Question Tags نه؟، مگه نه؟، درسته؟ | Farsi Grammar

Persian question tags such as نه؟ “right?”, مگه نه؟ “isn’t that so?”, and درسته؟ “correct?” follow a proposition and ask the listener to confirm it. They express different degrees of confidence and pressure, but they do not reproduce the subject, tense, or auxiliary of the main clause.

This makes Persian tags structurally simpler than English isn’t it?, don’t you?, didn’t they? The same short Persian tag can follow many subjects and tenses. What changes is the speaker’s stance and intonation, not an agreement paradigm.

The main tags and their force

Tag	Register	Typical stance	Approximate English effect
نه؟	neutral conversation; often informal	invites quick alignment	right? / yeah?
درست است؟	careful standard, formal	checks factual accuracy	is that correct?
درسته؟	informal, regional: Tehran	checks understanding or accuracy	right?
مگر نه؟	careful standard	signals that agreement is expected	isn’t that so?
مگه نه؟	informal, regional: Tehran	stronger appeal to shared belief	am I wrong? / isn’t it?
این‌طور نیست؟	formal-neutral	spells out a request for confirmation	is that not the case?

فردا ساعت نه می‌آیی، نه؟

fardâ sâ'at-e noh mi-âyi, na?

You’re coming at nine tomorrow, right? (neutral familiar conversation)

این مبلغ شامل مالیات هم می‌شود، درست است؟

in mablagh shâmel-e mâliyât ham mi-shavad, dorost ast?

This amount also includes tax, correct? (formal-neutral accuracy check)

قرارمون جلوی سینماست، درسته؟

qarâr-emun jelow-e sinemâ-st, dorost-e?

We’re meeting in front of the cinema, right? (informal, regional: Tehran)

The main proposition is already grammatically complete. The tag is an interactional addition: it asks the listener to ratify, reject, or correct that proposition.

💡

Treat the tag as a fixed comment on the whole preceding proposition. Do not conjugate it to match the subject and do not search for an equivalent of English do.

نه؟: light confirmation

Final نه؟ is frequent in conversation. It can check a plan, invite solidarity, or make sure the listener is following. A clear rise sounds more genuinely uncertain; a narrower, more falling contour can sound as though agreement is obvious.

این مسیر کوتاه‌تر است، نه؟

in masir kutâh-tar ast, na?

This route is shorter, right? (neutral conversation; checking an inference)

تو هم قبلا این فیلم را دیده‌ای، نه؟

to ham qablan in film râ dide-i, na?

You’ve seen this film before too, right? (familiar conversation; inviting shared ground)

صورت‌جلسه را تا عصر می‌فرستید، نه؟

surat-jalase râ tâ asr mi-ferestid, na?

You’ll send the minutes by this evening, right? (polite neutral speech; checking a commitment)

The last example may be heard as more than a factual question: because it repeats an obligation, نه؟ can press the listener to reaffirm a commitment. Grammar identifies the confirmation request; relationship, context, and contour determine how demanding it feels.

Polarity does not reverse mechanically

English canonical tags normally reverse polarity: You are coming, aren’t you? and You aren’t coming, are you? Persian tags such as نه؟ and درسته؟ are largely invariant. The positive or negative value remains inside the main clause.

تو فردا به دفتر نمی‌آیی، درسته؟

to fardâ be daftar nemi-âyi, dorost-e?

You aren’t coming to the office tomorrow, right? (informal, regional: Tehran; negative proposition checked)

این نسخه هنوز تأیید نشده است، درست است؟

in noskhe hanuz ta'yid na-shode ast, dorost ast?

This version has not yet been approved, correct? (formal-neutral; negative perfect checked)

The first statement asks the listener to confirm non-coming; the second asks for confirmation of non-approval. There is no requirement to turn the tag positive because the main clause is negative.

Answers should repeat the proposition when polarity could be misunderstood:

— هنوز قرارداد را امضا نکردی، درسته؟ — درسته، منتظر نظر وکیلم.

— hanuz qarârdâd râ emzâ na-kardi, dorost-e? — dorost-e, montazer-e nazar-e vakil-am.

— You haven’t signed the contract yet, right? — Correct, I’m waiting for my lawyer’s opinion. (informal neutral conversation)

— فردا نمیای، نه؟ — نه، میام؛ برنامه‌م عوض شد.

— fardâ nemiyây, na? — na, miyâm; barnâme-m avaz shod.

— You aren’t coming tomorrow, right? — No, I am coming; my plans changed. (informal, regional: Tehran; rejection followed by explicit correction)

The second نه rejects the tagged proposition rather than mechanically agreeing with its negative wording. This is why a repeated verb is safer than a bare particle. Negative Questions and Answers gives the full نه / چرا system.

💡

With a negative tagged statement, never rely on an isolated “yes” or “no” when the stakes matter. Say درسته، نمی‌آیم or نه، می‌آیم so the listener hears the intended proposition.

درسته؟ checks accuracy

درست است؟ literally asks whether the preceding understanding is correct. Its contraction درسته؟ is highly frequent in Tehran conversation. It is useful after dates, amounts, instructions, and summaries because it foregrounds accuracy rather than solidarity.

نشانی جدیدتان خیابان بهار، پلاک ۲۴ است، درست است؟

neshâni-ye jadid-etân khiyâbân-e Bahâr, pelâk-e bist-o-chahâr ast, dorost ast?

Your new address is Bahar Street, number 24, correct? (formal-neutral; verifying a detail)

اول این گزینه رو می‌زنم، درسته؟

avval in gozine ro mi-zanam, dorost-e?

I tap this option first, right? (informal, regional: Tehran; checking an instruction)

The tag stays third-singular: درسته؟ does not become درستید؟ for plural or polite addressees. It comments “that is correct,” not “you are correct.”

مگر نه؟ and مگه نه؟: stronger shared stance

مگر نه؟ presents the proposition as something the speaker has reason to believe and expects the listener to accept. Colloquial مگه نه؟ is common in debate and lively conversation. It can be warm when appealing to common experience or confrontational when used to corner someone.

همه حق دارند نظرشان را بگویند، مگر نه؟

hame haqq dârand nazar-eshân râ be-guyand, magar na?

Everyone has the right to express their opinion, don’t they? (careful standard; appeal to a principle)

خودت گفتی عجله‌ای نیست، مگه نه؟

khod-at gofti ajale-i nist, mage na?

You said yourself that there was no rush, didn’t you? (informal, regional: Tehran; challenging reminder)

اگر داده‌ها ناقص باشند، نتیجه قابل اعتماد نیست؛ این‌طور نیست؟

agar dâde-hâ nâqes bâshand, natije qâbel-e e'temâd nist; in-tor nist?

If the data are incomplete, the result is not reliable; is that not so? (academic/formal)

Use the longer formal shape in analytical writing or careful questioning. Casual مگه نه؟ in an official report would be a register mismatch, though it remains grammatical Persian.

A short dialogue

— فردا تعطیله، نه؟ — نه، فقط دانشگاه تعطیله. اداره‌ها بازن. — ساعت کاری اداره‌ها عادیه، درسته؟ — بله، عادیه.

— fardâ ta'til-e, na? — na, faqat dâneshgâh ta'til-e. edâre-hâ bâz-an. — sâ'at-e kâri-ye edâre-hâ âdi-ye, dorost-e? — bale, âdi-ye.

— Tomorrow is a holiday, right? — No, only the university is closed. Offices are open. — Office hours are normal, correct? — Yes, they are. (informal, regional: Tehran)

The first tag invites confirmation but receives a correction; the second checks a newly refined understanding.

Common Mistakes

1. Calquing English do into the tag

❌ فردا می‌آیی، نمی‌کنی؟

Incorrect — Persian does not build an agreeing tag with auxiliary کردن.

✅ فردا برای تحویل کلید می‌آیی، نه؟

fardâ barâ-ye tahvil-e kelid mi-âyi, na?

You’re coming to hand over the key tomorrow, right?

2. Making درسته agree with the addressee

❌ شما هر دو ساعت ده می‌آیید، درستید؟

Incorrect tag formation — درستید describes ‘you’ as correct; the tag is invariant درست است؟ / درسته؟

✅ شما هر دو ساعت ده می‌آیید، درست است؟

shomâ har do sâ'at-e dah mi-âyid, dorost ast?

You are both coming at ten, correct?

3. Stacking competing tags

❌ این رسید معتبر است، مگه نه درسته؟

Incorrect tag stack — choose one confirmation frame rather than combining two tags without coordination.

✅ این رسید هنوز معتبر است، مگر نه؟

in resid hanuz mo'tabar ast, magar na?

This receipt is still valid, isn’t it?

4. Confirming a negative proposition with a positive verb

❌ — فایل را نفرستادی، درسته؟ — درسته، فرستادم.

Internally contradictory for the intended confirmation — the answer’s positive verb rejects the negative proposition.

✅ — فایل را نفرستادی، درسته؟ — درسته، هنوز کامل نشده.

— fâyl râ na-ferestâdi, dorost-e? — dorost-e, hanuz kâmel na-shode.

— You didn’t send the file, right? — Correct; it still isn’t finished. (informal neutral speech)

Key Takeaways

Persian tags follow a complete proposition and do not inflect for its subject, tense, or polarity.
نه؟ lightly invites alignment; درست است؟ / درسته؟ checks accuracy; مگر نه؟ / مگه نه؟ signals stronger expected agreement.
Positive and negative main clauses can take the same tag; Persian does not mechanically reverse tag polarity as English does.
Intonation and context determine whether a tag sounds uncertain, friendly, insistent, or confrontational.

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