Catalan confirmation checks do not reproduce the changing English tags isn’t it?, haven’t they?, do you? Instead, speakers add short, largely invariable forms such as oi?, no?, veritat?, and eh?, or frame the clause with oi que.... The choice signals more than grammar: it shows how confident the speaker is, whether agreement is expected, and how gently or insistently the listener is being recruited.
These checks build on ordinary yes–no questions, but they present a proposition that the speaker already leans toward rather than opening a completely neutral choice.
The core tags and their tone
| Form | Typical register | Usual effect |
|---|---|---|
| oi? | neutral; especially familiar in Central Catalan | warm request for confirmation |
| no? | neutral to informal; widespread | checks an assumption directly |
| veritat? | neutral; useful across formal and regional contexts | asks whether the proposition is true |
| eh? | informal | demands attention or agreement; tone can sound friendly or pressing |
| que no? | informal | strongly invites the expected confirmation |
| no és cert? | formal | explicit, careful confirmation |
Demà obren a les nou, oi?
They open at nine tomorrow, right?
Tu ja tens les entrades, no?
You already have the tickets, right?
Aquest formulari també es pot presentar en línia, veritat?
This form can also be submitted online, correct?
The tag is separated from the statement by an intonational break, normally written with a comma. Catalan uses only the closing question mark in ordinary modern punctuation: Vindràs, oi? Do not copy Spanish ¿verdad? punctuation.
Invariable tags versus English agreement machinery
English selects an auxiliary, tense, person, and opposite polarity: She arrived, didn’t she? Catalan can attach the same tag to a past, present, future, positive, or negative clause.
La metgessa ja ha trucat, oi?
The doctor has called already, hasn't she?
No heu cancel·lat la reserva, oi?
You haven't cancelled the booking, have you?
L'any que ve continuaran les obres, oi?
The building work will continue next year, won't it?
Do not build no ha? or sí que? by translating the English auxiliary. The Catalan tag does not agree with the main verb. This simplicity does not mean that polarity is irrelevant, however: a negative statement plus a confirmation tag can reveal anxiety or a strong hope that the negative proposition is true.
Compare the minimal pair:
Has tancat la porta, oi?
You've locked the door, right?
No has tancat la porta, oi?
You haven't locked the door, have you?
The first speaker expects sí, l'he tancada; the second normally expects no, no l'he tancada. The tag itself stays the same, while the scope of no changes the proposition being checked. Clear answers should repeat enough of the verb to avoid the cross-linguistic ambiguity of a bare sí or no.
Oi que... puts the expectation first
Instead of placing oi? after a complete statement, Catalan can introduce the proposition with oi que... ? This structure openly presents the speaker’s expected answer and is common in everyday Central Catalan.
Oi que m'avisaràs quan arribeu a l'hotel?
You'll let me know when you arrive at the hotel, won't you?
Oi que aquesta jaqueta et queda millor que l'altra?
This jacket suits you better than the other one, doesn't it?
The que links the confirmation frame to a finite clause. It is not the interrogative pronoun què, so it carries no accent. Similar veritat que...? is widespread and particularly useful when oi is not part of a speaker’s active regional model.
Veritat que ens enviaran una còpia signada del contracte?
They will send us a signed copy of the contract, correct?
The form oi que sí? asks the listener to endorse an already salient positive answer; oi que no? asks for endorsement of a negative one.
Aquesta vegada arribarem d'hora, oi que sí?
This time we'll arrive early, won't we?
No cal tornar a imprimir-ho tot, oi que no?
We don't need to print everything again, do we?
By contrast, clause-final que no? can be quite insistent: És evident, que no? “It’s obvious, isn’t it?” It belongs mainly to conversation (informal) and needs careful tone in disagreement.
Eh? can be friendly, urgent, or confrontational
Eh? is (informal) and highly dependent on intonation. After a friendly reminder it can create solidarity; with a sharp contour it can sound like a warning or a demand. The dictionary meaning alone cannot predict its interpersonal force.
M'envies una foto quan hi arribis, eh?
Send me a photo when you get there, okay?
No tornis a deixar la porta oberta, eh?
Don't leave the door open again, all right?
The first can be affectionate; the second may be admonishing. In customer service, an official interview, or a first interaction with a stranger, veritat?, d'acord?, a full yes–no question, or a polite embedded question may be safer. D'acord? checks acceptance of a plan rather than the truth of a proposition: Ens trobem a dos quarts de vuit, d'acord? It is therefore related to, but not interchangeable with, every confirmation tag.
Regional and codified options
Tag preferences vary continuously across speakers and territories, so they should not be treated as borders on a map. Oi? is strongly associated with familiar Central usage but is widely understood. No? and veritat? / veritat que...? travel easily across the Catalan-speaking area and are normal in Valencian usage as well. No és ver? is a traditional (regional: Balearic) confirmation formula; no és cert? is a transparent (formal) alternative in general standard language. These are equivalent strategies, not evidence that one regional standard lacks tag questions.
Aquesta cala queda darrere el far, no és ver?
This cove is behind the lighthouse, isn't that right? (regional: Balearic)
Les dues parts accepten aquestes condicions, no és cert?
Both parties accept these conditions, is that correct? (formal)
Learners should choose one locally appropriate productive set and learn to recognize the others. Mixing oi?, no és ver?, and strongly Spanish-shaped formulas within one short exchange can sound regionally unfocused even if every individual form is intelligible.
A natural dialogue
—Dissabte portes tu el cotxe, oi? —Sí, però quedem a les vuit, d'acord?
—You're driving on Saturday, right? —Yes, but let's meet at eight, okay?
—No hem de recollir ningú més, veritat? —No, la resta hi anirà en tren.
—We don't have to pick anyone else up, right? —No, the others will go by train.
The first tag checks an assumed fact; d'acord? then seeks acceptance of a proposal. In the second exchange, the answer repeats no and supplies the explanation, making the scope of the negative confirmation unambiguous.
For an embedded or reordered constituent, the tag still scopes over the proposition as a whole:
A la Mireia, ja li heu explicat el canvi d'horari, oi?
You've already explained the timetable change to Mireia, right?
The left-dislocated a la Mireia is resumed by li. The tag does not attach only to the final noun phrase; it asks the listener to confirm the complete proposition.
Decision table
| Goal | Good choice | Avoid when... |
|---|---|---|
| warm confirmation | oi? / oi que...? | you need a region-neutral formal formula |
| direct everyday check | no? | the assumption might pressure the listener |
| explicit truth check | veritat? | a lighter conversational cue is desired |
| reminder or warning | eh? **(informal)** | the relationship or setting is formal |
| acceptance of a proposal | d'acord? | you are checking factual truth instead |
| institutional confirmation | no és cert? **(formal)** | ordinary relaxed conversation |
Common Mistakes
Copying an English auxiliary tag:
❌ La coneixes, no la coneixes?
Incorrect as a neutral tag — this full repetition sounds insistent, not like English don't you?
✅ La coneixes de la feina, oi?
You know her from work, don't you?
Flipping the tag mechanically after a negative clause:
❌ No vindran, sí?
Incorrect for the intended neutral confirmation; this calques English polarity switching.
✅ No vindran fins dilluns, oi?
They won't come until Monday, will they?
Writing Spanish opening punctuation:
❌ Ja has rebut el missatge, ¿veritat?
Incorrect — ordinary Catalan does not use the Spanish opening question mark.
✅ Ja has rebut el missatge, veritat?
You've received the message already, right?
Using eh? without regard to register:
❌ Signi aquí, eh?
Pragmatically poor in careful service language — eh can sound brusque or patronizing.
✅ Pot signar aquí, si us plau?
Could you sign here, please?
Correction task
Make these checks idiomatic and match their setting: Has reservat, no has?; No ho has perdut, sí?; and the formal Les dades són correctes, eh? Good revisions are Has reservat, oi?, No ho has perdut, oi?, and Les dades són correctes, no és cert? Other tags may work if their register and expected answer fit the context.
Key Takeaways
- Catalan normally uses invariable tags such as oi?, no?, and veritat? rather than matching an auxiliary to the main verb.
- A tag checks the entire preceding proposition, including its polarity; it does not mechanically reverse positive and negative as English tags do.
- Oi que...? presents an expected answer from the start, while eh? is informal and can sound pressing depending on intonation.
- Choose tags by register and regional model, and use d'acord? specifically to seek acceptance of a proposal.
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Start learning Catalan →Related Topics
- Yes–No QuestionsA1 — How Catalan asks total questions through intonation and punctuation, without English do-support, and how subject position, tags, and short answers shape the expected response.
- Biased and Negative QuestionsC1 — How Catalan questions encode speaker expectations through no, no pas, que no, tags, tense, and explicit polarity in answers.
- Que and És Que in QuestionsB2 — How unaccented clause-initial que and explanatory és que frame Catalan questions, and how they differ from interrogative què.
- Polite and Indirect QuestionsB1 — How Catalan softens requests for information and action with the conditional, the imperfect, embedded questions, address forms, and service-register choices.
- Rhetorical QuestionsB1 — How Catalan questions imply an answer, argue a point, express irony, and guide a listener through polarity and discourse cues.
- Basic Negation with NoA1 — How Catalan no negates finite and nonfinite predicates, combines with clitics, and answers questions without English-style auxiliary verbs.