vai ne?

Tag Questions: Vai Ne?

Level 2

Add , vai ne? to the end of a statement to ask for agreement: Tu esi no Rīgas, vai ne? (You are from Riga, aren't you?)

How It Works

1. One tag for every sentence. Make a statement, add a comma, then vai ne?

  • Tu esi no Rīgas, vai ne? (You are from Riga, aren't you?)
  • Tu runā latviski, vai ne? (You speak Latvian, don't you?)
  • Šodien ir auksti, vai ne? (It is cold today, isn't it?)

The tag stays the same whatever the verb, person or tense.

2. Where it comes from. Vai is the question word from yes-no questions, and ne stands in for the negated verb. Tu esi no Rīgas, vai ne? is a short way of saying vai neesi? (or aren't you?). That is why it is written with a short ne, not nē, the answer word for no.

3. Short sentences work too. Skaisti, vai ne? (Beautiful, isn't it?) Garšīgi, vai ne? (Tasty, isn't it?)

4. Answering. The speaker expects agreement. Jā (yes) confirms what was said: Tu esi no Rīgas, vai ne? — Jā, esmu. (Yes, I am.) After a negative statement, agreeing starts with nē: Tu nesmēķē, vai ne? — Nē, nesmēķēju. (No, I don't.)

To show surprise or doubt instead, use vai tad or vai tiešām.

Examples (6)

  1. Tu esi no Rīgas, vai ne?

    You are from Riga, aren't you?

  2. Skaisti, vai ne?

    Beautiful, isn't it?

  3. Šodien ir auksti, vai ne?

    It is cold today, isn't it?

  4. Tu runā latviski, vai ne?

    You speak Latvian, don't you?

  5. Viņa ir tava māsa, vai ne?

    She is your sister, isn't she?

  6. Tu nesmēķē, vai ne?

    You don't smoke, do you?

    The tag stays vai ne even after a negative statement.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding the person to the tag, as in English.

    Tu esi no Rīgas, vai ne tu?
    Tu esi no Rīgas, vai ne?

    English repeats the person in its tag (aren't you?). Latvian does not: the tag is just vai ne?, whoever the sentence is about.

  • Writing the tag with the answer word nē.

    Tu esi no Rīgas, vai nē?
    Tu esi no Rīgas, vai ne?

    Here ne stands in for a negated verb (vai neesi?). Nē with a long ē is the answer word no.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

vai ne?Level 2Tag Questions: Vai Ne?

Learn This First

Vai ne? is a tag after a statement.

Words in This Pattern

vaine