Pues (pronounced pwes) is a Spanish conjunction that means “then” or “so,” an emphatic “well,” or “because” and “since,” and in everyday speech it often works as a filler. Wiktionary traces it “From Vulgar Latin *pos, from Classical Latin post,” and notes a colloquial pronunciation /ˈpos/, which is where the spelling pos comes from.
Meanings at a Glance
| Sense | English | Example | Translation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consequence / solution | then, so | Estoy cansado. – Pues vete a dormir. | ”I am tired. – Go to sleep then.” | SpanishDict |
| Consequence | then, in that case | Si tienes algo que decir, pues dilo. | ”If you have something to say, then say it.” | Wiktionary |
| Emphatic opener | well | Pues ve acostumbrándote. | ”Well, get used to it.” | SpanishDict |
| Cause | because | No puedo venir a la fiesta, pues tengo que hacer muchos deberes. | ”I can’t come to the party because I have lots of homework to do.” | SpanishDict |
| Cause | since | Es el mismo gato, pues tiene la misma apariencia. | ”It is the same cat, since it has the same appearance.” | Wiktionary |
| Sentence-final | then | No sé qué decirte, pues. | ”I don’t know what to tell you, then.” | SpanishDict |
How It’s Used
As “then.” Wiktionary gives entonces as a synonym for this sense: a reply that follows from what was just said. –Ya te puedes ir. –Pues me voy. (“–You can leave now. –I’ll go, then.”)
As “well.” At the start of a reply, pues softens or sets up an answer, much like English “well.” In SpanishDict’s example, Pues ve acostumbrándote is emphatic.
As “because” or “since.” Wiktionary gives ya que as its synonym. A 1915 text by Julio Vicuña Cifuentes, quoted there, uses it this way: pues son invisibles para todos los que no son Brujos (“since they are invisible to all those who are not witches”).
Set phrases. Wiktionary lists pues bien and pues qué as derived terms. In texting, pues is shortened to ps.
Regional Forms
| Form | Where | What it does | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| pos | Colloquial (Wiktionary gives no region) | Spoken form from the /ˈpos/ pronunciation; “synonym of pues” | Wiktionary |
| po, poh, po’ | Chile | Emphasis marker, “a monophthongized and aspirated form of pues” | Wikipedia: Chilean Spanish |
| pe | Peru (coastal Spanish of inland migrants) | Used routinely after the verb, alongside pues and nomás | Wikipedia: Peruvian Coast Spanish |
| pues (very frequent) | Medellín, Colombia (Paisa speech) | “Nearly every sentence uttered by Paisas contains at least one pues”: Pues sí. Pues no. ¿Entonces qué, pues? | Matador Network |
See also #Bueno, another everyday Spanish discourse word.
Sources
- https://www.spanishdict.com/translate/pues
- https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pues
- https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pos
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilean_Spanish
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peruvian_Coast_Spanish
- https://matadornetwork.com/abroad/17-essential-spanish-expressions-learn-traveling-medellin