N'est-ce pas and other ways to check agreement

Tu as réservé les billets, n'est-ce pas ?You've booked the tickets, haven't you?

French has one all-purpose tag for inviting agreement — n'est-ce pas — plus a set of everyday phrases for checking information you're not quite sure about.

Quick shortcut: n'est-ce pas never changes form, no matter the statement before it. To check a fact rather than just invite agreement, reach for c'est bien ça ?, si j'ai bien compris..., or tu es sûr(e) ?.

n'est-ce pas: the same tag every time

Unlike English, where the everyday tag changes to match the statement (isn't it?, don't you?, didn't he?, can't we?), the neutral, everyday French tag stays exactly the same three words after any statement at all, whatever its tense, subject, or verb:

• Elle est fatiguée, n'est-ce pas ? (She's tired, isn't she?)
• Vous avez fini, n'est-ce pas ? (You've finished, haven't you?)
• Ils ne viendront pas, n'est-ce pas ? (They won't come, will they?)

This is covered at a first level in yes/no questions — the new thing to notice here is precisely that invariance: for the neutral confirmation tag taught here, there's nothing to conjugate or adjust to match the main clause. (Very formal or literary French does have inverted negative-interrogative tags like n'est-il pas ? that mirror the subject, but they're a different, much rarer register from the everyday tag taught here.) N'est-ce pas itself leans a little formal or written; in everyday speech, people often reach for the equally invariable non ? or hein ? instead:

• C'est bon, non ? (It's good, isn't it?)
• Tu viens, hein ? (You're coming, right?)

Hein ? on its own, with no statement attached, can also just mean "huh?" or "what?" — context and intonation tell the two uses apart.

Checking information: is that right?

When you're not just inviting agreement but actually unsure whether something is true, a different set of phrases fits better:

• C'est bien ça ? ("Is that right?") — checks that you've got a specific detail correct: La réunion est à 14h, c'est bien ça ? (The meeting's at 2pm, is that right?)
• Si j'ai bien compris... ("If I've understood correctly...") — checks your understanding of something more involved, usually opening the sentence: Si j'ai bien compris, vous partez demain ? (If I've understood correctly, you're leaving tomorrow?)
• Tu es sûr(e) ? / Vous êtes sûr(e)(s) ? ("Are you sure?") — questions the other person's certainty directly, agreeing in gender and number with tu/vous.
• Vraiment ? ("Really?") — a short, standalone way to register surprise and invite confirmation at the same time.

Common mistakes

• The instinct to build a tag that mirrors the subject, the way English does, doesn't carry over here — for the everyday confirmation tag, n'est-ce pas stays exactly as it is, whatever the subject: Tu viens, n'est-ce pas ?, not a conjugated form built to match tu
• ❌ Elle a raison, n'est-ce pas oui ? → ✅ Elle a raison, n'est-ce pas ? (the tag is these three words alone, nothing added)
• n'est-ce pas isn't wrong in casual conversation, just a bit stiffer than non ?/hein ? — reach for those in relaxed speech, and n'est-ce pas for anything more careful or written
• ❌ Tu es sûre ? asked to a man → ✅ Tu es sûr ? (this phrase agrees in gender with the person being asked, unlike the invariable tags)

Quick check

Choose the best fit: n'est-ce pas, c'est bien ça, si j'ai bien compris or tu es sûr(e).

1. Tu as bien fermé la porte, ____ ? (quick everyday check, could also be non ?)
2. ____, la réunion a été annulée ? (checking your understanding of something you just heard)
3. Le train part à 8h15, ____ ? (confirming one specific detail)
4. Vous voulez vraiment annuler votre commande ? ____ ? (questioning someone's certainty)

Key takeaways

• N'est-ce pas is the neutral, everyday tag for inviting agreement — it stays exactly the same regardless of the statement's tense, subject, or verb, unlike English isn't it?/don't you?/didn't he?.
• Casual speech reaches for the equally invariable non ? or hein ? instead — n'est-ce pas leans a little formal.
• Hein ? on its own can also just mean "huh?" — context tells it apart from the tag use.
• To check a fact you're genuinely unsure about, use c'est bien ça ?, si j'ai bien compris..., tu es sûr(e) ?, or the simple vraiment ?
• Unlike the invariable tags, sûr(e) agrees in gender (and sûr(e)s in number) with the person you're asking.