是不是【shì bu shì】

is it, isn't it, confirm, checking, tag question, shibushi

HSK 1

AI-generated

Structure

[subject] + 是不是 + [noun]？ [subject] + 是不是 + [predicate]？ [statement]，是不是？

Description

is the A-not-A form of 是, and it asks the same question as 是…吗. The answer is 是 or 不是.

？

Are you a student?

？

Is this your book?

Checking something you already believe

是不是 also goes in front of a whole predicate, including one with no 是 in it. Here it checks a guess: the speaker thinks they know the answer and wants it confirmed.

？

You're tired, aren't you?

？

He doesn't like this dish, does he?

吗 asks the same thing with no guess behind it.

？

Are you tired?

At the end of a sentence

Added after a full statement, 是不是 works like the English tag "right?".

，？

We leave at eight tomorrow, right?

Common mistake

是不是 already makes the sentence a question, so it takes no 吗.

× 你是不是学生吗？ → 你是不是学生？

Examples

？

Are you British?

？

Is this your phone?

？

Is he a teacher?

？

You're hungry, aren't you?

？

Are you classmates?

？

She doesn't know, does she?

？

Is today Wednesday?

？

You want to go home, don't you?

？

Is that person your older brother?

，？

We're meeting at three, right?

？

This word is hard, isn't it?

？

You haven't eaten, have you?

是

有