Yes/No Questions with Não é? | Portuguese (Portugal) Grammar

English speakers grow up manipulating a small engine of tag questions: isn't it? aren't you? doesn't she? haven't they? can't we? The tag has to echo the auxiliary of the main clause and flip its polarity. It is an elaborate piece of grammar that native speakers produce without thinking. European Portuguese does essentially none of that work. Almost every confirmation-seeking tag in PT-PT reduces to a single invariable appendage — não é? — glued onto the end of the sentence with a rising intonation. You do not conjugate it, you do not agree it, you do not flip anything. A Maria vem, não é? / Os miúdos estão cansados, não é? / Tu trabalhas aqui, não é? — the same two syllables do the job of the entire English tag system.

That is the headline rule, and it gets you 80% of the way there. The remaining 20% is where PT-PT pragmatics gets interesting: there is a family of related confirmation markers (pois, pois não?, está bem?, percebes?, não achas?, sim?) that do slightly different social work, and there is the all-important colloquial reduction of não é? to roughly /nɛ/ (sometimes spelled né, though the spelling né is more associated with Brazil). This page gives you the grammar of all of it, labels each form for register, and shows you the pragmatic situations where a native would pick one tag over another.

Não é? — the universal invariable tag

The workhorse. Attached to any declarative sentence, preceded by a comma (in writing) and a pause (in speech), não é? invites the listener to confirm what you just said. The literal meaning is "is it not?" but it has fully grammaticalised into the neutral tag for every type of sentence: verbal, nominal, copular, with ser, with estar, with ter, with a modal — it does not matter. The tag stays the same.

A Maria é tua irmã, não é?

Maria is your sister, isn't she?

Tu gostas de café, não é?

You like coffee, don't you?

Os miúdos já estão a dormir, não é?

The kids are already asleep, aren't they?

Vocês moram aqui perto, não é?

You (all) live nearby, don't you?

Ele trabalhou na mesma empresa durante vinte anos, não é?

He worked at the same company for twenty years, didn't he?

Notice that the main clause can be in any tense — present, imperfect, preterite, future — and the tag does not change. This is the single biggest simplification PT-PT offers English speakers in the question system.

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Não é? is invariable. It does not agree with the subject, it does not reflect the main verb, and it does not change for tense. English speakers routinely try to produce "agreeing" tags like não és? or não são?. These are not ungrammatical, but they sound foreign. Keep the tag frozen as não é? and you will sound like a native.

Colloquial reduction: /nɛ/ (sometimes written né)

In everyday speech, não é? collapses into a single stressed syllable that sounds roughly like /nɛ/. The initial nasal of não is reduced almost to nothing, the ã is swallowed, and what remains is an open e with a slight nasal trace. Writers usually spell this né when they want to represent informal speech in dialogue, but the spelling is more associated with Brazilian Portuguese; in PT-PT writing you will most often see it written out fully as não é? even when everyone is pronouncing it /nɛ/.

A Maria vem connosco, né?

Maria's coming with us, right? (informal, reflecting spoken /nɛ/)

Tu já comeste, não é?

You already ate, right? (neutral written form; spoken as /nɛ/)

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Do not try to reproduce /nɛ/ letter-by-letter. Portuguese natives hear it as a reduction of não é?, not as a separate word. Train your ear to recognise it, pronounce it with a light, quick /nɛ/ in casual speech, and write it as não é? in anything more formal than a text message.

Pois — the one-word confirmation

Pois is the PT-PT listener's favourite noise. It is not a tag you attach to your own sentence — it is what the other person says when they are agreeing with you or signalling they have heard you. Learners usually discover pois the first time they speak Portuguese to a Portuguese person and get a rhythmic stream of pois... pois... pois... as a backchannel.

— O tempo hoje está horrível. — Pois está.

— The weather is awful today. — Yes it is / I know.

— Ele chegou atrasado outra vez. — Pois chegou, como sempre.

— He showed up late again. — He did, as always.

— Isto está muito caro. — Pois, mas não há alternativa.

— This is very expensive. — True, but there's no alternative.

Used alone, pois is roughly "yeah" / "right" / "of course." With a repeated verb (pois está, pois chegou, pois vem), it becomes emphatic agreement.

Pois não? — the polite negative tag

This one will confuse you if you also know Brazilian Portuguese, because PT-BR uses pois não? as a service-industry opener meaning roughly "how can I help you?". In PT-PT, pois não? is used differently: it is a polite tag attached to a negative statement, inviting agreement with the negation.

Não te importas de esperar um bocadinho, pois não?

You don't mind waiting a little bit, do you? (polite, soft request)

Ela não te disse nada, pois não?

She didn't tell you anything, did she?

The PT-PT logic here is strict and symmetric: a positive statement takes não é?, a negative statement takes pois não?. A negative statement with não é? is ungrammatical in careful speech (though you will hear it).

Statement polarity	Tag	Example
Positive	não é?	Tu vens connosco, não é?
Negative	pois não?	Tu não vens connosco, pois não?

This is the only place in the PT-PT tag system where you do have to mind polarity, and it is worth internalising early.

Está bem? — checking agreement on a plan

Está bem? (literally "is it well?") is attached to the end of a proposal, request, or instruction to check that the other person accepts it. It is the Portuguese equivalent of English "okay? / alright? / sound good?" at the end of a plan.

Encontramo-nos às oito à porta do cinema, está bem?

Let's meet at eight in front of the cinema, alright?

Tu tratas das bebidas e eu faço a comida, está bem?

You handle the drinks and I'll make the food, okay?

Não te esqueças de fechar a porta, está bem?

Don't forget to close the door, alright?

Register-wise, está bem? is neutral — it works in a professional email as well as among friends. In very casual speech, PT-PT natives often reduce it to tá bem? (same way they reduce está to tá in any context). The tag tá? alone is even more casual and very common in spoken interaction with children or close family.

Vens jantar lá a casa no sábado, tá?

You're coming over for dinner on Saturday, yeah? (informal)

Percebes? / entendes? / sabes? — comprehension checks

These tags do something subtly different from não é?. Instead of asking the listener to confirm a factual claim, they check that the listener has understood what you just said. They are a feature of explanatory speech — when you are telling a story, giving directions, or walking someone through a problem.

Tens de apertar este botão primeiro e só depois é que marcas o número, percebes?

You have to press this button first and only then dial the number, you know? / got it?

Ele não me disse nada, mas eu vi-o a sair com ela, sabes?

He didn't say anything, but I saw him leaving with her, you know?

É uma situação complicada, entendes? Não é só uma questão de dinheiro.

It's a complicated situation, you understand? It's not just a question of money.

Percebes? is especially PT-PT — in Brazil you would more often hear entende? or sabe?. PT-PT uses perceber for "to understand" in the cognitive sense, where PT-BR tends to use entender, and the tag patterns follow. Both entendes? and sabes? are also natural in PT-PT, but percebes? is the most characteristically Portuguese.

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Percebes? and sabes? are filler tags as much as real questions. Often the speaker does not actually expect an answer — they are pacing their own speech and keeping the listener engaged. Treat them as discourse markers rather than real interrogatives.

Não achas? / não te parece? — soliciting opinion

When you want the listener not just to confirm a fact but to endorse an opinion or judgement, PT-PT uses não achas? (literally "don't you think?") or the slightly more formal não te parece? ("doesn't it seem to you?"). These are the PT-PT equivalents of English don't you think? / don't you agree?

Este restaurante está bem mais caro do que antes, não achas?

This restaurant is a lot more expensive than before, don't you think?

O filme era interessante, mas demasiado longo, não te parece?

The film was interesting, but too long, don't you find?

With você or the plural, the verb adjusts: não acha? (formal singular), não acham? (plural).

Não acha que seria melhor falar com o director, doutor?

Don't you think it would be better to speak to the director, doctor? (formal)

Sim? — rising check

A simple sim? at the end of a sentence is the most minimal of the tags — it just checks that the listener is still with you. Often it accompanies an instruction and expects a nodded or murmured yes.

Vais comer tudo o que está no prato, sim?

You're going to eat everything on your plate, yes? (gentle but firm, said to a child)

Espera aqui cinco minutos e eu já volto, sim?

Wait here five minutes and I'll be right back, okay?

Pragmatic uses — more than just grammar

Tag questions in PT-PT are not just grammar — they are a rich system of social lubrication. Choosing the right tag softens a request, signals solidarity, and manages the rhythm of a conversation. Here is a rough map of what each tag is doing socially:

Tag	What it really does	Typical context
não é?	Invites confirmation of a factual claim	Any — most neutral
pois não?	Invites confirmation of a negative claim; polite	Soft requests, checking assumptions
está bem? / tá?	Checks acceptance of a plan or instruction	Proposals, agreements, arrangements
percebes? / sabes?	Checks comprehension; also filler	Explanatory speech, storytelling
não achas? / não te parece?	Invites agreement on an opinion	Judgements, evaluations
sim?	Minimal check-in	Gentle instructions, especially to children
pois	Backchannel agreement (listener's, not speaker's)	Responding to what someone just said

A Portuguese speaker who is trying to be diplomatic will stack tags: Achas que é melhor fazer assim, não é? Está bem? — the first tag softens the suggestion, the second asks for commitment. This is entirely normal in PT-PT.

Intonation matters

All of these tags are carried by intonation. The main clause has declarative falling intonation, and the tag itself has rising intonation — this is what turns the whole utterance into a question. Without the rise, não é would be a statement ("it isn't") rather than a tag. PT-PT rising intonation on tags is less dramatic than English, but it is there.

For tag questions not using não é? — i.e., pure intonation questions where you take a declarative sentence and simply raise your voice at the end — see the dedicated page on yes/no questions with intonation.

Comparison with English tag questions

English has one of the most complicated tag systems in any European language. PT-PT has one of the simplest. Here is the full map:

English	Portuguese
isn't it? / isn't he? / isn't she?	não é?
aren't you? / aren't we? / aren't they?	não é?
doesn't she? / doesn't he? / don't they?	não é?
don't you? / didn't you? / haven't you?	não é?
can't you? / won't you? / shouldn't we?	não é?
is it? / are you? (to negative statements)	pois não?
alright? / okay?	está bem? / tá?
you know? / right?	percebes? / sabes? / né?
don't you think?	não achas?

Every row of the top section — all of English's positive-statement tags — collapses into a single Portuguese tag. This is a rare case where the target language is dramatically simpler than English.

Common mistakes

❌ A Maria vem, não vem?

English speakers try to 'agree' the tag with the main verb, echoing the English pattern. Portuguese does not do this in neutral speech.

✅ A Maria vem, não é?

Maria's coming, right?

❌ Tu não gostas, não é?

After a negative statement, the right tag is *pois não?*, not *não é?*.

✅ Tu não gostas, pois não?

You don't like it, do you?

❌ Os meus pais são simpáticos, não são?

The tag should not agree in number — *não é?* is invariable.

✅ Os meus pais são simpáticos, não é?

My parents are nice, aren't they?

❌ Vamos ao cinema, né?

While *né* is pronounced in PT-PT speech, in written PT-PT it is almost always spelled *não é?*. The spelling *né* marks the text as either Brazilian or a very casual text message.

✅ Vamos ao cinema, não é?

We're going to the movies, right? (standard written PT-PT)

❌ Pois não? (as a shop assistant greeting)

This is the PT-BR service-industry use. In PT-PT, a shop assistant says *faz favor?* or *posso ajudar?*. *Pois não?* in PT-PT is a negative tag question, not a greeting.

✅ Faz favor? / Posso ajudar?

Can I help you? (PT-PT shop greeting)

Key takeaways

Não é? is the universal, invariable tag for any positive declarative sentence. It never changes.
After a negative statement, use pois não? — this is the one place PT-PT tags track polarity.
In speech, não é? reduces to roughly /nɛ/ (often spelled né, but PT-PT writing prefers não é?).
Está bem? / tá? asks for acceptance of a plan; percebes? / sabes? checks comprehension; não achas? solicits opinion.
Pois alone is backchannel agreement — what the listener says, not a tag you attach to your own sentence.
PT-PT tag grammar is dramatically simpler than English — one invariable tag handles what English spreads across dozens of auxiliary-flipping forms.

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