partner from abroad, with a roastery tour, a tasting and lunch by the river, and phrases such as build rapport, talk shop and It's on me.
Activities
A guide to lunch small talk, a lunch conversation to hear, self-checking drills, a chat and a wheel of role-plays, then a thank-you email and a recorded conversation.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Warm-up: Breaking the Ice

    • PictureUnlock
    • Open a box and discussOpen the boxUnlock
    • Study the small-talk vocabularyVocabularyTry it
    • Match the phrases to the situationsMatchUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Reading: It's Not About the Food

    • Read the article: small talk at a business lunchArticleUnlock
    • True or false? Check the articleTrue or falseUnlock
    • Choose the correct answer: the articleQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Listening: Lunch by the River

    • Listen to Ana and Lukas at lunchListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Choose the correct answer: lunch by the riverQuizUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: It's a Lovely View, Isn't It?

    • Study the scheme: question tags and short answersGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the correct question tagChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: write the question tagsFill in the gapsTry it
    • Drag the words into the gaps: short answersDrag and dropUnlock
    • Choose the correct answer: tone, tags and short answersQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Speaking: Safe Topics, Risky Topics

    • Choose the best replyChatTry it
    • Spin the wheel and talkSpin the wheelUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework: Following Up

    • Fill in the gaps: tags and short answersFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Find the matching pairs: phrases and meaningsMemory gameUnlock
    • Write a thank-you email after a business lunchWriting, checked by the teacherUnlock
    • Record a small-talk conversationSpeaking, checked by the teacherUnlock

21 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • talk shop
  • keep it light
  • put your foot in your mouth
  • change the subject
  • show someone around
  • follow up
  • It's on me

Grammar: question tags and short answers

Question tags, or tag questions, are the short endings that turn a statement into a question: isn't it?, didn't you?, shall we? In small talk they invite agreement and keep the other person talking, which is why a host uses so many over a business lunch. Learners match the tag to the verb and flip it, handle the special cases, hear the voice fall or rise, and reply with short answers.

Question tags and short answers

A short tag turns a statement into a question: to check a fact, or to invite the other person to agree and keep talking.

Positive statement, negative tag

A positive statement takes a negative tag, and a negative statement a positive one. The tag repeats be, the auxiliary or the modal, or uses do, does or did, and a name becomes a pronoun: We should book a table, shouldn't we? Ana travels a lot, doesn't she?

Plus becomes minus, minus becomes plus

Positive statement → negative tag

  • It's a lovely view, isn't it?
  • You've met Jess, haven't you?
  • We can walk there, can't we?

Negative statement → positive tag

  • It isn't far, is it?
  • You haven't been to Portland before, have you?
  • You won't be late, will you?

Which verb goes in the tag?

StatementTagRule
The tasting was great,wasn't it?be: repeat it
You've tried the Kenyan,haven't you?auxiliary have: repeat it
We should book a table,shouldn't we?modals (will, can, would, should): repeat them
Ana travels a lot,doesn't she?present simple: do / does
You flew in last night,didn't you?past simple: did
Claire met you in Amsterdam,didn't she?a name or a noun becomes a pronoun in the tag

Special cases

I'm… takes aren't I?, Let's… takes shall we?, an imperative takes could you? or will you?, and there's keeps there: There's a café nearby, isn't there? Nobody, never and hardly make a statement negative, so the tag is positive. And 's can mean has: The rain's stopped, hasn't it?

Special cases

StatementTagExample
I amaren't I?I'm next, aren't I?
Let's …shall we?Let's order, shall we? · More casual in the US: Let's order, OK?
an imperativewill you? / could you? / would you?Pass me the menu, could you?
There is / There areisn't there? / aren't there?There's a café nearby, isn't there?
this / that / nothing… it?That was delicious, wasn't it?
everyone / somebody / nobody… they?Everyone enjoyed it, didn't they?
never / hardly / nobody / nothinga positive tagYou hardly ever fly, do you? · Nobody was late, were they?

's and 'd: which verb is it?

's can be is or has: It's lovely, isn't it? · The rain's stopped, hasn't it? 'd can be would or had: You'd like a coffee, wouldn't you? · You'd met him before, hadn't you? Look at the next word to decide.

Falling or rising?

The voice decides what a tag means. Falling, it says you're sure and want agreement, the usual tone in small talk: It's a lovely spot, isn't it? Rising, it asks a real question, and you wait for the answer: You're not flying back tonight, are you?

Falling ↘: I'm sure, please agree

  • It's a lovely spot, isn't it? ↘
  • Typical of small talk: you're not really asking.

Rising ↗: I'm not sure, please tell me

  • You're not flying back tonight, are you? ↗
  • A real question: you're waiting for the answer.

Short answers: answer the facts

A short answer is Yes or No, a pronoun and the tag's verb: Yes, I have. No, I didn't. If the food wasn't spicy, the answer to It wasn't spicy, was it? is No, it wasn't. After Yes, never contract: Yes, it is, not Yes, it's.

Short answers: Yes/No + pronoun + the tag's verb

QuestionYesNo
You've met Jess, haven't you?Yes, I have.No, I haven't.
You flew in last night, didn't you?Yes, I did.No, I didn't.
It wasn't too spicy, was it?Yes, it was.No, it wasn't.
You'll come to Rotterdam, won't you?Yes, I will.No, I won't.
You're not flying tonight, are you?Yes, I am.No, I'm not.

Answer the facts, not the tag

Yes = a positive answer, No = a negative one, whatever the tag: It wasn't spicy, was it? → No, it wasn't (not spicy) or Yes, it was (spicy!). Never contract after Yes: Yes, I have ✓ · Yes, I've ✗ · Yes, it is ✓ · Yes, it's ✗. In small talk, add a sentence: Yes, I did. The flight was fine.

Typical mistakes

  • You've met Jess, didn't you?

    You've met Jess, haven't you?

    Repeat the auxiliary: 've = have.

  • The tasting was great, isn't it?

    The tasting was great, wasn't it?

    isn't it? doesn't fit every sentence: match the verb and the tense.

  • I'm late, amn't I?

    I'm late, aren't I?

    I am → aren't I?

  • You never drink tea, don't you?

    You never drink tea, do you?

    never already makes the statement negative, so the tag is positive.

More lessons on this grammar: Questions lessons and exercises

Try the question tags exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 10 auto-checked exercises
  • 3 games
  • 2 teacher-checked tasks
  • 1 article
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 1 audio clip
  • 1 picture
  • 1 transcript

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • add the right tag to a statement: You flew in last night, didn't you? You've tried the Kenyan, haven't you? Let's order, shall we?
  • answer with the facts, not the tag: It wasn't too spicy, was it? No, it wasn't.
  • use a falling tone to invite agreement and a rising tone for a real question
  • host a visitor over lunch, keep the talk light, and write a thank-you email the next morning that says what happens next

Lesson 3 of Business English B2 · A Year at Wrenfield belongs to the unit First contacts, where learners meet, host and write to business partners. It builds on the tenses of lessons 1 and 2, whose auxiliaries come back in the tags (doesn't she?, isn't he?, haven't you?), and lesson 4 moves from the lunch table to email, with indirect questions. Tags suit a business lunch: they invite a guest to agree and keep talking.

The warm-up opens discussion boxes about clients and small talk, then ten word cards with pictures and audio, from bring something up to It's on me, and a matching task. Students read a guide to small talk at a business lunch (safe topics, listening, who pays), then hear the head of sourcing at Wrenfield, a fictional Portland coffee roaster, take a visiting hotel buyer to lunch by the river, in an AI-voiced dialogue full of tags. After the scheme come four self-checking exercises, among them a quiz on tone and short answers. In the speaking chapter, students confirm the visit's plans in a chat as the host, then spin a wheel of role-plays, from changing the subject to paying the bill.

Homework starts with two self-checking tasks, a phone call about the lunch with tags and short answers to fill in, and a memory game of phrases. Then students write a thank-you email after a business lunch and record a two-minute small-talk conversation, both reviewed by the teacher.

Grammar:
question tags · short answers
Topic:
small talk · business lunch · hosting a visitor

Teaching tips

  • Say two tags aloud before the scheme: It's a lovely spot, isn't it? with a falling tone, then You're not flying back tonight, are you? with a rising one. Ask which speaker is sure.
  • Pass a statement around the group: one student says The tasting was great, the next adds the tag, and the third gives a short answer plus one more sentence.
  • For in-company groups, plan a real client visit: pairs check the time, the place and who's coming with tags, as one wheel prompt asks, then swap roles.
  • With one-to-one professionals, rehearse their next client lunch: pick three safe topics from the guide, open each with a tag, and follow it with an open question.

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The whole course: Business English B2 · A Year at Wrenfield

20 lessons at B2 in American English that follow a year at Wrenfield Coffee Roasters in Portland, Oregon, as founder Claire Morgan and her team win a Dutch hotel contract. Learners network, write emails, run meetings, negotiate, handle complaints and present figures, with one grammar point per lesson.See the course

  1. Unit 1 First contacts

    networking, a company story, a business lunch and emails: present tenses, the present perfect, question tags, indirect questions

    1. Lesson 1Making ContactsPresent simple and present continuous at work
    2. Lesson 2Our Story: From Cart to RoasteryPresent perfect and past simple for company history
    3. Lesson 3 · you're hereThe Business LunchQuestion tags and short answers
    4. Lesson 4Emails That Get AnswersIndirect questions and polite requests

  2. Unit 2 Meetings and figures

    scheduling, sales figures, running a meeting and negotiating: future forms, trends, gerunds and infinitives, conditionals

    1. Lesson 5Setting Up MeetingsFuture forms for meetings and schedules
    2. Lesson 6The Monthly FiguresDescribing trends
    3. Lesson 7Running a MeetingGerunds and infinitives in meetings
    4. Lesson 8Negotiating a DealFirst and second conditionals in a negotiation

  3. Unit 3 Problems and growth

    a complaint, a late shipment, a launch and hiring: the present perfect continuous, the passive, comparatives, relative clauses

    1. Lesson 9Handling a ComplaintPresent perfect simple vs continuous
    2. Lesson 10The Late ShipmentThe passive in all tenses
    3. Lesson 11Launching a ProductComparatives and superlatives with modifiers
    4. Lesson 12Hiring the Right PersonDefining and non-defining relative clauses

  4. Unit 4 Reports, prices and feedback

    reporting back, explaining prices, expenses and feedback: reported speech, linking words, modals of obligation, past modals

    1. Lesson 13Reporting BackSay vs tell in reported speech
    2. Lesson 14Explaining PricesLinking words of contrast, cause and result
    3. Lesson 15Travel and Expenses: Can I Claim That?Modals of obligation, prohibition and permission
    4. Lesson 16Giving FeedbackShould have, could have and didn't need to

  5. Unit 5 Looking back and ahead

    what went wrong, other cultures, an agency and next year: the third and mixed conditionals, past deduction, the causative, the future perfect

    1. Lesson 17What Went WrongThird and mixed conditionals
    2. Lesson 18Working Across CulturesModals of deduction, present and past
    3. Lesson 19Working with an AgencyCausative have and get
    4. Lesson 20The Road AheadFuture continuous and future perfect

Questions about this lesson

What are question tags?
Question tags are short questions added to the end of a statement, such as isn't it? or didn't you? They check a fact or invite the listener to agree: It's a lovely spot, isn't it? A positive statement takes a negative tag, and a negative statement a positive one: It isn't far, is it? The B2 Business English lesson The Business Lunch on edio.ai builds a whole lunch conversation on them.
Are tag questions and question tags the same thing?
Yes: both names describe the same structure, a statement turned into a question by a short tag at the end. Some grammar books use tag question for the whole sentence and question tag for the ending alone, but the rules don't change: flip positive and negative, repeat the auxiliary or use do, does or did, and end with a pronoun. Ana travels a lot, doesn't she?
What are some examples of question tags?
Most question tags repeat the helping verb or use do, does or did: The tasting was great, wasn't it? You've tried the Kenyan, haven't you? We should book a table, shouldn't we? You flew in last night, didn't you? A few follow their own rules: I'm next, aren't I? Let's order, shall we? Pass me the menu, could you? Everyone enjoyed it, didn't they?
When does your voice go up or down in a question tag?
Your voice falls when you're sure and rises for a real question. Said with a falling tone, It's a lovely spot, isn't it? invites agreement, the usual tone of small talk. With a rising tone, You're not flying back tonight, are you? asks for information, so you wait for the answer. In the listening of The Business Lunch, a B2 lesson on edio.ai, the host uses both tones.
Is it "I'm late, aren't I?" or "I'm late, amn't I?"
It's aren't I?, the standard tag after I am: I'm late, aren't I? I'm next to speak, aren't I? The formal am I not? also exists, but amn't I? is a regional form, and isn't I? is simply wrong. Two other tags break the usual pattern: Let's order, shall we? and, for a request, Pass me the menu, could you?
How do you give a short answer to a negative question tag?
Answer the facts, not the tag: Yes for a positive answer, No for a negative one. It wasn't too spicy, was it? gets No, it wasn't if it wasn't, and Yes, it was if it was. You don't need a taxi, do you? Yes, I do. My suitcase is really heavy. Short answers use the tag's verb, never contract after Yes and sound friendlier with one more sentence.
What does "build rapport" mean?
To build rapport is to develop a friendly, trusting relationship with someone. A business lunch is your chance to build rapport. Over several months, a client starts to trust you and enjoys working with you. People also establish or develop rapport, usually with someone. Note the pronunciation: the final t is silent, so it sounds like ra-POR. The guide to lunch small talk in The Business Lunch on edio.ai uses the phrase in its opening lines.
What is a business lunch for?
A business lunch is a chance to build trust, not to close the deal. Your guest wants to find out what kind of person you are and whether they can trust you, so the negotiation can wait for the meeting room. Start with something you've both just experienced, then add an open question: The tasting went well, didn't it? Which coffee did you like best? Let the guest decide whether to talk shop.
What are the rules of business lunch etiquette?
Business lunch etiquette comes down to safe topics, good listening and a host who pays. Travel, food, sports, the city and work in general are safe; politics, religion, salaries and health are best avoided. Answer in two or three sentences, ask something back, and keep your phone in your pocket. When the bill comes, the host pays without fuss: It's on me. Then follow up with a short email the same day or the next morning.
How do question tags help with small talk at work?
Question tags turn a comment into an easy invitation to talk. The rain's finally stopped, hasn't it? asks for nothing difficult, so the other person can agree and add something. Follow the tag with an open question, so the talk doesn't stop at Yes, it did. In The Business Lunch on edio.ai, students practice this in a chat that confirms a visitor's plans: We're starting at ten, aren't we? Yes, we are.
How do I teach question tags to adults?
Teach the tune before the rule: let learners hear falling tags in real small talk, then work out the pattern of positive and negative together. Start with the auxiliaries they know (is, have, do, did), add the special cases one at a time, and give the tags a job, such as hosting a visitor or checking the arrangements for a meeting.
Are there interactive exercises for question tags?
Yes: tag gap-fills and chat role-plays check each answer as learners go. Without an account, this page plays three parts of The Business Lunch, a B2 Business English lesson on edio.ai: a lunch conversation by the river between a host and a visiting buyer, a gap-fill in which students write nine question tags, and a chat that confirms a visitor's plans with tags and short answers. The other exercises are locked.
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