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pois não. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
pois não, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
pois não in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
pois não you have here. The definition of the word
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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?
- (Brazil, formal) Can I help you? (used when attending customers)
Phrase
pois não
- (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!).