však? / že? / nie?

Tag Questions

Level 3

Slovak does not build tags like English isn't it? or don't you?. It adds one small word after a comma.

How It Works

One word fits every sentence. English changes its tag with the verb: isn't it, don't you, weren't they. Slovak adds a fixed word: Je to pekné, však? Prídeš, však? Boli ste tam, však?

The choices.

  • však? – the most common tag in standard Slovak, fine in speech and writing.
  • pravda? – neutral and a little formal (pravda means truth).
  • nie? – very common in conversation: Je zima, nie?
  • že? – heard a lot in casual speech (Prídeš, že?), but Slovak dictionaries treat it as incorrect. In careful speech and writing, use však? instead.
  • všakže? – a warmer, more emotional version of však?.

Comma and voice. Put a comma before the tag and a question mark after it. Your voice rises on the tag.

After a negative statement. Však? works here too: Nie si hladný, však? (You're not hungry, are you?) Answer about the facts: Nie, nie som. (No, I'm not.)

At the start. Však can also open the question, with no comma: Však sa nehneváš? (You're not angry, are you?)

Do not confuse the tag že? with the conjunction že (that), which introduces a clause.

Examples (6)

  1. Je to pekné, však?

    It's nice, isn't it?

    Word by Word: Is it nice, however?

  2. Prídeš aj ty, však?

    You're coming too, aren't you?

    Word by Word: You-will-come also you, however?

  3. Je zima, nie?

    It's cold, isn't it?

    Word by Word: Is cold, no?

  4. Nie si hladný, však?

    You're not hungry, are you?

    Word by Word: Not you-are hungry, however?

    The tag stays the same after a negative statement.

  5. Boli ste už na Slovensku, pravda?

    You've been to Slovakia before, haven't you?

    Word by Word: Were you already in Slovakia, truth?

  6. Však sa nehneváš?

    You're not angry, are you?

    Word by Word: However yourself not-you-are-angry?

    Však at the start of the question, with no comma.

Common Mistakes

  • Copying the English tag by repeating the verb.

    Je to pekné, nie je to?
    Je to pekné, však?

    Slovak does not repeat the verb in a tag. Add však?, pravda? or nie? instead.

  • Leaving out the comma before the tag.

    Je zima nie?
    Je zima, nie?

    The tag is separated from the statement by a comma.

  • Using že? as a tag in careful speech or writing.

    Páči sa ti tu, že?
    Páči sa ti tu, však?

    You will hear že? in casual conversation, but standard Slovak treats it as incorrect. Use však? or pravda?.

How It Connects

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

však? / že? / nie?Level 3Tag Questions

Learn This First

Before Tag Questions, learn Yes-No Questions and However: však. Tag questions turn a statement into a yes-no question. však? is the standard tag.

Words in This Pattern

pravda