Tag questions are short add-ons that turn a statement into a question. In English, they are the wordy isn't it?, don't you?, haven't they? family — ones that change with every verb. Spanish is refreshingly simple: you pick a short tag like ¿verdad?, ¿no?, or ¿cierto?, and stick it at the end.
The most common tags
| Tag | Closest English | Tone |
|---|---|---|
| ¿verdad? | right? / true? | Neutral, universal |
| ¿no? | right? / isn't it? | Very casual |
| ¿cierto? | right? / correct? | Neutral, common in South America |
| ¿no es así? | isn't that so? | Slightly formal |
All of these can be attached to any statement. Unlike English, there is no need to match a verb or a tense — the tag is invariable.
¿Verdad?
¿Verdad? (literally truth) is the most universal tag. It works with any statement and any register, from casual to formal, and is understood everywhere in Latin America.
Eres mexicano, ¿verdad?
You're Mexican, right?
This is the safest tag to use when you are not sure which one fits. You will never sound out of place with ¿verdad?.
¿No?
¿No? is the most casual and extremely common in everyday speech. It works just like ¿verdad? but feels a bit more informal.
Hace frío, ¿no?
It's cold, isn't it?
Te gusta el café, ¿no?
You like coffee, don't you?
One interesting thing: in Spanish, you use ¿no? even after negative statements. This is where Spanish diverges from English — English flips polarity (You don't like it, do you?), but Spanish does not feel the need.
No vienes, ¿no?
You're not coming, are you?
¿Cierto?
¿Cierto? (literally certain) is another neutral option, especially common in parts of South America like Colombia, Chile, and Peru. It has the same meaning as ¿verdad?.
Llegas a las ocho, ¿cierto?
You're arriving at eight, right?
You can use ¿cierto? anywhere in Latin America and be understood, though ¿verdad? and ¿no? are more universal.
¿No es así?
¿No es así? is slightly more formal and literally translates to Isn't it so?. It is used the same way, but you will hear it more in careful speech, in writing, or when the speaker wants to sound a bit more emphatic.
Tú eres el nuevo profesor, ¿no es así?
You're the new teacher, aren't you?
Punctuation of tag questions
A tag question is a separate question tacked onto a statement. That means the tag gets its own pair of question marks — the statement in front of it is not inside them.
- Eres mexicano, ¿verdad? — correct
- ¿Eres mexicano, verdad? — incorrect
The comma separates the two parts, and the inverted question mark goes right before verdad, not at the start of the sentence.
When to use tag questions
Tag questions are used to:
- Confirm something you believe is true
- Invite agreement from the listener
- Soften a statement into something more conversational
They are especially useful when you are about 90% sure of the answer and just want a quick confirmation. If you are asking an open question, use a regular yes/no question or an information question instead.
Related Topics
- Yes/No QuestionsA1 — Form simple yes/no questions in Spanish using intonation and inverted punctuation, without any auxiliary verb.
- Qué (What, Which)A1 — Use ¿qué? to ask for definitions, identifications, and to modify nouns with the meaning what or which.