Tag Questions

Level 4

Þetta er gott, er það ekki? (This is good, isn't it?) A short tag at the end asks the listener to agree.

How It Works

The main tags. Add the tag after a comma. The statement before it does not change.

  • er það ekki? (isn't it so?) is the everyday tag: Þú kemur í kvöld, er það ekki?
  • ekki satt? (not true?) is a little more emphatic: Hann býr í Hafnarfirði, ekki satt? satt is the neuter of sannur (true). It refers to the whole statement, so it never changes.
  • eða? and eða hvað? (or what?) are relaxed and common in speech: Þú talar dönsku, eða?

The tag does not copy the verb. English says doesn't he, aren't you or didn't they. Icelandic keeps the same tag whatever the verb and the subject are. When the statement is about the past, you can also hear var það ekki?: Þetta var gaman, var það ekki?

Answering. The tags er það ekki? and ekki satt? contain ekki, so a yes answer is usually jú, the yes that answers a negative question. Nei says the statement is wrong.

  • Þú ert frá Akureyri, er það ekki? (You're from Akureyri, aren't you?) Jú. (Yes, I am.)
  • Nei, ég er frá Ísafirði. (No, I'm from Ísafjörður.)

A tag is gentler than a plain yes/no question. It shows that you already expect a certain answer.

Examples (6)

  1. Þetta er gott, er það ekki?

    This is good, isn't it?

    Word by Word: This is good, is it not?

  2. Þú kemur í kvöld, er það ekki?

    You're coming tonight, aren't you?

    Word by Word: You come in evening, is it not?

    The tag stays er það ekki? even though the main verb is koma.

  3. Hann býr í Hafnarfirði, ekki satt?

    He lives in Hafnarfjörður, doesn't he?

    Word by Word: He lives in Hafnarfjörður, not true?

  4. Þú talar dönsku, eða?

    You speak Danish, right?

    Word by Word: You speak Danish, or?

    eða? is relaxed and typical of speech.

  5. Þetta var gaman, var það ekki?

    That was fun, wasn't it?

    Word by Word: This was fun, was it not?

  6. Þú ert frá Akureyri, er það ekki? — Jú, ég er fæddur þar.

    You're from Akureyri, aren't you? — Yes, I was born there.

    Word by Word: You are from Akureyri, is it not? — Yes, I am born there.

    jú agrees with a tag that contains ekki.

Common Mistakes

  • Building the tag from the verb, as in English.

    Hún talar íslensku, talar hún ekki?
    Hún talar íslensku, er það ekki?

    Icelandic does not repeat the verb and the subject in a tag. Use a fixed tag such as er það ekki? or ekki satt?

  • Making satt agree with the subject.

    Hún er veik í dag, ekki sönn?
    Hún er veik í dag, ekki satt?

    satt means "true" and describes the whole statement, not the woman. It is always the neuter form satt.

How It Connects

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Tag QuestionsLevel 4

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