A tag question (pergunta de confirmação or pergunta-tag) is a short question stuck onto the end of a statement to check it with the listener. English tag questions are famously complicated — You like coffee, don't you? They were late, weren't they? He'll help, won't he? — each tag has to match the subject and auxiliary of the main clause. Portuguese tag questions are delightfully simpler: a small set of invariable phrases, mostly não é?, não achas?, and pois não?, that you stick onto any statement regardless of its subject or tense.
This page covers the main Portuguese tags, when to use each one, the intonation that changes their meaning, and the key differences from English.
The workhorse tag: não é?
The most frequent tag in European Portuguese is não é? — "isn't it?" or, more literally, "it isn't?" It works on any statement, regardless of tense, person, or verb. No agreement, no inversion, no matching. You just say it.
Está a chover, não é?
It's raining, isn't it?
Tu és professora, não é?
You're a teacher, aren't you?
Eles já chegaram, não é?
They've already arrived, haven't they?
Ontem foste ao cinema, não é?
Yesterday you went to the cinema, didn't you?
Notice how não é? stays the same even when the main verb is está, és, chegaram, foste, vai. This is the single biggest difference between Portuguese and English tag questions — Portuguese does not make the tag agree with the main clause.
The variant: não é verdade?
A slightly more emphatic version of não é? is não é verdade? — "isn't that true?" It is interchangeable but feels a touch more insistent, often used when the speaker really does want the listener to weigh in.
Aquele filme era mesmo bom, não é verdade?
That film was really good, wasn't it?
Precisamos de mais tempo para o projeto, não é verdade?
We need more time for the project, don't we?
The opinion-seeking tag: não achas?
When you want to check an opinion or judgment rather than a fact, the natural tag is não achas? ("don't you think?"). This is especially common after evaluative statements.
Este restaurante é caríssimo, não achas?
This restaurant is really expensive, don't you think?
O filme foi desapontante, não achas?
The film was disappointing, don't you think?
Faz sentido começar pela cozinha, não achas?
It makes sense to start with the kitchen, doesn't it?
The verb achar ("to think, to find, to consider") inflects only for the second person — não achas? (tu) or não acha? (você/senhor). Which to use depends on who you are addressing.
| Form | Addressed to | Register |
|---|---|---|
| não achas? | tu (friend, family, peer) | informal |
| não acha? | você / o senhor / a senhora | formal |
| não achais? / não acham? | plural listeners | plural, any register |
A nova lei é injusta, não acha, senhor ministro?
The new law is unfair, don't you think, Minister?
Este hotel é confortável, não achas?
This hotel is comfortable, don't you think?
The PT-PT signature: pois não?
A tag with a distinctly European Portuguese flavour is pois não? — used after negative statements, where it functions roughly like English don't you? / isn't it? tagged onto a negative.
Não gostas de café, pois não?
You don't like coffee, do you?
Não tens trocos, pois não?
You don't have change, do you?
A reunião não foi cancelada, pois não?
The meeting wasn't cancelled, was it?
Ninguém vai chegar atrasado, pois não?
Nobody's going to arrive late, are they?
The logic of pois não? is: the statement is negative, and the tag asks the listener to confirm that the negative is right. A positive answer to pois não? confirms the negative: the listener says pois não ("no indeed") to agree that — for example — you don't like coffee.
Pois não? vs. pois sim?
A rarer counterpart, pois sim?, is used after positive statements in very careful or slightly formal speech. Most EP speakers just use não é? after a positive and reserve pois não? for negatives.
Gostas do novo emprego, pois sim?
You like your new job, don't you? (slightly formal)
In everyday conversation, não é? is the default for positive statements; pois não? is the default for negative statements.
Shorter tags: não? and certo?
Bare não?
A clipped form that is extremely common in casual speech. It works like não é? but is faster and more relaxed.
Já comeste, não?
You've eaten, haven't you?
Isto é teu, não?
This is yours, right?
Vocês vêm connosco, não?
You're coming with us, aren't you?
Certo?
An increasingly common tag, especially in informal and professional-informal contexts. It asks "right?" and works after any statement.
Amanhã saímos às oito, certo?
Tomorrow we're leaving at eight, right?
Ficámos de mandar o relatório até sexta, certo?
We agreed to send the report by Friday, right?
Certo? has a slightly cooler, more transactional feel than não é? — useful for confirming arrangements, less so for opinion-sharing.
Regional and colloquial tags
European Portuguese has a few additional colloquial tags that belong to specific registers or regions.
| Tag | Meaning | Register |
|---|---|---|
| não é? | isn't it? | neutral, everywhere |
| não achas? | don't you think? | neutral, seeks opinion |
| pois não? | is it? (after negatives, PT-PT) | neutral |
| não? | right? (short) | informal |
| certo? | right? / correct? | informal, transactional |
| não é verdade? | isn't that true? | slightly emphatic |
| ou não? | or not? | emphatic, challenging |
| estou enganado? | am I wrong? | rhetorical, formal |
Aquilo foi uma barbaridade, ou não?
That was an outrage, wasn't it?
A situação é grave, estou enganado?
The situation is serious, am I wrong?
Intonation: the meaning changes with the pitch
All the tags above can be delivered with two different intonation contours, and the meaning shifts accordingly.
Rising intonation — genuine question
When the tag ends on a rising pitch, the speaker is genuinely asking for confirmation — they are not sure, they want the listener to tell them. This is a real question.
Ele chega amanhã, não é? ↗
He's arriving tomorrow, isn't he? (I'm not sure — please confirm)
Falling intonation — assumption-seeking
When the tag ends on a falling pitch, the speaker already assumes the statement is correct and is just seeking acknowledgment — almost rhetorical.
Ele chega amanhã, não é? ↘
He's arriving tomorrow, right? (I'm pretty sure — just confirming)
The difference is small in print but very audible in speech. Speakers and listeners use it constantly to gauge how firmly the statement is held.
Why Portuguese is simpler than English here
English tags must match the main clause in three ways:
- Subject pronoun — you → you, he → he, they → they
- Auxiliary verb — do, does, did, is, was, have, has, had, will, would, can, could...
- Polarity — positive tag after negative statement, negative tag after positive statement
Portuguese tags match none of those. Não é? is invariable regardless of what the main clause does.
| English (variable) | Portuguese (invariable) |
|---|---|
| You're tired, aren't you? | Estás cansado, não é? |
| She sings well, doesn't she? | Ela canta bem, não é? |
| They arrived, didn't they? | Eles chegaram, não é? |
| You'll come, won't you? | Vens, não é? |
| We have enough, haven't we? | Temos que chegue, não é? |
| He can drive, can't he? | Ele sabe conduzir, não é? |
This is one of the places where Portuguese is simpler than English, and learners should take advantage of it. A single tag covers what English spreads across dozens of forms.
Comparison with Spanish
Spanish speakers crossing into Portuguese will recognise the pattern immediately, because Spanish does the same thing. Spanish's invariable tags — ¿verdad?, ¿no? — line up almost one-for-one with não é? and não?.
| Spanish | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Hace frío, ¿verdad? | Está frio, não é? |
| Vienes mañana, ¿no? | Vens amanhã, não? |
| No te gusta, ¿verdad? | Não gostas, pois não? |
The one distinctive Portuguese move is pois não? after negatives — Spanish has no single-word equivalent and typically just reuses ¿verdad? or ¿no?.
Answering a tag question
How you answer depends on what the tag was asking.
After a positive statement + não é?:
— Gostas de peixe, não é? — Gosto. / Gosto, sim.
— You like fish, don't you? — Yes, I do.
After a negative statement + pois não?:
— Não gostas de peixe, pois não? — Não gosto, não.
— You don't like fish, do you? — No, I don't.
— Não gostas de peixe, pois não? — Gosto, sim.
— You don't like fish, do you? — Actually, I do.
Notice the verb-echo pattern: the answer repeats the verb (gosto / não gosto) — the same pattern you use for any yes/no question in EP. See sentence fragments for the full pattern.
When the tag is an opinion-seeker, answer the opinion
After não achas?, the answer is typically an agreement, a disagreement, or a nuance:
— Este vinho é excelente, não achas? — Concordo. / Também acho.
— This wine is excellent, don't you think? — I agree.
— Este vinho é excelente, não achas? — Hmm, não sei. Para mim é só razoável.
— This wine is excellent, don't you think? — Hmm, I'm not sure. For me it's just OK.
Register: where each tag fits
| Situation | Natural tag |
|---|---|
| Chatting with a friend | não é? / não? |
| Seeking someone's opinion | não achas? |
| Checking a negative assumption | pois não? |
| Confirming an arrangement (work) | certo? |
| Formal speech to an audience | não é verdade? |
| Rhetorical / challenging | ou não? / estou enganado? |
You can cover 90% of tag-question situations with just não é?, não achas?, and pois não?. Start with those three.
Common Mistakes
❌ Tu gostas de café, não gostas?
Incorrect — Portuguese does not agree tags with the main verb.
✅ Tu gostas de café, não é?
You like coffee, don't you?
English speakers instinctively try to build a matching tag with the same verb. Portuguese does not do this — the tag is always the invariable não é?.
❌ Gostas de café, não achas?
Awkward — não achas? seeks an opinion, not a factual confirmation.
✅ Gostas de café, não é?
You like coffee, don't you?
Não achas? is for questions of opinion and judgment. Whether someone likes coffee is a fact about them, not an opinion to share.
❌ Não gostas de café, não é?
Awkward — pois não? is the standard tag after a negative.
✅ Não gostas de café, pois não?
You don't like coffee, do you?
After a negative statement, European Portuguese strongly prefers pois não? to não é?. Using não é? after a negative sounds foreign.
❌ Está quente, certamente?
Wrong choice — certamente is an adverb meaning 'certainly', not a tag.
✅ Está quente, certo?
It's hot, right?
Certo? is the tag. Certamente is an adverb meaning certainly; it cannot do tag-question work.
❌ Ela é médica, não é ela?
Incorrect — Portuguese does not echo the subject in the tag.
✅ Ela é médica, não é?
She's a doctor, isn't she?
Unlike English (she is, isn't she?), Portuguese tags never carry a subject pronoun. Não é? is as complete as the tag gets.
❌ O senhor gosta de peixe, não achas?
Wrong agreement — tu form used with formal addressee.
✅ O senhor gosta de peixe, não acha?
Do you like fish, sir, don't you think?
Não achas? is tu; não acha? matches você and o senhor. Mixing forms within the same utterance is a clear error of register.
Key Takeaways
- Portuguese tag questions are invariable — they don't match the main verb's tense, subject, or polarity.
- The default tag is não é? (or its clipped form não?).
- Não achas? / não acha? seeks an opinion; não é? seeks a factual confirmation.
- Pois não? is the distinctively European Portuguese tag for negative statements.
- Rising intonation = genuine question; falling intonation = rhetorical confirmation.
- Warning: pois não? in Brazilian Portuguese means "how can I help?" — a completely different function. In EP it is always a negative-confirmation tag.
- Answer a tag question by echoing the verb: — Gostas, não é? — Gosto.
Related Topics
- Yes/No QuestionsA1 — How to ask questions that expect sim or não — using intonation, the é que frame, and echo-verb answers.
- Wh-Questions (Quem, Que, Onde, Quando...)A1 — Forming information questions with quem, que, qual, onde, como, quando, quanto, and porque — with or without the é que frame.
- Declarative SentencesA1 — The default sentence type used to make statements — affirmative or negative — with standard SVO word order.
- Portuguese Sentence Structure OverviewA1 — An introduction to how Portuguese sentences are built — word order, sentence types, and what makes Portuguese different from English.
- Echo QuestionsB1 — Repeating a question, a word, or a declarative to ask for clarification or express surprise — including the wh-in-situ pattern unique to this construction.