After a statement is made, a tag question can be attached. Such a question is used to seek confirmation/agreement/approval or to make a suggestion.
(a) Confirming a statement
对不对/对吗？is used to confirm a statement. It is similar to a question with the modal
particle 吧.
那个人跟你很像；他是你哥哥，对不对？(= 他是你哥哥吧？)
Nà gè rén gēn nǐ hěn xiàng ；tā shì nǐ gē gē ，duì bú duì ？(= tā shì nǐ gē gē ba ？)
That person looks very much like you. He is your brother, right?
(b) Making a suggestion
好不好/好吗？or 怎么样？is used to make a suggestion.
李：下课以后，我们一起去吃饭、看电影，好不好？
Lǐ ：Xià kè yǐ hòu ，wǒ men yī qǐ qù chī fàn 、kàn diàn yǐng ，hǎo bú hǎo ？
Li: Let’s go have lunch and see a movie together after class, OK?
丁：好啊！电影票，你买；吃午饭，我请客，怎么样？
Dīng ：Hǎo ā ！diàn yǐng piào ，nǐ mǎi ；chī wǔ fàn ，wǒ qǐng kè ，zěn me yàng ？
Ding: Sure! How about you pay for the movie tickets and I’ll treat you to lunch?
(c) Seeking approval/permission
可(以)不可以/可以吗？or 行不行/行吗？is used to seek approval/permission.
儿子：妈，我想跟朋友去游泳，行不行？
ér zǐ ：mā ，wǒ xiǎng gēn péng yǒu qù yóu yǒng ，háng bú háng ？
Son: Mother, I want to go swimming with my friends; is it OK?
[1] Yip, P. C., Rimmington, D., Xiaoming, Z., & Henson, R. (2009). Basic Chinese: a grammar and workbook. Taylor & Francis.
