pois não

Portuguese

Etymology

From pois (“so, then”) + não (“not”). Probably originally intended as: "so ... not ...?", implying either "so, how could I not serve you?" or "so, how could I not do what you asked?", depending on the context.

Compare Spanish ¿cómo no? (“how not?”) and Hungarian hogyne (“sure, of course”, literally “how not”).

Phrase

pois não?

1. (Brazil, formal) Can I help you? (used when attending customers)

Phrase

pois não

1. (Brazil, formal) yes; of course (used to confirm a request)

   “Eu gostaria de uma salada.” — “Pois não, senhor.”

   “I would like a salad.” — “Yes, sir.”

Usage notes

Not to be confused with pois sim (used as a sarcastic agreement of something that is obviously to be disagreed: yeah, right!, yeah, sure!).