Learn Dutch: Je maakt vaak een praatje met hem, toch? - You often make small talk with him, right?

The word toch is perfect here because you strongly expect the listener to agree or confirm. It works just like 'right?' or 'don't you?' in English. You could use hè, which is very similar but slightly more informal, while of niet would sound a bit too direct or challenging, as if you doubt whether they actually chat with him.

What does the phrase een praatje maken mean exactly?

Literally translating as 'making a little talk', this is the standard Dutch idiom for 'making small talk' or 'having a chat'. Using the diminutive form praatje shows that the conversation is short, light, and casual.

Why don't the verb and subject swap places since this is a question?

The main part of the sentence is built as a normal statement: Je maakt (You make). The sentence is turned into a question simply by adding the tag toch? at the end. If you asked it as a standard question without the tag, you would invert the verb and subject: Maak je vaak een praatje met hem?

Why does the adverb vaak come before the object een praatje?

In Dutch, adverbs of time like vaak (often) are typically placed right after the main verb. Additionally, because een praatje is an indefinite object (using een instead of a specific 'the' or 'that'), the adverb must be placed before it.