In Catalan you can change a statement into a question with oi, e.g.:
| Vénen demà, oi? |
This oi is called a question tag, and these questions are called tag questions. In English, tags are complicated because (a) they need an auxiliary verb and (b) they are usually positive if the sentence is negative and viceversa, e.g.:
| They are coming tomorrow, aren't they? (Vénen demà, oi?) |
| They aren't coming tomorrow, are they? (No vénen demà, oi?) |
| You like chocolate, don't you? (T'agrada la xocolata, oi?) |
| Jane works near here, doesn't she? (La Jane treballa a prop d'aquí, oi?) |
| They don't live in London, do they? (No viuen a Londres, oi?) |
| Bill has to leave early today, doesn't he? (En Bill se n'ha d'anar d'hora avui, oi?) |
| She can play the flute, can't she? (Sap tocar la flauta, oi?) |
| She can't play the piano, can she? (No sap tocar el piano, oi?) |
When we expect the other person to confirm what we say, we use a falling intonation for the tag, e.g.:
|
It's your birthday today, isn't it? (És el teu aniversai avui, oi?) |
but when we do not expect a particular answer, we use a rising intonation for the tag, e.g.:
|
This is the bus to Andorra, isn't it? (Aquest és l'autocar per a Andorra, oi?) |
