A tag question presents a statement and then asks the listener to confirm it: Ήρθες χθες, έτσι δεν είναι; “You came yesterday, didn't you?” The invariable Greek tags taught here are much easier to form than English tags. They are fixed expressions: they do not copy the main verb, change person or tense, or reverse form according to whether the statement is positive or negative.
The neutral all-purpose tag: έτσι δεν είναι;
Έτσι δεν είναι; literally means “Isn't it so?” and works after statements about any subject, person, tense, or verb. It is neutral in speech and acceptable in careful writing.
Ήρθες χθες, έτσι δεν είναι;
írthes chthes, étsi dhen íne;
You came yesterday, didn't you?
Η Μαρία δουλεύει στο νοσοκομείο, έτσι δεν είναι;
i María dhulévi sto nosokomío, étsi dhen íne;
Maria works at the hospital, doesn't she?
Θα μας στείλουν τα εισιτήρια σήμερα, έτσι δεν είναι;
tha mas stílun ta isitíria símera, étsi dhen íne;
They'll send us the tickets today, won't they?
English has to select didn't you, doesn't she, or won't they. These invariable Greek tags select none of them. The είναι inside the tag remains third-person singular present because it belongs to the frozen expression; it does not agree with εσύ, η Μαρία, or αυτοί.
Shorter neutral tags: σωστά;, έτσι;, δεν είναι;
Σωστά; “right/correct?” is concise and very common when checking a fact, arrangement, calculation, or shared understanding. It can sound businesslike; a sharp fall makes it more demanding.
Το ραντεβού είναι στις έντεκα, σωστά;
to randevú íne stis éndeka, sostá;
The appointment is at eleven, right?
Χρειάζεσαι δύο αντίγραφα, σωστά;
chriázese dhío andíghrafa, sostá;
You need two copies, right?
Έτσι; is another short “right?/is that so?” It often checks whether the speaker's account or proposed procedure is correct. Δεν είναι; is a shortened version of the longer tag and remains invariable too.
Πρώτα υπογράφω εδώ και μετά πληρώνω, έτσι;
próta ipoghráfo edhó ke metá pliróno, étsi;
First I sign here and then I pay, right?
Ήταν πολύ καλή η παράσταση, δεν είναι;
ítan polí kalí i parástasi, dhen íne;
The performance was very good, wasn't it?
The last example shows the central invariance clearly: the statement is past (ήταν), but the tag remains present δεν είναι; This is normal Greek, not a tense mismatch.
Informal ε;
The tiny tag ε; is highly frequent in casual speech (informal). It can request warm agreement, check that someone heard, or press for a response. Because its meaning depends heavily on pitch and length, it ranges from friendly to insistent.
Κάνει κρύο σήμερα, ε;
káni krío símera, e;
It's cold today, eh? (informal)
Θα με πάρεις μόλις φτάσεις, ε;
tha me páris mólis ftásis, e;
You'll call me as soon as you arrive, okay? (informal)
Ωραίο μαγαζί βρήκαμε, ε;
oréo maghazí vríkame, e;
We found a nice place, didn't we? (informal)
Use έτσι δεν είναι; or σωστά; with a stranger until the relationship supports ε;. A repeated, strongly rising ε; can sound as though the listener is being challenged to agree.
The statement can be positive or negative
English normally reverses polarity: a positive statement takes a negative tag and a negative statement takes a positive one. The fixed Greek tags taught here do not participate in that calculation. The same form follows either statement.
Έχεις ξανάρθει εδώ, έτσι δεν είναι;
échis ksanárthi edhó, étsi dhen íne;
You've been here before, haven't you?
Δεν έχεις ξανάρθει εδώ, έτσι δεν είναι;
dhen échis ksanárthi edhó, étsi dhen íne;
You haven't been here before, have you?
The answer confirms or rejects the statement, not the literal negative wording inside έτσι δεν είναι. With a positive statement, ναι confirms it. With a negative statement, a full echo is clearest.
Δεν έχεις ξανάρθει εδώ, σωστά; — Όχι, είναι η πρώτη μου φορά.
dhen échis ksanárthi edhó, sostá; — óchi, íne i próti mu forá
You haven't been here before, right? — No, it's my first time.
Θα έρθεις κι εσύ, έτσι δεν είναι; — Ναι, θα έρθω.
tha érthis ki esí, étsi dhen íne; — ne, tha értho
You'll come too, won't you? — Yes, I will.
Intonation and what answer you expect
A clearly rising tag asks for genuine confirmation: the speaker may be wrong. A lower or more falling contour signals stronger expectation that the listener will agree. The words stay identical, so punctuation cannot record the whole pragmatic difference.
Μμμ is not a grammatical tag but a possible vocal response. A short affirmative hum with a nod can confirm what was said; a lengthened μμμ... may instead express hesitation. Repeat the proposition when an unequivocal answer is needed.
Θα συναντηθούμε στις οκτώ, έτσι; — Μμμ, στις οκτώ.
tha sinandithúme stis októ, étsi; — mm, stis októ
We're meeting at eight, right? — Mm-hm, at eight.
Colloquial και; asks for continuation, not confirmation
A bare και; “and?” is heard (informal) after someone has supplied only part of a story. It prompts the consequence or next event. It is adjacent to tag questions in conversation, but it does not mean general “isn't it?” and should not replace έτσι δεν είναι; when checking truth.
Μίλησες με τον ιδιοκτήτη, και; — Και είπε ότι θα το φτιάξει αύριο.
mílises me ton idhioktíti, ke; — ke ípe óti tha to ftiáksi ávrio
You spoke to the landlord, and? — And he said he'll fix it tomorrow. (informal)
Related prompts such as ξέρεις;, κατάλαβες;, and σου λέω manage attention and rapport rather than forming fixed confirmation tags. They belong on confirmation checks.
Common Mistakes
1. Conjugating the frozen είναι in the tag. The tag does not agree with a second-person subject.
❌ Θα έρθεις αύριο, έτσι δεν είναις;
Incorrect — είναις is not a Modern Greek verb form; the fixed tag is έτσι δεν είναι;
✅ Θα έρθεις αύριο, έτσι δεν είναι;
tha érthis ávrio, étsi dhen íne;
You'll come tomorrow, won't you?
2. Backshifting the fixed tag to match a past statement. A past form can be grammatical in another sentence, but the conventional tag itself stays δεν είναι;
Ήταν ωραία η συναυλία, έτσι δεν ήταν;
ítan oréa i sinavlía, étsi dhen ítan;
Understandable as a literal echo, but not the neutral fixed tag taught here.
✅ Ήταν ωραία η συναυλία, έτσι δεν είναι;
ítan oréa i sinavlía, étsi dhen íne;
The concert was good, wasn't it?
3. Using informal ε; in a formal exchange. The form is grammatical, but the register can be too familiar or pressing.
Θα υπογράψετε εδώ, ε;
tha ipoghrápsete edhó, e;
Grammatical, but potentially overfamiliar: ‘You'll sign here, eh?’
✅ Θα υπογράψετε εδώ, σωστά;
tha ipoghrápsete edhó, sostá;
You'll sign here, correct? (neutral/professional)
4. Treating και; as an all-purpose confirmation tag. It asks what follows, not whether the preceding claim is true.
Έχεις τα εισιτήρια, και;
échis ta isitíria, ke;
Grammatical only as ‘You have the tickets—and then what?’, not ‘right?’
✅ Έχεις τα εισιτήρια, έτσι δεν είναι;
échis ta isitíria, étsi dhen íne;
You have the tickets, don't you?
Key Takeaways
- έτσι δεν είναι; is the neutral all-purpose confirmation tag.
- σωστά;, έτσι;, and δεν είναι; are shorter invariable alternatives.
- ε; is frequent but informal and strongly dependent on intonation.
- The invariable Greek tags taught here do not agree with the subject, copy the tense, or reverse polarity as English tags do.
- The answer addresses the preceding statement; after a negative one, echo the clause for clarity.
- Confirming μμμ is a response sound, while colloquial και; prompts “and then?” rather than truth confirmation.
Related Topics
- Yes/No QuestionsA1 — Turn a Greek statement into a yes/no question with its characteristic intonation and the written question mark ;, without English-style inversion or an added auxiliary.
- Backchanneling and Active ListeningA2 — Use Greek listening signals to support a speaker, show understanding, and react without taking over the turn.
- Confirmation Checks: έτσι;, σωστά;, ξέρεις;A2 — Use Greek confirmation checks to seek agreement, monitor understanding, maintain rapport, and manage who holds the conversational floor.
- Answering: ναι, όχι, μάλισταA1 — Answer Greek polar questions with ναι and όχι, make negative-question replies explicit by echoing the verb, and use μάλιστα or repeated ναι with the right register and intonation.