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?

(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!).