Tag questions with 是不是 and 是否
They are used when a speaker wants to confirm what she or he already believes.
Tag questions with 是不是
是不是 
is translated as “isn't it?”, “yes or no?”.
It can be placed:
1) at the end of a sentence.
is translated as “isn't it?”, “yes or no?”.
It can be placed:
1) at the end of a sentence.Scheme
subject
predicate
(object)
是不是?
Examples
这地毯质量很好，是不是？
The quality of this carpet is very good, isn't it?
zhè dìtǎn zhìliàng hěn hǎo, shìbushì
你不想过自己的生日，是不是？
You don't want to celebrate your birthday, do you?
nǐ bù xiǎng guò zìjǐ de shēngrì, shìbushì
2) at the beginning of the sentence before the subject.
Scheme
是不是
subject
predicate
(object)?
Examples
是不是我们明天才去？
Is it true that we will go only tomorrow?
shìbushì wǒmen míngtiān cái qù
是不是他本来就没有打算去？
Is it true that he initially didn’t plan to go?
shìbushì tā běnlái jiù méiyǒu dǎsuan qù
3) after the subject.
Scheme
subject
是不是
predicate
(object)?
Examples
你是不是对历史很感兴趣？
Aren’t you interested in history?
nǐ shìbushì duì lìshǐ hěn gǎnxìngqù
你是不是感觉好些了？
Are you feeling better?
nǐ shìbushì gǎnjué hǎoxiē le
In these sentences, 是 is used as an auxiliary verb and not as the verb “to be”. Therefore it is placed before the second main verb.
If the main verb is 是 and there is no other verb, we can use affirmative-negative questions.
and there is no other verb, we can use affirmative-negative questions.Examples
他是不是老师？
He's a teacher, isn't he?
tā shìbushì lǎoshī
Pay attention
We can't say "他是不是是老师？".
Tag questions with 是否
We can ask the question using 是否 . While it has the same meaning as 是不是, it is mostly used in written language.
. While it has the same meaning as 是不是, it is mostly used in written language. Pay attention
We should state 是否 before the predicate.
Scheme
subject
是否
predicate
(object)?
Examples
他们是否考虑过在上海买房？
Have they considered buying a home in Shanghai?
tāmen shìfǒu kǎolǜ guò zài shànghǎi mǎi fáng
你父母是否同意你们住在一起？
Do your parents agree with both of you living together?
nǐ fùmǔ shìfǒu tóngyì nǐmen zhù zài yìqǐ
你是否清楚这样做的后果？
Are the consequences of this clear to you?
nǐ shìfǒu qīngchu zhèyàng zuò de hòuguǒ
We also can use 是否 in affirmative sentences to speak about the likelihood of an action taking place.
In this case, 是否 is used as the particle with the meaning of “whether”, “would”.
Examples
他们问我是否愿意为他作担保
They asked me if I would vouch for him
tāmen wèn wǒ shìfǒu yuànyì wèi tā zuò dānbǎo
我不知道他是否说了真话
I don't know if he's telling the truth
wǒ bù zhīdao tā shìfǒu shuō le zhēnhuà
很难判断她是否在生气
It's hard to tell if she's angry or not
hěn nán pànduàn tā shìfǒu zài shēngqì
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